Construction

To illustrate the ease with which the dinghies are built, Charlie and a few enthusiastic helpers assembled a boat for our camera crew. And it was all stitched together in a matter of hours. The basic process is as follows: Unpack and prepare: Some items need to be glued up prior to the main construction (1 hour) Main construction: This involves gluing the bottom, sides and seats into place (2 hours) Filling and coving: Removing cable ties and filling the holes (1 hour) Sanding and fairing: Sanding any stray glue and preparing for painting (2 hours) Sealing: Sealing the boat with a quality epoxy sealer to increase life span (1 hour) Painting: The final step – multiple 30min sessions depending on desired finish.

having to mix it, the product’s ingenious nozzle design does it all for you. As you squeeze the glue from the tube, so it mixes in the nozzle in exactly the right ratio. This means the mix is always of optimum strength, and better still, there’s no wastage. It’s a simple ‘point and shoot’ application.”

Stitchbird kits-sets are priced from $1,800, excluding GST, and can be purchased via the company website – www.stitchbird.nz. And rather than paying for freighting, the kits can be cut at any facility with a CNC router, close to the DIYER.

Charlie says the idea for the kit-set boat came to him about five years ago, after he and his dad built a classic boat designed around the remains of a wrecked old hulk called Miss Ponsonby.

“It was an enormously positive experience for us both. What I learnt has stayed with me ever since. The memories will last even longer. I want every Stitchbird kit-set boat to provide experiences, lessons and memories for those who bring them to life.” B