Current Issue - Small Boats Magazine

May 2016

From The Editor

The Mast and the Music Stand

When I made the spars for my Caledonia yawl in 2005, I decided to lighten the largest of them by making them hollow and give the bird’s-mouth method a try. It was a lot of work milling eight staves for the two masts and the yard and the boom for the lug main spar, but I was pleased with the results. They were quite light, most notably the mainmast, which I had to lift high to slip though the foredeck—it was a cinch to step.

Profiles

Chaisson Dory

More than a tender

The Chaisson dory was designed a century ago as a tender, but it still has a lot to offer even if you don’t have a yacht to attach to the other end of its painter.

Arctic Tern

A modern yoal

Iain Oughtred’s Arctic Tern is in the middle of the range of his popular double-ended beach cruisers that were inspired by the workboats of the Shetland Islands.

For a spritsail with a boom, the brail slips under the boom.

Living with Sprit Sails

Brailing, Reefing, and Furling

The sprit rig’s simplicity works well for boats that are frequently launched and recovered.

The Isles of Finland

Solo cruising in a Herreshoff Coquina

The Finnish coast is speckled with small forested islands rimmed with glacier-worn granite. A modified Herreshoff Coquina is quite at home here, an ocean away from its native waters.

Reader Built Boat

When Sean's friend Robert saw the lines for the little double ender, he said: "We have to build that!" And together they did.

SWEET PEA

An idea takes shape

Reader Sean Russel has been designing boats for a long time, at first drawing by hand and then using computer programs. Our Reader Built Boat is SWEET PEA, a peapod-like boat he designed and built to fit in his van.

Reviews

Cutting Corners

Tools for rounding edges

Make quick work of rounding corners without the noise of a router and the dust of a sander.

Follow 17-year-olds Finn Cameron-Turner and Tereza Deminova as they embark on a 3-month journey from Germany to Russia in a self-built boat, crossing Europe on inland waterways.

Video Series Homepage

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News and Curiosities

VIDEO Small Boat Tour: ESCA, 15′ Christmas Wherry

Scott Williams brought ESCA, his impeccably built Christmas Wherry to exhibit among other small boats for "I Built It Myself." The sail-and-oar boat won Best in Show for owner-built boats in the Concours d'Elegance awards, and this video shows why.

Electric Fantail Launch DORA Available for Charter at The Center for Wooden Boats

CWB Charters aboard the fantail launch DORA is a new way to enjoy a picnic, take a tour, and explore Lake Union with up to six passengers with a licensed captain.

NOAA Releases New Version of Chart No. 1

The chart of charts has been updated. This article at NOAA's website details the revisions that appear in the new version.

Coast Guard Advises Labeling Paddlecraft, Free Labels Are Available

In the recent Atlantic Coastal Kayaker, they shared a couple of important advisories from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding free labels and what happens if they find a small boat unlabeled and unmanned.

The Only Commercial Ice Boat Builder in Maine

It's typical for an ice boater to build their own boat or to take careful care of a vintage one, but Buchholz has been responsible for making the sport more accessible to people who otherwise might have been daunted by building their own boat and rig.

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8′ Auk

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Here is my Iain Oughtred Auk dinghy. Okoume glued lapstrake hull trimmed out in cherry. Hemp rubrail. Balanced lug rig. Mast is spruce made using...

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Tom Hill CHARLOTTE canoe building form

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Free to a good home. I made this jig for building my canoe 15+ years ago. It’s been hanging in my barn ever since. This...

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Fiberglass Dory

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Unusual fiberglass copy of Bolger’s Gloucester Gull. Unknown builder, possibly W.D. Schock, likely 1960s. Good general condition. 16′ X 48″, floatation chambers in bow and...

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British Seagull Outboards

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Two British Seagull Outboards. Both were rebuilt about 10 years ago. Long Shaft /Forty Plus 2-3 HP Short Shaft /Featherweight 2HP with newer plastic fuel...

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