Stitch-n-Glue Review

Stitch-n-Glue Review

H. Mortensen

May 2010

Devlin Designing Boat Builder’s DIPPER 16

With typical predictability, most trailer boats you see at the launch ramp, boat show or on Craigslist are poorly thought out, heavy fiberglass compromises designed to appeal to the red-blooded American male.  This theoretical marketing model assumes that boat buyers want fast, wake-throwing boats with living-room upholstery and carpeted hull “ceilings.”

Enter Sam Devlin’s DIPPER.  An outboard- (four stroke, please) powered runabout with a small cabin and two-person pilothouse.  Dipper is practical, efficient to operate, easy to launch and a wonder to look at.  The jaunty cabin and strong, traditional sheerline make for a pleasing, head-turning boat that is absent of the standard testosterone-poisoned styling embodied by manufacturers whose boats “line the bays.”

At just over 16 feet, this is not a boat you spend a week on, yet she does sport a small v-berth suitable for napping or possibly a long weekend in the ‘Juans for those well-acquainted, adventurous types.  The 7’ 2” beam allows plenty of fishing room for two on the back deck.  With the outboard located in a well, you might just forget it is on while trolling.

At merely 1,300 lbs, she is as light as many runabouts but sports a respectable cabin.  Devlin designs his boats a bit on the hefty side for stitch-n-glue construction, which is good for life on a trailer or when facing mounting seas.

Speed is reported at around 7 knots with a small outboard in the 10-15hp range, though one builder reports good results with a 25hp two stroke (ughh).  The aft sections flatten out from a wave-splitting v-section forward.  This makes for a comfortable, semi-displacement ride.

Stitch and glue ply encapsulated in plenty of modern hydrocarbons make this boat just as maintenance-free as her glam-styled FRP cousins.  Let’s not forget those ‘glass boats have plenty of hidden wood down below where it’s needed in the transom, stringers and decks and where it's vulnerable to rot (polyester being a poor encapsulator).

We can imagine cruising on a quiet winter morning out to the fishing grounds safe and warm in the inviting pilothouse, the small shipmate stove stoked and warming the skipper.  A polite powerboat that is useful, practical and respectful.  What a boat!

Photo and image below from http://www.devlinboat.com