A PT SPEAR on davits is described here in this printable PDF. sample lifting points installation PT Spear:11 

A PT 11 nesting dinghy gets lifted and hung along the mothership's gunwale when at anchor or in port described in this printable PDF.. PT11-BEAN's-Lifting Bridle idea

As new photos arrive I will update this page. If you have set your PT 11 or PT SPEAR up for davits or created a sling or halter you are happy with, please send us some pictures! ptwatercraft@gmail.com works best for photos. Use "PT 11 photos" in the subject line.

Thank you!

Detail installations or Replacement - PT 11 or SPEAR

Learn More about Russell's epoxy instructional writing and videos.

Read a deep dive into Metering and Mixing Epoxy here.

https://www.epoxyworks.com/no-sand-fillets/

Some emails cause our hearts to skip a few beats.

Checking in from our cross-country road trip. We stopped by a lake in Colorado a couple of days ago to take the PT11 out for a sail and noticed something very alarming... The back seat buoyancy tanks have bowed - like the air in the tanks expanded. They have returned to the normal shape again, but the fiberglass strips on the tank joints probably couldn't handle the pressure and have cracked - see pictures attached.

This boat was built at sea level in NYC and the tanks were expanded at roughly 10,000ft. The good news is that they did not explode nor do they appear structurally compromised, thanks to wood/epoxy as a construction method.

Most of our clients have used their boats near where they built them but others have taken their boats from sea level proximity to higher altitude lakes. (These two videos are thanks to Randy and Kim Kerr)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdLN_QaQrv4. Ross Lake (1,519 ft)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJV8MJJv6pU&t. Chilko Lake (3,845ft)

Randy replied to my inquiry about his lake trips: "We've never really taken our PT11 higher than 4000' and didn't notice any bulging in the buoyancy tanks personally.  I could imaging customers that span 10K feet in altitude difference could easily see bulging or compressing."

Because Russell and I initially imagined our boat builders using their PT 11 dinghies primarily for ocean cruising, the influence of high altitude on the air buoyancy tanks simply did not come up but once in 15 years. That customer installed a relief valve but we never heard exactly what type or how well it worked. We imagined that as a one-off but we are also under the constraints of the USCG rules that prohibit access ports or any compromise of a sealed air tank if it is to be counted as buoyancy. Hence we moved on.

Times are changing however, and it appears that more PT 11s are on road trips and out lake sailing so, it seems prudent to address the air pressure question for anyone planning altitude differentials of more than 4-5000ft with their PT 11 or SPEAR dinghies.

There is an argument for drilling a 1/4" hole on the vertical face of each of the three air buoyancy tanks and filling them with thickened epoxy. (This keeps moisture from reaching raw wood.) If you then notice any expansion at altitude, you have a safe spot to drill a very tiny hole to relieve pressure. The hole could then be taped over until the boat was back at its normal altitude when the new hole could be filled. You would have to choose a time and place with a stable temperature to fill these holes.  In an emergency, go ahead and drill tiny holes to keep damage from occurring. Just know that refilling those holes in a way that keeps the wood dry will be important.

One builder currently working on his PT 11 is planning to use it almost exclusively on mountain lakes and had already researched the pressure valve question before I reached out to ask about it. Have you heard of Gortex Dots? He has generously shared his in depth research and conclusions in this PDF article. An Idea for the Vented Volume Dilemma

The standard rule should still be noted for air buoyancy tanks: no access ports or compromise of the seal unless you plan to fill the voids with flotation foam. These dedicated air tanks (forward of the mast step and the aft seat boxes) are not intended as storage and using them as such could present a serious safety risk if you flood the boat. If you truly need to modify the design to fit your intended use, how you manage that is your responsibility, so be informed, do your own research,  and think 'safety first'.

June 2025 UPDATES

A PT 11 builder came up with an elegant solution to the venting option but it a manual vent, meaning, you must manually open the vent (a screw installed into the back seat glue cleats and the mast step) if there seems to be pressure building up and close it once pressure is relieved. PT 11 screw pressure valve info1.(1 page PDF)

The second update refers to a system that FYNE BOAT KITS in the UK uses for most of their kits. They point out that not only elevation but temperature extremes can cause issues with air buoyancy tanks. Gore-Tex-Vent-Installation

Here is a link to the vents Fyne Boat Kits (UK) sells:  https://www.fyneboatkits.co.uk/accessories/surfboard-paddleboard-accessories/gore-tex-vent/

The traveler line can be around 3/16 diameter and be held with stopper knots underneath the inwale.

