Design
Polliwog 8
Designed by Sam Devlin
A 7 ft 6 in dinghy and tender by Sam Devlin, aimed squarely at the amateur who wants a light, strong first boat. Stitch and glue from two sheets of quarter inch plywood plus a half sheet of half inch, 4 ft 1 in beam, 58 lb dry, 450 lb useful load, rowed or pushed by a 2 hp outboard. A CNC cut hull kit is sold alongside the plans. The site warns that an unofficial YouTube build video shows an older version of the plans.
Devlin presents it as a quick, thrifty family project needing few tools, with no scarfing and no building molds. For a first-timer, budget 30 to 60 hours as a rule of thumb. Real hours from logged builds are below.
What building a Polliwog 8 actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Where the time goes
Hours summed per builder, then the median taken across builders, so someone who logs a step in fourteen short entries doesn’t outweigh someone who logged it in one. Example logs are excluded.
| Step | Median hours | Median spend | Builders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stitch & Assembly | 10.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Fillets & Taping | 10.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Glassing & Epoxy | 3.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Hull Exterior | 3.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Interior & Cockpit | 4.0 | n/a | 1 |
| Launch Day | 20.0 | n/a | 1 |
Builds of this boat
Boats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ft 6 in Dinghy | Benford Design Group | 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) | 0 |
| Nutshell 7 | Bateau | 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) | 0 |
| Paddlewheeler | Glen-L Marine | 7′ 8″ (2.34 m) | 0 |
| Prameke 7'-8' | Bateau | 7′ 8″ (2.34 m) | 0 |
| Tender Behind | John Welsford | 2.22 m (7′ 3″) | 0 |
| 7 ft 3 in Dinghy | Benford Design Group | 7′ 3″ (2.21 m) | 0 |