A comparison of note, a bit of needful information, and in the "it's tough living in tRumps America" department...
Folding boats, in general, make a lot of sense and they have been around since the 1800's. Just check out this Berthon Collapsible Lifeboat for an example.
Like this one...
Makes all kinds of sense...
Which brings us to the Wooden Widget Fliptail and Origami.
First off, I have to admit that while I really like both of these designs but I do have some issues with light skin dinghies for cruising purposes. Partly because I row 99% of the time and neither of these boats is an optimal solution for any kind of serious commuting by oar and partly, because they are so light, that climbing out of the water become problematic without adding some sort of Rube Goldberg complication to the mix. That said, if you are like most people cruising you'd only occasionally row short distances and use an outboard 99% of the time.
The good news is they work great under sail or with a small outboard and, being so light, the sort of performance you'll get with a 3hp engine will surprise a lot of folks. If you want to row a little more I'd go with the Origami as the plywood sides offer more support and you can get your back into it.
Quite a few folk have pointed out to me that skin boats are not as tough as a hard dinghy which, in my opinion is not true at all. I'd expect a Fliptail or Origami done right should last just as long as a plywood/glass boat if not longer as modern fabrics and adhesives are a whole lot better than they used to be and flexible materials tend to hold up better to the things that destroy dinghies better than rigid ones. The downside of skin boats (as with inflatables) is UV exposure.
Building a folding boat is quite a bit more fiddly than stitch and glue hard dinghies and there is something of a steep learning curve to the process. On the plus side Wooden Widget takes that into account and provide super detailed plans with lots and lots of detail so, as long as you bother to read and follow the directions, it's not hard to avoid insanity and find yourself with a practical nice looking dinghy. On the other hand, if you can't be bothered to follow the plans you'll find yourself drooling while beating your head against the wall and thinking that Donald Trump makes sense...
Need I say more?
Seriously, JUST FOLLOW THE PLANS!
More dinghies on Monday...
Listening to a plethora of Chuck Berry covers
So it goes...
