How Old is the Instant Boat? (Or Thoughts on First Time Boat Design)

Side Elevation of the Instant Boat Teal.

While observing plan drift on The Typesetters Boat, a thought struck me. The first generation of Payson/Bolger Instant Boat is about two generations removed from boat building. Some of the things we take for granted and common sense to today simply weren't there for the authors when Instant Boats was released back in 1979.As you know, The Typesetter is building a Teal, the classic boat detailed in the mentioned book. It's a fast build when done right and will get you out sailing almost...well instantly. It's a great first build and a good first boat. But as we have worked on it a few nagging issues have popped up that I simply can't get out of my head and I thought I'd address them here. Now I'm not a boat designer it should be noted but I am a small boat sailor, or attempting to be one. So that is my perspective. I'm also not one to sit idly by while I'm told to simply trust the truisms of days gone by. Sailing and boat building, although admittedly conservative in nature are constantly evolving and changing. New ideas on how and why a boat should be built are constantly being plugged by the sailing community. And quite frankly I don't think that thinking now thirty years old should be taken as gospel. I don't think it's safe when what is now considered common sense is disregarded in the name of for a better word, tradition. We have a saying in the martial art I train in, "An ounce of logic can be worth a ton of tradition that has become obsolete through the weathering of time."-Ed Parker And in my view there are a few "traditions" in the Teal that have become obsolete. Now this should not be construed as an attack on the designer nor the author that is not my intent. I hold both in high regard for getting people out on the water and for making the boat accessible to all. What I speak of hear is the Teal and the first time sailor.
On the water  you need to be prepared for the unexpected. That is a given since time immemorial. And there are two major areas where the Teal as planned does not take this into account. Those areas are permanent reserve flotation and the ability to shorten or drop sail. I don't think it was a fault of the designer or the author. It fell outside the idea of building an instant get-it-out first time builder boat. But today I'm seeing both of these points more and more in small, first time boats. I'm also seeing it incorporated in boats that it was not designed in. There is a very good reason for this I'll touch on each one in turn.
Flotation is what keeps a boat afloat. When you run out, you sink. And unless you're a submarine and can regulate this act you'll not be coming back up. This is not always on the mind of the first time boat builder or sailor. But in the check off of things to look for in a boat it's up there. The Teal has foam blocks in the bottom for flotation. Foam is becoming a great way to add flotation and lose weight in many small boats. There is even a boat being built of construction foam as I write this. But beyond foam, which can degrade and float away or not even be installed there is another option for flotation, the classic airbox.

PD Racer with Airboxes

The illistration of the Puddle Duck Racer is fortunate as it brings to light a class rule of the PDR. Number 4 in fact: "4 - The hull must have enough emergency flotation to be self rescued". How about that? In the designing and refining of the craft now known for it's boxy shape and racing credentials the fact this boat may be knocked down and outside assistance unavailable or not right at hand the boat would need to rescue itself. This is one of the reasons the PDR is trumpeted as as a first time boat, it has reserve flotation in the event something should happen. And something most likely will. But what bearing does this have on the Teal? Simple, change the temporary frames to bulkheads and you have two ready made air boxes for the stowage of sea gear and the addition of flotation. I know of several builds that have benefited from this small change and were happy they had done so after something had happened. In my opinion this should be trumpeted by the instant boat community as a good thing. Something that does not change the over all design or shape but adds usability of secure storage and increases the safety factor of the boat.
Taking into account where you'll be sailing and how that effects a chosen plan should be included in a plan. And one of the biggest areas where this can be shown is in sail rig. I'll quote myself:

I'll use one example here, the mast and sail combo that is suggested for the Teal is just one area where IMO and improvement IS needed. That needs to be discussed and understood by both first time builders and sailors. Especially first time sailors. If you've never managed a sail before, or need to leave from a dock and a confined space doing so with a sail up can be a harrowing experience. I experienced this first hand with surrounded by livery boats and multi-million dollar yachts with a 3 knot surface current and 10 knots of wind against me. Being a Montana boy I have never experienced this and with my triangular sail up even luffing I could not make way nor guarantee my safety or that of those underway and stationary near me. In the end I was towed to open water. I hear the caution of the plans but no caution once those plans are built. You need to take into account your level of experience, the location of where you're sailing, and what the conditions may be into your plans. The Teal is for sheltered, protected waters. But I see no mention of where you should launch it because you have a sail you can't set while underway. Those wind and current conditions I mentioned were in "Sheltered and protected" waters. The wind was great for sailing, nothing that would have put me in danger if I was leaving from a beach. But being a bit city (Seattle) at the time that was not an option. I'll respect the wishes of the forum and leave it at that but what do we do about the OTHER considerations in building "Instant Boats" beyond following the plans? What Herb has done is open up a world of possibilities to anyone who wants to build a boat, but what about sailing one?

 Needless to say I was told to trust the designer as he knew what he was doing in so many words. If you're launching of beach in still water and have forecast of sunshine, unicorns, and lollipops then yes. But I'd rather not launch off a dock or beach with 59 sq.ft of sail I'm unable to reef or let down. It simply makes no sense that I would put myself in that situation knowingly while not knowing what may happen when it comes to my sailing ability or the weather. Simplicity is great but what I've termed elegant simplicity is better. Adding a factor of difficulty or complication to accommodate a greater number of factors is worth it in this case. A Bermuda or lug rig could accomplish this goal quite well while keeping the rig simple and the sail area the same. You can't of course just put these rigs in the same spot as the planned rig but with set dimensions it could become a standard option.
And finally the very nature of building these instant boats has changed. PL Premium and Titeond II are now the adhesives of choice for builders. Dimension lumber has become defacto as opposed to ripping  your own. The internet is full of people very much like this one. Choices abound and the plans aren't limited to the book. We can view others builds, see what they did, ask questions on things we may not need or want to question and arrive at erroneous conclusions because we listened to some blowhard with a blogspot. But I'm not so sure this is a bad thing if taken in the right vein of thinking.
As a builder you can take into account things that the designer, for his own very good reasons did not. And changing a plan as I've mentioned is not a bad thing if it's done for the right reasons that YOU can justify and have good reason too.
There are those that resit changing something, no matter what the reason or how good it may be because they are convinced you'll end up cutting off your fingers and killing kittens. That these deviations will lead you down a dark road where your boat will never get finished and you'll end up with a pile of unusable plywood and vanquished dreams, single and alone with not even a puppy for company. And it's true that this has happened numerous times in the boat building wold. The boat never becomes a boat but remains a project forever because some genius thinks he knows better then the designer. But what about those who make changes and end up with a better boat for the conditions they are going to be sailing in? What about those who by looking at a plan objectively chose to follow through and find out if it works or not? What about those who question a first time build and use it as a learning process for themselves and their family? Because these people exist too.
I need to reiterate this is not a bash on Herb Payson or Phil Bolger. I also need to point out that WHEN IN DOUBT BUILD THE BOAT TO PLAN because the designer really does know what they are doing. But if you want to make the boat your own, be prepared for the consequences and know it will not be easy. And by all means let the rest of us know. Because if we can learn from the ideas and mistakes of others then it will move the idea forward. And that is what this blog and some of these boats, can be about. And of course, maybe I'm completely wrong.