When sailing, if you feel resistance on the tiller, check to see if the rudder is completely down or if you have caught kelp or other debris. Keeping the threads in the knob clean and greased is important. The threads in the knob are brass and the pin is stainless steel so it will corrode. A bit of maintenance will insure the knob does its job and keeps the rudder down.

The outhaul (asymmetric) snap hook clips into the clew and the outhaul line should be snugged through the v-cleat on the boom:

When adventuring or in fluky winds, we carry our oars with the oarlocks in the forward sockets and the handles tucked under the bow as shown above.

The PT 11 Nesting Dinghy Connective system is unique and it makes up a decent portion of the cost of the kit. After roughly 200 PT 11's sold to date, there have been very few issues with this connective system. In this article we are aiming to share some lessons learned about these parts based on customer feedback and experience.
A brief description
Our key to easy and fast assembly (of the two hull-halves) is to separate the two main functions of aligning the two halves and joining them.  The alignment hardware is molded from carbon fiber, but it is robust and affordable for us to produce.
The connective hardware, used to join the two hull halves as they are correctly registered by the alignment hardware, are CNC-machined from 316 stainless steel.
This hardware consists of threaded sockets bonded into the forward half of the hull, and sockets with threaded pins and knobs bonded into the aft half; these parts are pre-positioned in the structure. Clip rings ride on the pins to make them captive, and this system allows assembly of the boat in the water without leakage.
The manual instructs builders to keep the stainless parts clean throughout the process of gluing and painting the boat. It is after the boat is finished that we instruct builders to lightly grease their hardware.
Here is where some additional explanation is needed.
A few customers have had a pin get stuck at some point in the completion of their boat. The why of this has been a challenging topic but when it happens, it is terrifying for us as well as for the builder and can be costly to remedy.
According to Wikipedia, "Galling is caused by a combination of friction and adhesion between the surfaces, followed by slipping and tearing of crystal structure beneath the surface.[2] This will generally leave some material stuck or even friction welded to the adjacent surface, whereas the galled material may appear gouged with balled-up or torn lumps of material stuck to its surface. Galling is most commonly found in metal surfaces that are in sliding contact with each other. It is especially common where there is inadequate lubrication between the surfaces."
Why and What to DO:
So, the question is why do the pins sometimes seize and what do we do about it?
The why is a bit of a mystery to all of the experts. One recently seized after it had been greased, so it's not just the lack of grease. We could also change the material of just the pin but hundreds of these have worked fine in all stainless steel.
Tight clearances are probably the cause, but we think we need the snug fit in both the forward and aft sockets to keep the hardware aligned when it's being installed. We are opening up the tolerances a bit on the next run of hardware, but it looks like the best insurance is going to be using a never-seize style of grease, applied after your boat has been finished (to keep grease from screwing up your painting and finishing).
It seems that the seizing is mostly happening at the tail end of the building process, so apply Never-seize * when re-installing the hardware after finishing. Clean the sockets and pins and apply a tiny bit (with a skinny stick of similar) in the threaded sockets and in the aft sockets and rub a little bit on the shiny part of the pins.

If you feel anything like seizing when assembling your boat, STOP. Is there misalignment? If you back out the rest of the pins, will the problem pin loosen up? Do your epoxy shims under the alignment clips need to be block sanded down just a bit? Are the outside edges of your alignment clips contacting the bulkhead edges?

If a pin feels stuck, remove the knob using two wrenches; 14mm and/or 9/16" to remove the knob, nuts and washer.

Put two nuts together on either end of the pin and tighten them together very tightly with the wrenches. (photos below)

Stand the hull half on end so that a bit of penetrating oil * can be applied and run down into the socket.  Now try tapping and banging on either end with a hammer and wrenching on the end with the double nuts. Remember that the pin can only be removed from the socket in the forward direction because of the captive pin clip.

Still stuck? Get in touch with us.

If the pin leaves any roughness or scoring on the inside of the socket, that can be removed with a custom tool. Here's how:

Take a short piece of 3/8" dowel, chuck one end up in your drill, wrap sandpaper around the other end, hit the trigger and sand the dowel down until it fits loose enough in the socket that you can wrap some fine (400 or finer grit) sandpaper around the dowel and have it just barely fit in the socket. The sandpaper can be spray glued and rolled tightly on the dowel before using it to sand away any and all burrs and roughness. Finishing with an even finer paper is probably a good idea.

