Design and Lineage
The Dink is one foot longer than the Dyer Dhow and weighs nearly twice as much. It was a deliberate step up from its smaller stablemate rather than a scaled copy of it. The earliest examples date from the 1930s and were built in wood lapstrake before the builder moved to “Dyeresin” fiberglass construction. The fiberglass hull was built to last.
What sets the Dink apart from a simple yacht tender is its true centerboard—not a daggerboard—carried in a trunk. A wooden plate fiberglassed into the trunk accommodates the centerboard lever. All other hull features are teak. The two-part gunwale and rubrail are riveted through the top of the hull to each other, a detail that reflects a structured composite build rather than a throwaway molded shell.
Rig and Handling
The Dink uses proprietary bronze Dyer fittings. Its bronze-tube chainplates pass through sockets braced by the forward thwart and are secured with clevis pins and cotter rings. The two-part spruce mast and spruce boom break down for cartopping. The mast collars have wedge-shaped ends that fit snugly together, and both the collars and mast step were sound on the surveyed example.
On the water, the Dyer Dink rewards repeat sailing with lively feedback. It’s easy to learn and difficult to master in equal measure. The Riverside Yacht Club fleet frostbites Dyer Dinks, and the boat suits that sport because it stays dry—an unusual virtue in a 10-foot centerboarder driven through winter chop.
Construction and Maintenance
The composite deck and hull combine fiberglass and wood. The thwarts were through-bolted to flanges formed into the original fiberglass hull.
The centerboard-trunk fiberglass is fairly thin, however. Delamination on the underside was caused by the wooden plate set into the trunk for the centerboard lever. This is a known structural weak point worth understanding, although the surveyed example’s rudder, centerboard, and bronze hardware were in decent condition, and its mast collars and step were sound.
The teak joinery also depends on properly maintained fastenings. On one documented example, the aft thwart had curled badly along its forward edge where it hadn’t been screwed down.
Stability and Safety
A Dink can turn over or, more likely, swamp. It isn’t a self-righting lifeboat and demands respect in a breeze. Along with that swamping risk, the thin centerboard-trunk fiberglass and embedded wooden plate are the principal points to watch.
Ownership, Production, and Fleet Activity
Production began in 1934, and roughly 1,400 boats were built. According to period reporting, The Anchorage in Warren, Rhode Island, still offered the complete line.
The Riverside Dyer Dinghy Association maintains a substantial fleet, with 35 to 40 boats regularly on the starting line each Sunday, 62 in a Big Fleet Open Regatta, and 24 entries in a 2019 frostbite championship. A used Dink therefore enters a living one-design community rather than a forgotten class. For an owner who wants a tender that sails like a proper boat, the Dink offers a documented, supportable path.
The Verdict
The Dyer Dink is a serious little sailboat in tender form: a Rhodes-designed, cat-rigged centerboarder with bronze Dyer fittings, a teak-trimmed composite hull, and dry, responsive handling that has supported a frostbiting fleet for decades. It’s heavier and more capable than the Dhow, but the thin centerboard trunk and risk of swamping reward an owner who inspects and maintains its wood-and-fiberglass construction carefully.
Pros
- True centerboard, bronze Dyer rigging, and a sound mast step on the surveyed example
- Dry, lively handling that rewards repeat sailing
- Active class community with regattas and frostbiting
Cons
- Thin centerboard-trunk fiberglass, with an embedded wooden plate prone to causing delamination
- Can swamp or turn over; not self-righting
- Teak thwarts can curl where fastenings are missing
