Several years ago in the USA a new approach to minimalist sailing started to become popular and the Puddle Duck Racer was born. The Puddle Duck (PD or PDR but normally termed a "Duck") is a home built 8ft x 4ft sailing dinghy based on a 'Brick Boat' design by the late Phil Bolger. Made from household ply wood and with sails, usually a sprit sail, made from Polytarp. In the USA, PD Racers became and remain a popular cheap self build with a healthy following however, despite several attempts by brave souls to kick start the PD phenomenon in Europe, it remains a type of boat usually found in the Americas but it hasn't really caught on in Europe.
In my quest to find out why this was I spoke to many different people including PD builders in the States and boat designers. What became apparent is that to build a PD in the USA is fairly financially risk free. The cost of materials and especially wood and ply wood is considerably cheaper in the USA compared to the UK. I looked at several PD designs (the design parameters of the PD are pretty basic and provided the boat falls within them it can qualify as a PD) – there are plenty of variations out there and most are free. However, try as I might I couldn’t get the price to under £500. The cost of ply and wood suitable for spars was just too pricey for a boat whose performance I was just not confident about getting right. It was a lot of cash to risk if I ended up building a dog. Yes, there are many very well made PD racers out there but, doing this blind, with no local support. I know there is more to designing a sailing boat that works than just bunging a sail on a crate and sticking in some boards as foils.
Take a gander at the OzGoose
It's designer. Mik Storer, calls it an 'Optimist for adults'. The credentials of the OzGoose as a training boat are growing but the design maintains enough to interest the experienced sailor as well.
The OZ Goose has it's DNA in designs like Phil Bolger's Brick and Mik's version of a Puddle Duck, the PDRacer, here shown with a home made Polytarp sail
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