Conrad Natzio originally designed the 14′ Sandpiper for a workshop and demonstration at the Boat ’99 show in the United Kingdom. The first four of these attractive little sailing and rowing skiffs were built by groups of beginners with a bit of supervision over a four-day period at that show, using only the hand tools found in a typical do-it-yourselfer’s kit. The primary considerations in Sandpiper’s design were the ease and speed of construction. The Sandpiper is intended for sheltered, shallow water, and inland sailing or rowing. The weight was kept to a minimum to make trailering and launching quick and easy.My 17-year-old son, Kyle, built the Sandpiper as his senior project that he needed to complete for graduation from high school. Neither of us had built a boat before, but a boat that could be built by beginners in four days gave us hope that we could complete the task in the four months left in the school year. Before ordering the plans, we spent a few hours taping together cardboard strips cut from cereal boxes to create some crude models and prove to ourselves that such an attractive hull shape could actually be achieved by using flat, straight-edged panels.The plan set supplied by Conrad included two large plan sheets with scaled drawings, and a 10-page booklet—a reprint from Practical Woodworking, the magazine that sponsored the Boat ’99 project—with detailed instructions and helpful photos taken during the construction of the prototype. Our boatbuilding project was given a boost by a master-carpenter neighbor who agreed to become Kyle’s advisor for the project and let us move some of his power tools into our greenhouse-turned-workshop. While this gave us the advantage of having an array of tools considerably beyond the average household toolkit, as well as invaluable woodworking advice whenever we needed it, none of the techniques required to build this little skiff would be beyond the scope of the average skill set.
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Beautiful design, simple although elegant. I have the plans for this boat and perhaps it’s time I get started building. While the price of ply is crazy right now, life is short at best. I bought these plans years ago when a check in Sterling was possible in my area, that said, I’d like a couple other of Mr. Natzio’s plans although have discovered it’s very difficult to obtain a check in Sterling now. Any suggestions?
Perhaps a mail money order or a bank transfer if Conrad Natzio gives you the bank account number. I think also PayPal could be used.
Thanks for the feedback.
I would be interested in the design of the tabernacle mentioned in the article. Also how is sailing with just the sprit sail, no jib?
Can anyone direct me to a link where I can order these plans?
Try email [email protected]
Also, his address:
15 Lanyard Place, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1FE, United Kingdom.
These data are from his advertisement. In 2023 I bought Sandpiper plans.
I’ve been in touch with the designer and while his website is no longer active, plans are still available. You can reach designer Conrad Natzio via email at [email protected] or by phone in the UK at +44 1394 382537.