Spray-glue a bit of sandpaper to a flat stick to remove burrs from the pin before cleaning, applying the never-seize, and re-assembling the hardware.

• Caring for your connective hardware;
  -Keep it clean before and after installation.
  -As soon as grease is no longer a threat to gluing or paining, grease or ant-seize your hardware.
  -At the first sign of binding, stop and assess alignment and possible causes.
  -Refer to the chapter in your manual titled: Re-ASSEMBLY of Connective Hardware (p.288) including installation of the alignment clips. Precision parts require precision alignment.
  -After a season of use, consider removing your pins, clean and reapply grease or anti-seize, and re-install. Refer to manual pgs. 319-320, "PT11 User Guidelines"

We continue to work on this and may update this blog in the near future as we learn more. You can download a PDF of this post HERE: PT 11-Connective Hardware Blog 2023

Ashlyn & Russell Brown

Customer comments:

When building I felt a little stickiness as I assembled my fasteners. I backed them out and applied a bit of lube. Even mold release wax should do the trick. I would guess that's what I used. A wipe with a paper towel.
  Tefgel is great stuff. As is moly anti seize. Any of these can be applied and cleaned off by wiping. Enough will remain. When wiping make sure the bottom of the threads has lubricant. I use paper towels and put my fingernail in the thread to wipe well. You do not need to see the lubricant for it to work.
  Galling is subtle but can be felt as it happens. It is a grinding crunchy feel as you turn the screw. If you feel that stop! Relieve any load on the fastener you can and back it out.
  As well, a tap or die can be used to clean up galled threads. With lubricant of course for cutting.
  Wd40 is not great here as it eventually evaporates.

PT Watercraft maintains an informational website about the PT 11 and the PT Spear and we are available to answer inquiries. Kit orders and kit production is now managed by Chesapeake Light Craft. We still sell our books, various small parts, and serve our pre-CLC customers directly. Sailing Rig production remains in our workshop in Port Townsend.

Leo's video also shows how one person can manage the dinghy from vehicle to beach launch. This is something we got asked about a lot but never managed to film so this is an important addition to the PT 11 videos already online. In case you have not already seen it, click on the image below.

If you are unaware of the Tally Ho videos, we recommend you start from the beginning and subscribe. Leo is a brilliant videographer. This skill greatly compliments his knack for explaining the processes of rebuilding this historic sailboat. Even more valuable in my opinion, is that he is documenting the evolution of learning things as you go that influence how such a project evolves, while showcasing the many skills, tools, materials, and talented people it takes along the way. The videos are  educational, entertaining, and very inspiring.   AEB

Modifying the foils kits affected many other parts of the kit, so those changes are are reflected in a total rewrite of the foils manual and changes in the boat itself (the daggerboard trunk is narrower, etc).

Machining the daggerboard and rudder from high-grade plywood is a good way to produce very efficient  and relatively light foils. The process is far from easy though. It has taken much trial and error and a very good CNC programmer (Turn Point Design) to come up with the final product. The price of this foils kit reflects quite a lot of machine time for each set.

Our boom attaches to the mast with a custom gooseneck. For years we have made these goosenecks out of vacuum bagged carbon & epoxy in a multi step process that included a lot of carbon dust, finishing, tapping, assembling, and hand stitching tubular webbing onto the forks for a soft contact point on the mast. After hundreds of these, there just had to be a  better way.

In 2021, as we sought to offset increasing costs in general and reduce labor where we could, one of the things we did was redesign our gooseneck. After years of trying to think of a better way, Russell began sketching out a new design based on using 1/2" Delrin plate and CNC router technology.

The resulting gooseneck is clean, practical, stronger, and most importantly, much less labor to finish and install. The new goosenecks are installed by pouring epoxy around them. A tight fitting foam plug traps the epoxy. Speaking of tight fitting foam plugs; there are 7 plugs in the 3 tubes that these rigs are made from, 5 of them custom made of different sizes from dense rigid foam. Why? To keep them from filling with water and sinking of course. Why do we need 7 plugs to plug both ends of 3 tubes? The seventh plug is a secret.

PT 11 sailing rigs are still produced by Russell and drop-shipped from Port Townsend. They can be purchased through Chesapeake Light Craft. Customers who purchased their PT 11 kits from PT Watercraft pre-2021 should contact us directly regarding PT 11 options. We have experienced periodic delays so lead times vary.

Happy Sailing! ...AEB