Mark Sweetnam - Báidín - the Tale of a Chameleon Nesting Dinghy

For a long time Mark wanted a hard tender that was good to row and sail, as opposed to the ubiquitous inflatable dinghy with obligatory outboard motor. But while an inflatable dinghy could be deflated and stored easily under a berth, the storage of a hard dinghy would be a challenge. Then at the London Boat Show a few years ago he saw the solution - a nesting dinghy that divided in two with one half sitting neatly inside the other, so occupying only half the original space when stored.
There were no nesting dinghies - new or used - available for sale anywhere so there was no option but to build one himself. He selected the Chameleon, a stitch-and-glue spritsail rig designed by Danny Greene in the ‘70s, and widely used by blue water sailors. He made some design changes to better suit north-west Atlantic conditions and constructed her during the lockdown in early 2021. He sailed her daily on the west coast during the summer of 2021 and became a big fan of the spritsail rig in the process.
In this talk Mark describes the nesting dinghies available, why he selected the Chameleon, the design changes he made, the construction, his sailing experiences with her during her first season and why he has become such a fan of the spritsail rig.

[@pauldicarlo3057]

I bought the Chameleon plans years ago and hope someday to build. I was able to correspond with the designer (Danny Greene) and he was very helpful with questions about modifications I had in mind. I really enjoyed your thought process and description of what you wanted to accomplish. Thank you.

[@vagabondroller]

I have an old set of plans from the eighties laying around as well. I’ll build mine if you build yours!

[@colvingazelle]

Very well thought out modifications. I built my Chameleon twenty five years ago, unfortunately I was storing her outside in a yard in Waukegan IL (Lake Michigan) and a storm picked her up and tossed her hard on pavement, pretty much destroying her. I should have stored her under my Pacific Seacraft 31 that was indoors in a shed. I still have centerboard, rudder, spars, sail. Weakest link - low freeboard and stainless steel bolts for attaching. Great job on your Chameleon.

[@dustinspinner2040]

Content of this length is uncommon, yet this was quite tolerable and truly helpful. Well done.

[@stephensmith1118]

Thank you for sharing this, it's a interesting boat have fun

[@Jim-vi4hh]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience building this boat. Bravo to you for having the courage and skill to make the significant modifications to meet your specific needs. I hope you are blessed with many enjoyable years sailing her.

[@stevedunlop1934]

Thank you for this. I am nearing completion of my own build of a Chameleon and it is good to see the adaptations others have made and to see how the boat sails. Despite being oceans apart (as I am in the Land of the Free and Right to Arm Bears) I share your disdain for deflatables and outboards. While I am using Greene's original lines I too have incorporated some aramid (Kevlar) reinforcements. My build is focused on light weight and to that end I have used PVC foam rather than plywood for the interior components. I have added some MDS filled nylon shoes to the skegs for durability on rocky shores. Thank you again for the video, and fair winds...

[@Tyr-not-mars]

Add a yuloh skulling oar would be swell ..it's got a nice raised deck at the transom ..thanks for your video.

[@hardystein114]

Fantastic description of the entire process , thank you for this.

[@denisconnaughton2923]

Excellent video. Loved the process. Very professional results. Thank you for sharing.

[@vagabondroller]

The PT11 is available from Chesapeake Light Craft. It is expensive but sails as fast as a Laser.

[@dieterpfeiffer7547]

Very nice summery of options and record of this building.

[@xaviermacia9025]

I am little surprised about your comments about the Chameleon being a "wet" boat. I built one about 20 years ago and I have to disagree. I've used the chameleon as a rowing tender and have found that she rows really well and is in fact a pretty seaworthy boat. She's capable of handling some rough water conditions with a ease. The Chameleon also tows very well. We towed her behind our sailboat across the the Gulf Stream between Florida and Bimini six times and never had a problem. We decided on this design because we had a small sailboat with little deck space to stow the dinghy. We soon found that she towed so we'll that we rarely needed to stow her on deck.

[@michaelfischer871]

Great boat I built one and really enjoyed the whole process Thank you for your video

[@yohneps]

Hi, i like your video and the complete explain of this boat, i live in Colombia and i am starting to make the plan to build this or other nesting boat but if i have any question i could ask you if it is posible. thank you so much.

[@labtrainer09]

I'm truly glad that your modified Chameleon has worked out so well for you. In the end, that's what counts. However, I think two things need to be said: 1. The AVERAGE person who has no experience in building boats should know that making significant changes in a boat drawn up by a respected, veteran designer and/or naval architect is risky at best and dangerous at worst. Lots of amateur builders have done this, and MANY have ended up with boats that are marginal performers. No one need take my word for that; just ask, for example, designer/builder Sam Devlin. 2. You mention that because of the extensive modifications, your Chameleon is considerably heavier than one built to the original design, noting that either half is too much for one person to handle. MOST cruising-boat owners who have chosen or are seriously considering a nesting dinghy do so because they need a tender than can be easily and quickly lifted, launched, retrieved, and stowed on deck (not on the swim platform). For these people, dinghy weight is a very big issue, indeed. Enough said, Chris Cornell, founding editor, Professional BoatBuilder magazine (Maine USA)

[@dboga]

Thanks Chris for your considered comments. I accept both your points. My design changes worked out well for me, and I think I was lucky for that. That said, and relating to your second point, I fully agree with the weight point. It works (just about) for me, but it is too heavy. It is incredibly (unnecessarily?) strong. I would like to opportunity / excuse to build another one. If I did I would take the opposite approach (and go as light, cheaply and quickly as possible) and compare the two. Mark Sweetnam

[@labtrainer09]

Hi, Mark. I really appreciate your taking the time to reply to my comments. This-and a lot of other things-set you apart from most of the people who "post" on KZbin. Best, Chris

[@liamstone3437]

Is there any way to get Phillip's sail design? Would he share? I would love to apply his knowledge to my chameleon's sail. Also if Mark would share his seat drawings (aft and fore) that would be much appreciated.

[@jampasritalon4180]

Can I get a copy of your revisions only? I would also be interested to get sewing plans for the sprit sail as I am not sure to what the 13%, that Phillip mentioned, refers.