The Vagabond is an excellent first boat for coastal cruising or club racing: simple but elegant, ideal for a couple with two children.
Start building in the fall for spring launch: the Vagabond is fast and easy to build.
She is a perfect coastal cruiser: fast, lively, stable and roomy.

The interior is exceptionally roomy thanks to the raised deck design: 4 full size berths, galley with sink and stove, an optional folding chart table and a dining table that slides under the cockpit. The forward cabin can be isolated by a curtain. A Porta-Potti is located under the V-berth. Roomy cockpit with storage for an inflatable dinghy or raft under the floor, lockers for sails and outboard : the Vagabond is designed as a real cruising boat. A 3HP outboard will push her at hull speed but she can carry larger engine: up to 10HP.

Building method:

The Vagabond is a true composite boat: she is built from 1/4" plywood sandwiched between two layers of biaxial fiberglass: light and stronger than solid plywood. No plywood is exposed and the maintenance is minimum.
The hull structure is light and stiff: most bulkheads and longitudinal elements such as berths sides and cockpit sides are part of the structure. Fiberglass-epoxy seams act as stringers and frames.
The hull panels are easy to shape and bend, no lofting is required and there is absolutely no beveling or delicate wood work.
The boat can be built much faster than a classic plywood boat.
The new plans include full size patterns for all the frames and bulkheads and expanded plates dimensions: no tricky measurements to take from the lines plan or from lofting, all the dimensions figure on the plans and every part can be cut flat on the floor from standard plywood sheets.
New (2001): we added plans for a new composite keel. Same dimensions as the steel keel but much easier to build, in stitch and glue, same as the hull.

The rigging uses swept back spreaders for better performance, the centerboard version has a profiled CB and less draft thanks to the gain in hull weight and the interior was redesigned for longer berths in the saloon.

Required Skills:
As all our stitch and glue boats, the VG20 is very easy to build. No woodworking skills or special tools are required. She is however a more complex boat than our dinghies and Caravelle. The plans include all dimensions and patterns to cut all the structural parts flat on the shop floor. No scarfing required. See our tutorials pages for a complete description of the building method.
The plans are very detailed, see a picture of some, not all the drawings, below:

Options:
1. Skirt or not:
The plans show two hull versions: with or without the hull extensions (skirt). The Vagabond and Vagabond Plus are basically the same boat except for the last two feet (60cm). This explains why some of the drawings do not show the "skirt": the part of the hull that extends behind the cockpit. You can built the boat with or without the skirt hull extension from the same plans.. The skirt is a highly recommended option, it stretches the dynamic waterline improving performance: more speed, better pitch dampening. It also serves as an outboard bracket: we show the correct height for common outboard shaft lengths (6HP or less) and the other side is an ideal boarding platform. The only reasons to build the shorter hull are: limited room for winter storage in a garage or class restrictions for club racing.
The two versions are built exactly the same way.

2. Fin keel or centerboard in ballasted keel:
Two keel versions are proposed: fixed keel or centerboard. In each case, the keels can be made locally from welded steel plate filled with lead or we supply all dimensions for keel castings. The center board version is easier to tow on a trailer and plans for a lifting rudder are included.

Bill Of Materials:
(Excerpts from our BOM)
The BOM list materials based on our standard layout and includes a 15% waste factor for resin and fiberglass. For plywood, we use standard sheets 4' x 8' (122 x 244 cm). Please read the building notes and see the plans for detailed specifications. Marine Tech boat building plywood from Plum Creek can be substituted for marine ply in stitch and glue construction. Marine Tech cost, on the average, less than $ 20.00 a sheet in 1/4" (6mm). Okume marine can also be used and cost usually less than $ 40.00 a sheet (1/4"). Good quality exterior is acceptable if it has no voids.

Cost:
The hull and deck part will cost between $2,500 and $3,000.00 depending on the type of plywood.
Spars and sails will cost another $2,500.00.

We offer kits for each component groups: see the main page for a list, top left panel.

It is possible to save a lot on spars and sails with second hand equipment and the boat could be build for as little as $4,000.00.

Labor:
The Vagabond hull and deck will require around 250 hours, you will need another 150 hours to finish.

More:
Visit a web site with 100+ pictures of the building of a Vagabond Plus: Project Just Right.

Also see our message board, help pages, tutorial pages and read our FAQ: most questions are answered there.

Plans Packing List:

This boat is made of 22 detailed sheets including: