An AF4 builder might face the difficult choice of maybe building a boat like Twister instead. It's quite a different boat from AF4 but comes out of about the same pile of wood and labor. Twister is a bit smaller and won't go as fast but it can sail! It will sail quite well in the right conditions. Don't we know by now that when you go to the water with a straight power boat the wind is always perfect for sailing? And when you go to the lake with a straight sailboat, the wind is too light to get anywhere and conditions are perfect for motoring?? So in between boats like Twister can have their place.

TWISTER, POWER/SAIL CUDDY CAMPER, 16' X 6', 350 POUNDS EMPTY

Twister is one of those 'mixture' boats that borrows a lot of ideas from other boats that worked out well. In particular I did some camping in an AF3 look-alike and had time to contemplate some changes. Camping in the little cuddy cabin is actually a lot more civilized than in an open boat, although the open boat can be as good in uncivilized areas. The difficulty with the open boat is privacy. Men go fishing at all hours of the day and night around here. Even with the cuddy boat I've had them casting about the boat during normal sleeping hours. But they don't bother you otherwise and in general are very sympathetic to your simple camping idea. (In fact I believe that if it weren't for the the sportsmen, who often have very good organizations, many of our boating facilities wouldn't exist.) So Twister has a cabin to sleep one, or hide two. The cockpit is too small to sleep in and I put some low benches there. I must be getting old.

The hull shape is borrowed from my Twixt, a jonboat with a V entry bow that twists to a flat bottom for the main part of the hull and sweeps up to the waterline at the wide stern. The big stern allows a serious motor well. Twixt has always done fine under oars, sail, or small motor. I doubt that Twister will row well in the normal sense, but she would be useful under oars during launching or covering glassy water. Most people will eventually put a motor on a boat like this and this hull should take 5 hp or so. In fact one idea behind the boat is to use it under power alone, leave the sail rig at home and go camping on rivers where oars and sails are not useful.

The sail rig shown has been tested in polytarp on my Jinni. it seemed a bit much for the Jinni but Twister is wider and heavier and should be a lot more stable.

Jigless construction with taped seams. She needs four sheets of 1/4" plywood and five sheets of 1/2" plywood.