Origami is a small, easy to build and inexpensive folding dinghy. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a good folding dinghy needs to be complicated and expensive. Most often, Simple is best. Origami is full of character, yet is surprisingly capable for such a tiny craft. Its square shape gives immense stability and good interior volume. It folds up and away in just a couple of minutes. Its light weight (about 12 kilos) means that it's child’s play to launch and retrieve. Even stowing is easy - just lay it on a bunk down below or lash it to the rails on deck. It also fits perfectly on the roof rack of a car.

Its fold down floors mean your weight is low down adding to its stability, yet far enough off the floor of the boat to ensure you don't get a wet bottom. These same folding floors have built-in handles making Origami easy to move about when folded. When erected, the rowlock mountings double as handles. With or without outboard, folded or not, Origami can be carried with ease.

With a 2 hp outboard speeds of up to 10 knots are possible. With a 3.3 hp speeds of 14 knots have been recorded.

Rowing is a pleasure. There are two different positions to mount the rowlocks, depending on the number of occupants, so you can always be comfortable when rowing. At the rear on each side are skegs, giving origami very good directional stability. They also double as protectors when dragging the boat up the beach. Despite its light construction, Origami is an extremely tough little tender.

Origami is easy to make even if you have no experience. The comprehensive step by step instructions are backed up with over 100 photos that were taken during the actual construction of an Origami, a discussion of tools needed, and detailed instructions for marking out and cutting. The main ingredients are plywood, some PVC coated nylon cloth, and some wood. You’ll also need a few basic tools such as a saw, drill, plane and staple gun. The necessary materials are easy to come by, inexpensive and are available in varying degrees of quality to suit your budget. However it’s never wrong to buy the best you can get. It will reward you in the years to come with less maintenance and more time on the water.

Whether you want a super cheap dinghy or an extremely posh one, Origami will let you decide. In the instructions many different ways of building are examined. The proven way is shown but at each stage there are notes, such as choice of glues and pros and cons. Either way you can still build an Origami. For example, the use of stainless steel staples is recommended. One could use steel, but after a few years they will begin to rust and become unreliable. It is also a nice touch to trim the end grain of the plywood with solid wood, but this is time consuming and not strictly necessary though it does help to protect the vulnerable end grain from damage and looks so much better too.

See Building Photographs under 'Building' button for pictures of an Origami being built.

These plans are in an electronic form that can be viewed using Adobe Reader 6. After credit card authorisation the file will be sent to the email address put on the order form. The file is just under 4 Mb & takes only seconds to download on slow broadband.

Full sized paper templates for the wooden parts. The patterns can be transferred directly to the wood.

Save the lofting work!

Includes printable instruction manual (pdf file) that will be sent to your email address.

'Canvas' fabric for the boat.

Kit withdrawn - building from the plans is a much more economic option.

The kit contains the main materials needed to build the boat including the epoxy and the fabric. The kit also includes stainless steel hinges for longevity. It does not contain staples. The wooden parts are pre-cut.

Kit withdrawn