Boat Profiles - Small Boats Magazine

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Small Boats Annual 2011

Glen-L Sea Knight

A 1957-vintage outboard cabin cruiser

oats are the stuff that dreams are made of—sometimes of dreams recaptured, in places unexpected. Such is the case with the Sea Knight, a graceful 17′ retro cabin cruiser, a...

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Small Boats Annual 2011

OTTER: Fast Outboard Launch

A fast and rugged power launch

The OTTER is a Pete Culler designed cold molded, launch outboard that was adapted and constructed by Bill Perkins. She has a "file-bottom", common in the Chesapeake, with the addition of a "Rhode Island" shelter.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

The Northeaster Dory

A modern traditional boat for sail and oar

The Northeaster Dory is a glued-lapstrake-plywood interpretation of the Banks dory. It is available in kit form from Annapolis, Maryland-based Chesapeake Light Craft.

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January 2025

The International Optimist Dinghy

How a simple pram dinghy changed the face of kids’ sailing

Under 8′ long, and with a single sprit-rigged sail, the Optimist was designed as an affordable boat for kids in Clearwater, Florida; it went on to become the most popular kids’ sailboat around the world.

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January 2025

The Gorran Haven Crabber

A traditional sprit-rigged yawl from Cornwall

Based on the traditional 19th-century crabbers of a small Cornish fishing village, the shallow-drafted Gorran Haven crabber is a sailboat well suited for coastal day-sailing and camp-cruising.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

The International Fireball

A fast racer for today’s home boatbuilder

The International Fireball is a development class of racing sailboats that allows builders to incorporate new technology and a variety of rigging options enabling sailors to stretch the limits of their abilities.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

The Newfound Rangeley

A strip-planked rowboat for sport and recreation

The Newfound Rangeley is a strip-planked interpretation of a well-known western Maine guideboat.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

Ninigret

A timeless bassboat

John Atkin designed Ninigret for the pursuit of striped bass and bluefish in the choppy waters of Block Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico. Regardless, she is well suited to a wide range of uses including family outings, picnics, weekend cruising, or any other activity that benefits from quiet, economical operation, lots of room, and a smooth ride.

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December 2024

Sea Wolf

A fast and stable kayak from Newfound Woodworks

The Sea Wolf kayak can be built from plans or a kit, has good stability for novice paddlers, and displays impressive performance that suits multi-day cruising.

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December 2024

Gartside’s Spitfire

A 10′ pram for sail and oar

Paul Gartside’s 10′ pram was drawn with children in mind but is also appealing to adults looking for a sail-and-oar boat of traditional construction and sweet lines.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

NEWT Canoe

You can paddle it in a puddle

This compact and easy-to-build canoe from designer Warren Jordan is a fine choice for a first-time builder who wants a lightweight craft for exploring shallow inlets, streams, and other calm waters.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

Schooner 18

An 18' camp schooner from Shell Boats

The Schooner 18 is an iconoclastic camp-cruiser from Shell Boats of St. Albans, VT. She's the largest in Fred Shell’s Swifty line and is quick to handle and accelerate, with a nice turn of speed for such a small boat.

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Small Boats Annual 2011

Bay Pilot 18

A garage-built pocket cruiser

The Bay Pilot 18, designed by Arch Davis, is a swift cruiser that accommodates up to four adults during day outings, or two for overnight excursions.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

Coquina

A classic yacht in a small package

Nathanael Greene Herreshoff designed the original Coquina for his own use. Excellent balance and sailing characteristics—and above all, simplicity—made the 16’8” LOA boat one of his favorites.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

Columbia and Catspaw Dinghies

One original, one adaptation—and both classic dinghies

A pairing of ancestor and offspring: the Columbia tender developed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff in the last year of the 19th century, and the Catspaw dinghy drawn by Joel White in the 1970s. The similarities are striking, but the differences are clear—nevertheless, either boat would be a fine choice for construction and use.

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November 2024

The Wittholz 15

A plywood catboat for home construction

A New England–style catboat, the Wittholz 15 is suitable for home-building and offers excellent sailing, a spacious cockpit for as many as six adults, and admiring looks wherever it goes.

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November 2024

A United Nations Flat-Bottomed Skiff

An 18′ wooden skiff designed for Lake Malawi

This simple outboard-and-oar skiff was designed for fishing in Lake Malawi, southern Africa. Having built one from free U.N. plans, a young New Yorker proves the boat’s worth on the shallow waters of Great South Bay, Long Island.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

The Albury Runabout

A magic carpet for the water

The Albury Runabout is a classically fine outboard, famous for her smooth ride, speed and sea-worthiness. She was designed by Willard and Benny Albury and were first built in the 1950s.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

The Delaware Ducker

A blue-collar performance boat

The Delaware Ducker evolved as a bird-hunting boat on the tributaries of Delaware Bay. A study in simplicity and performance, it deserves close attention as a recreational boat.

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Small Boats Annual 2010

The Haven 12 1/2

A trailerable classic

A handsome daysailer based on the Herreshoff 12 1/2, but modified for a centerboard.

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October 2024

Hatch Cove Kayak

A David Wyman design for Chase Small Craft

A new recreational touring kayak from David Wyman and Chase Small Craft combines light weight with good initial stability, generous buoyancy, low windage, and excellent tracking.

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October 2024

Gannet

Iain Oughtred’s 14' planing dinghy with traditional appeal

Combining the appearance of a comfortable daysailer with the underwater profile of a planing dinghy, Iain Oughtred’s Gannet can be used for a relaxing sail with four crew or an exhilarating ride for two.

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Small Boats Annual 2009

The Blue Jay–Class Sloop

A Sparkman & Stephens classic

The Blue Jay-class sloop was designed in 1947 as a junior trainer. Today, the fleet numbers over 7,000, and the boats are sailed by adults and kids alike.

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Small Boats Annual 2009

Pathfinder Yawl

A 17' cruising yawl

The 17' 4" Pathfinder yawl, designed by John Welsford, is meant for serious cruising. One owner-builder in the designer's New Zealand home waters spent 10 months living on his boat while exploring.

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Small Boats Annual 2009

The Harrier Double-Ender

An eye-catching blend of old and new technology.

The Harrier double-ender carries a standing-lug yawl rig, high-peaked and fully battened in the main—an eye-catching blend of old and new technology. She is exceptional under oar or sail, due to her light weight and refined shape.

Glen-L Sea Knight

OTTER: Fast Outboard Launch

The Northeaster Dory

The International Optimist Dinghy

The Gorran Haven Crabber

The International Fireball

The Newfound Rangeley

Ninigret

Sea Wolf

Gartside’s Spitfire

NEWT Canoe

Schooner 18

Bay Pilot 18

Coquina

Columbia and Catspaw Dinghies

The Wittholz 15

A United Nations Flat-Bottomed Skiff

The Albury Runabout

The Delaware Ducker

The Haven 12 1/2

Hatch Cove Kayak

Gannet

The Blue Jay–Class Sloop

Pathfinder Yawl

The Harrier Double-Ender

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