The Black Fly 8 Prototype: $1,200

This is a hard-bottomed beautifully finished yacht tending dinghy. The black monocoat finish with read detailing is quite striking.

The "vee" plywood bottom section contributes to the stiffness of the hull and provides a good measure of abrasion resistance for landing, lightly I hope, on a rocky beach.

The quadruple chine, Geodesic part of the design configuration, contributes to a good looking lap streak appearing Nordic pram hull.

This prototype is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and art. It was designed with durability and seaworthiness as prime considerations. The scantlings are slightly heavier than the rest of the fleet yet the hull only weighs 75 lbs. It is large enough to be awkward for car topping but very easy to manage with a dinghy trailer (included with the boat)

Platt envisioned this boat to be a gentlemen's day sailer...a comfortable boat with sprightly performance. This is a light displacement hull with clean waterlines. It has enough sail area to ghost along in light air; yet when a hard puff hits it is not overpowered. You simply hike out a little and enjoy the ride.

The wide Dacron deck provides comfortable seating while hicking and prevents swamping from a possible but not likely knockdown.The floating carbon fiber mast will stop any tendency to turn turtle. The pin rail has handy belaying pins for the halyards to give the traditionalist a workout. A latching gate in the mast partners facilitates one person easily erecting the mast. A lightweight hollow wishbone boom sets high to preclude scull bopping and provides an easy sail draft adjustment for different wind conditions.

The heavy duty 3.7 OZ Dacron skin is doubled with an overlay of 18 OZ. Elephant Hide— vinyl polyester vinyl This is a tough boat!

There are different colored shear stripes on each side, as shown above and in the main photo.

You will like the NO PIN centerboard that performs like a centerboard but lifts out like a daggerboard.

The main idea of this rig is performance with simplicity. The mast is stepped in a loose socket, like a universal joint, to facilitate adjustability. The rigging wire is set up with Dacron lanyard tails, which are secured to the gunwales, eliminating chain plates.

Highly flared topsides with reverse sheer makes it a very dry boat with a lot of reserve stability. The roomy cockpit will handle four medium sized people comfortably.

The Snowshoe 12 Prototype: $850