Brio 555 Plans

Designer: Paolo Lodigiani and Matteo Costa
Chine hull, Stitch&Glue construction
Building Skills: medium

The BRIO 555 is what is usually called a "collective dinghy". This terminology refers to its use as a sailing school boat - where it is common to carry many students with only one instructor. Though its denomination is quite new, its concept isn't: forerunner of all these boats is the Caravelle, designed by Herbulot in 1952, on which generations of sailing enthusiasts have experienced their first tacks.

In the last few years, the shape of these training boats - as well as numerous other types of boats - have changed completely, becoming more refined in shape with a higher sail displacement ratio. Briefly, while sports boats of the past have evolved and become extreme, acrobatic skiffs, the training boats of the past have become similar to what once were sports boats. It is sufficient to compare the features of the Caravelle with those of the BRIO 555 to become aware of the difference. With a length of 4,60 m the Caravelle had a beam of 1.80, a weight of 210 kg and a sail surface of 12 sq. m. The BRIO, 5.55 m long, is just less than 2 m wide and has a weight of 160 kg and a sail surface of 16.2 sq. m.

These figures alone show much better performances than the Caravelle. They seem much closer to those of a Flying Dutchman, the typical fast dinghy of the past generation. With the same weight and sail surface, the FD has, however, a beam of less than 1,80 m and a bigger sail surface, thus it is more unstable and nervy. The BRIO 555 may thus be considered as a slightly tamed FD - which is fast but quite stable and safe enough to be led also by a numerous and not very experienced crew. With two people on board, it becomes a nonextreme sports boat, but all the same, it is highly performing and able to carry out extraordinary glides even with moderate wind conditions.

length OA 5.55m
deck beam 2.00m
displacement 490kg
sail area
main sail 12.40m2
jib 3.80m2

Due to its "collective" use, the cockpit is very wide and also extends to the bow of the mast. In case the boat is used by a crew of two people, it is convenient to extend the deck up to the mast. The bench close to the mast foresees a spacious locker for the stowage of personal objects, fenders, etc. The system of construction is the "stitch and glue" for the chine hull type.

PLANS
10 sheets A3
Building
instructions
and material list

hull ROUND OR CHINE
chine hull LITTLE EXPERIENCE
rounded hull MEDIUM
EXPERIENCE
construction method
chine hull STITCH AND GLUE
rounded hull STRIP PLANKING