Design
Mini Mac
Designed by Paul Butler
The Mini Mac is a scaled down, simplified take on the McKenzie style river dory, first published in Outdoor Life, and Butler says hundreds have been built in every form from featherweight to heavy duty. It is happiest as a solo boat with room for gear, though it will take two adults on flat water.
Built as recommended the hull can come in under 90 lb, so it can ride on a car roof or in a pickup bed instead of on a trailer, and a slick graphite bottom lets one person drag it over gravel, sand and logs. The plywood and epoxy construction does not soak up water the way a traditional wooden drift boat does and suits amateurs well. Plans cover options, patterns, material sources and building tips. Its bigger sibling is the Maxi Mac.
What building a Mini Mac actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Builds of this boat
Nobody has logged a Mini Mac here yet.
If you are building one, yours becomes the reference: the page the next person building this boat finds when they search for it. One photo and one line is a valid first entry.
Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeaster Dory | Chesapeake Light Craft | 17′ 0″ (5.18 m) | 3 |
| 15' Rangeley Lake Boat | Newfound Woodworks | 15′ 0″ (4.57 m) | 1 |
| Passagemaker Take-Apart | Chesapeake Light Craft | 11′ 7″ (3.53 m) | 1 |
| Polliwog 8 | Devlin | 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) | 1 |
| The Guider | Chesapeake Light Craft | 18′ 7″ (5.66 m) | 1 |
| Ultralight Dinghy | Chesapeake Light Craft | 6′ 0″ (1.83 m) | 1 |