Bolger Flapjack
Description
The Flapjack (design #507) is a 7-foot-10-inch plywood pram dinghy designed by American naval architect Phil Bolger in 1984, part of his "Instant Boats" series developed with Harold "Dynamite" Payson. Featured in Payson's Build the Instant Boats (1989), it’s crafted for ultra-simple stitch-and-glue construction using a single 4x8-foot sheet of plywood with no waste, enabling a build in 20–40 hours for ~$200–$500. Primarily a rowboat, it includes an optional leg-o'-mutton sailing rig for light daysailing in protected waters like ponds, harbors, or small bays. Lightweight (~60 lbs), car-toppable, and stable due to its wide beam, it’s ideal as a tender, kid’s trainer, or minimalist fishing skiff. While tender under full sail in gusts, it rows smoothly (3–4 knots) and sails modestly (3–5 knots), with dozens built globally by DIY enthusiasts.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | SPRIT |
|---|---|
| Luff | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Foot | 8.25 ft - (2515 mm) |
| Leech | 11.5 ft - (3505 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 76.92 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 11.083 ft - (3378 mm) |
| Head | 5.75 ft - (1753 mm) |
| Area | * 69.48 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.