First designed in 1968 to gain as big a dinghy as possible from one sheet of ply (with seats and transom separately sourced) the Crackerjack performed so well that variations of the basic design have since been built with overall lengths up to 4m (15’).

In smooth water Crackerjack carries, at a pinch, three average-size people. In choppy conditions she comfortably carries two people and her short length allows her to niftily deal with large waves.

Restricted leg-room is the usual bugbear in a short dinghy. However, tall people rowing alone in Crackerjack will have no trouble getting the trim right if they simply place a heavy toolbox on the stern seat. The stern has been kept deep to boost load capacity, accommodate an outboard motor and help the dinghy plane smoothly when being towed.

As with other Godwin dinghies Crackerjack has built-in buoyancy, in this case a water-tight box at the stern and a polystyrene slab under the rowing seat.

There are two versions: MK I uses one 8’ x 4’ sheet of ply with dimensions measured in feet and inches; MK II uses a 2400 x 1200 sheet of ply with the plans in metric dimensions.

After 34 years of regular use, the original Crackerjack continues to give good service and on occasion enjoys outings on a classic keeler during passage races.

Drawings (US $45.00)

Drawings covering the basic boat:

CJ 1 Study plan
CJ 2 General arrangement key dimensions
CJ 3 Ply cutting

Supplementary Drawings

HT 1,2,3 Building instructions
HT 11 Zig Zag splice
HT 12 Gunwale details
HT 14 Tools and techniques
HT 15 Cutting instructions
HT 24 Epoxy Resin and its use
HT 25 Flooring notes
HT 26 Rowlock and fender details
HT 27 Transom details