I have been asked many times to draw a bigger version of the Didi 26, one with a bit more headroom, that is more suitable to be used as a small performance cruiser for coastal cruising. We now have the Didi 28 Maxi Trailer Sailer to do just that, a cruiser/racer that you can build for yourself from plans. It expands our range of radius chine plywood designs that started with the DIDI 38, which I designed and built for myself in 1994/95 and which was followed by the DIDI 34, Mount Gay 30, Didi 26, Didi 23 and our two boats to the Mini 650 Rule, the Didi Mini Mk2 and the Didi Mini Mk3.
The Didi 28 is a direct development of the Didi 26, so it has many of the same features. It is in every way a big sister to the 26 but with more space built into it for comfort. This was achieved with a small increase in length and proportionately greater increases in beam and depth, as well as by raising the cabin structure to gain more headroom.
This design is about 380mm (15") wider than legal towing width for most countries, so we are calling it a "Maxi trailer-sailer". It will need a special permit to tow it legally but that will allow you to take it home for winter storage or to tow it across country to new cruising waters that are not accessible by other means.
Simple Plywood Construction
Construction is mostly from 10mm plywood, which is used for flat areas of the hull and all bulkheads, assembled with a 12mm plywood self-jigging backbone and solid timber stringers. The radiused portion of the hull skin is two layers of 5mm plywood bonded together in place. Keel loads are carried by bulkheads and the structure of the keel box. All of these parts are plywood and epoxy filleted together, making for simplified construction.
Assembly of the hull follows the principles of model aeroplane construction, with stringers slotted into the bulkheads for attachment of the skin.
