Unless otherwise attributed: Copyright (c): 2000 Tom Dunderdale. All rights reserved.
Apple 13 sailing dinghy plans
Apple 13 'Rusalka' - the second Apple 13 to be built in the Czech Republic
Photo courtesy of M. Chlad
The Apple 13 was designed along the lines of the 16, but suitably modified for a smaller sailing craft. In addition, she has a plank keel and may be built with or without a fore-and-aft central girder. Built-in buoyancy both fore and aft as well as under the side seats is provided. The structure is exceptionally strong and reasonably light, stitch and glue being the main construction method, though with the offsets supplied there is no reason why she could not be built wide plank clinker style over stringers. A single high peaked balanced lug is shown in the plans, though provision for a fully battened bermudian main has been kept in mind when working out the construction details. With her four plank aside multichine hull, the initial assembly is satisfyingly quick and rapid progress is made without the lines of the hull having been compromised by over-simplifying the design. An additional sheet for glued clinker construction is now included as an option.
Length: 13ft or 3960mm;
Beam over-all: 5ft or 1528mm;
Sail area: 77 sq ft or 7.21 sq.m [nominal]
Maximum designed displacement: 660lbs or 300kg
Photo courtesy of M. Chlad
Like some of the larger designs, the 13 has a keel strake: there's more work initially, but fitting the centre board case is easier later. Two stitches to hold the bow, and then the first panels are placed onto the keel strake, which is left over-length to provide a clear reference point before the panels are brought together.
First two stitches
Four stitches in - looking down on the bow.
Four stitches in - another view; the cross piece is to hold open the panels.
Construction details, sail plan and planking/central girder layout are on nine A1 sheets with keyed details. An additional sheet now covers a half-decked version, too.
Hull offsets, offsets for the full stations and bulkheads, and the offsets of the individual plank shapes are provided in the plans.
30 minutes later, and three quarters of the stitches are in, working single-handed; note the heavier cross piece to encourage the panels to open and form the correct rocker for the keel strake. The seams are joining smoothly with tight seams - no gaps - between the panels
The rest of the building sequence for the basic hull is the same now as for the original Apple
The photos below are courtesy of Martin Chlad and are of 'Jitrenka', an Apple 13 which he is building both very quickly and to a very high standard. Among other modifications that Martin is making, 'Jitrenka' - 'Morning Star' - is to be sloop rigged.