Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355
Dates: June 26th - 28th, 2026

Hours: Friday-Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With the collaboration of Chesapeake Light Craft, and a stipulation that almost all parts be produced on the Eastern side of the Atlantic to avoid hefty shipping costs and import duties, progress towards this goal has been made. Fyne Boat Kits has spent valuable time and energy over the last 2 years to source and procure what they need to make an authentic PT 11 kit.

It sounds like they have reached the point where they can start production of the PT 11 Nesting Dinghy kit by the end of 2024. This is a huge accomplishment and we tip our hats to owner, Phil Smith, whose dedication and persistence are truly admirable.

Click this image to reach FYNE BOAT KITS PT 11 page.

Check it out if you have been waiting for a price break.

Find discounts throughout the store from kayaks and canoes to sailboats and rowing craft, paddleboards to powerboats, even Teardrop Campers and ProKits. All of our complete kits and wood-parts-only kits are marked down. Most carry discounts up to 10%. This sale won't last long, so get on board now for the best prices! Through Tuesday, February 20th.

Savings on complete kits:

• $400 off PT ElevenKit
• $379 off Peeler SkiffKit
• $313 off Southwester DoryKit
• $300 off PeapodKit
• $271 off Tenderly 10 DinghyKit
• $235 off microBootleggerKit
• $219 off Expedition WherryKit
• $205 off Night HeronKit
• $150 off Petrel SGKit
• $160 off Wood Duck 12 Hybrid Kit ... and more great deals!

We wish everyone a safe and warm Winter holiday season and a bright New Year. We are super grateful to everyone building the PT 11 and all of the good folks who participate in the production of our kits, who offer our books, and all who have shared their enthusiasm and friendship. The PT 11 has played a key role in expanding our circle of interesting and valued relationships. As a business, it hardly gets better than that.

Did you see Leo's look at choosing a dinghy featuring the PT 11 nesting dinghy?

In 2023, Chesapeake Light Craft will be adding the PT SPEAR one piece version of the PT 11 to their kit offerings. We made minor changes to the design and are doing a major update to the manual. The change simplifies the building of this boat. If nesting is not a critical feature for your purposes, you get the lines and the performance of the PT 11 in the PT SPEAR without all of the complexity of building a boat to cut in half.

Russell has made a lot of progress on the Tortured Plywood hulls as part of a future trimaran and he has learned a lot about this esoteric boat building method.

He has also been helping out Leo on the Tally Ho project.

In January, we expect a whack of carbon tubes from Innovative Composites Engineering and a load of sails. Russell will be busy building sailing rigs into February.

Shipping and postage have really gone up this last year. For those outside of the USA who are interested in our EPOXY BASICS, SCARFING BASICS, and PAINTING PERFECTION print books, you may get better shipping on Amazon or the Bookdepository.com

For our US customers, you can find our books and many others by friends and family on our books page. We ship single books US First Class mail and for multiple books we can ship Priority or Media mail.

Looking forward to 2023, Thank you again. We hope everyone can stay warm and healthy into the New Year. Joy to All. AEB

Paul in Alaska faced a winter under more snow than I have ever seen... and spent his time, not in hibernation, but working on his PT11... and shoveling snow! As the world thawed.. he brought his little boat outside. >>" ...it was nice to get the boat out of the garage, there is only so much curing a 70 degree shop can do compared to full on sunshine. ..... I am amazed at the level of detail you guys put into packing your kits. .... It made me smile! Thanks!"<< BEAUTIFUL!

A PT 11 was launched in BC recently...  Christened 'Sea-Saw'.. >>"The PT11 is living up to all our expectations (and exceeding them in many ways). ..."<<  Congrats to David and Pam, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL JOB! What a joy to see PT11s looking so great!  Check out this photo album of building Sea-Saw.

Another SPEAR post HERE.

THE SPEAR is identical in hull shape to the PT 11, but the interior geometry and construction are quite different and deserve explanation.  The PT 11 has a full width foredeck so that water drains into the aft compartment, otherwise there would be three areas that would need bailing of rain and spray. The Spear can have scuppers through the main bulkhead (the nesting PT 11 can’t) and therefore can have what I call a “trunk” seat.
When rowing with three, the trunk seat allows more comfortable seating for the person sitting in the bow. The areas to the sides of the seat are good for holding oars and other things in the boat.
The trunk seat also keeps the hull from twisting under sailing loads. It’s like a torsion box. (Shown below are the PT11, left, and the beta prototype of the Spear)

Below photo taken in March 2013 of the prototype being built to figure out the process and to write the manual.

Two of the watertight hatch kits that we offer as options fit really well in this boat, making the boat versatile for carrying (and keeping dry) groceries, camping gear, cameras, safety gear, etc.
The aft hatch is easier to access when sailing and is great for things like cameras, jackets, and food, but because of the baffles under the back seat (more on that next), the volume of area under the forward hatch is much greater.
While the hatches are work to install, the cost of the kits is very small compared to the utility and safety they offer. They also provide access and visibility to the daggerboard trunk, mast socket, and rudder hardware, not to mention a good place to hide valuables left in the dinghy. Coast Guard regulations play a large role in the interior geometry of the PT 11 and the Spear. This may sound like big brother getting in the way of art, but it’s quite the opposite. The regulations are to protect us, the kit provider and especially you, the end user.
Buoyancy built into the right parts of the boat is necessary for safety. Sealed air voids (compartments) have the same value as flotation foam, but access ports or hatches are not allowed in sealed air voids. If the builder insists on inspection ports, it is then necessary to fill these voids completely with foam flotation in order to comply with safety standards. The Below Photo shows the boat before the deck and back seat lid are installed. The bow area (forward of the mast step bulkhead) is a sealed air void in the PT 11 and the Spear. The PT 11 has built in buoyancy tanks in the back of the boat on either side (outboard) that are equal to the volume in the bow. This is what the Coast Guard wants, and it makes sense.
The Spear has a large back seat area, but because it has a hatch, we have to install baffles to form sealed air voids outboard of the hatch where they would do the most good in an emergency. Though the baffles under the back seat decrease the usable volume for storage, they make us legal and make you safer, and they make for a well supported back seat. Below; Rowing the Spear with 2

The finished boat pictured was a beta prototype built summer 2012. Due to less specialty hardware required, the Spear base kit will cost several hundred dollars less that the nesting version. The boat will be lighter by 3 - 5 pounds. The various options, including sailing rig, offered for the PT11 nesting dinghy will be the same for the Spear. As of April 2013, we are taking orders for the "SPEAR" kit.

See our website for full information. PTW:)