Dinghy: centerboard or leeboard?

[benz]

I know this is only obliquely related to rigging, but such an august body of sailors must surely be able to help me. I'm building a 9' dinghy for a tender to my pilot cutter (also under construction), and would dearly love to not have a centerboard trunk cluttering up the inside, since four of us--two of which will be getting bigger over the years)--must fit into it for rowing. How much worse, performance-wise, is a leeboard attached to the gunnel than a centerboard in the (need I say it?) center? I'm not looking to race this thing, just to be able to sail it to and from anchorages when the wind is fair.
Has anyone had experience with leeboards in a small dinghy?
Thanks in advance.
Ben

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Yes. I have.

Since I was fitting a rig to a pulling boat, I reasoned that the keel was too narrow to take a daggerboard case, and fitted a leeboard.

After a couple of weeks, I fitted a daggerboard case through one of the garboards.

The daggerboard case does not take up much room in the boat, and unlike the leeboard set up, you can get to windward reliably with it. You need a cap to the top when towing the dinghy or she will flood through it.

And the answer to the "rigging" question is a standing lugsail, with a simple (rope grommet!) traveller on the mast for yard and boom or they go haywire when you drop the sail.

A very simple rope horse across the transom is handy, too. No need for a purchase on the sheet, but you need about 3:1 on the yard downhaul.

[Ian McColgin]

I favor a board in any boat, even if not sailed, because it also facilitates rowing to weather in a hard chance. I could not readily get my dink to weather in much more than a Strong Breeze (Force 6, 25 knots) until I added a board that allows me to tack rowing upwind. Now I can manage the mile to my mooring against a Gale (Force 8, 35 knots).

I don't like a centerboard for space reasons nor a dagger board. I actually use just one pivoting side board - works ok when it's on the weather side. I put it on the dink's starboard side so it's more out of the way in my usual landing on Marmalade's starboard side. It's actually made out of an old oar blade pivoting under the gunnel against a smallish flat I built up on the hull. Operates through a lever to the inside so reachable.

Wen rowing, I adjust the angle depending on wind and direction. It's helpful to have it as obliquely down as possible putting it's center of resistance further aft. Depending on loading.

Most useful and handy.

G'luck

[benz]

Thanks for the replies. Your method, Ian, sounds most interesting. I have only rarely tried to row through a gale and always found it wet, deperate, and unpleasant; far better to have stayed aboard that day, if at all possible.
I'm going to build a test model first for sea trials before I build the real thing, so I guess I can put a trunk in it and try it both ways before I commit to the real thing.