Boat Profile

Small Boats Annual 2020November 2018

Rushton 109

A lapstrake pulling boat

The Rushton pulling boat, model 109, is a double-ender with nearly plumb stems, a lapstrake hull, and sweeping sheer. It has the good looks of an old-fashioned guideboat and rows easily whether going solo or bringing a passenger along for company.

Small Boats Annual 2020November 2018

Swallow

A Wolstenholme gunter-rigged dayboat

Andrew Wolstenholme's Swallow is a timeless design that offers an ideal compromise of lightness, speed, and roominess. It is very responsive under sail and light on the helm. The hull offers a good turn of speed, reassuring stability, and a dry ride in choppy conditions.

Small Boats Annual 2020October 2018

Ruth Wherry

Quick to build, fast to row

It’s hard to beat skin-on-frame construction for light weight and ease of construction. Dave Gentry’s Ruth is well suited for rowers eager to get on the water with an easily driven wherry.

Small Boats Annual 2020October 2018

Winter Wren II

A pocket yacht for two

The great joy of the Winter Wren II, Sam Devlin’s trailerable mini cruiser, is its responsiveness. Every nuance of change in air or water conditions translates into some sensation transmitted directly through the tiller, sail controls, or seat of pants.

Small Boats Annual 2020September 2018

Taal SUP

A board for touring

Most stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) look a lot like outsized surfboards, but most of the people paddling them are not surfing. Michael Storer designed the Taal SUP with a hull more like a boat, making it better suited for paddling pursuits.

Small Boats Annual 2020September 2018

Albion Pacific Power Dory

A power dory from Spira

Jeff Spira’s Albion is a 19’ outboard skiff designed along the lines of the surf-launched fishing dories of the Pacific Northwest. While capable of taking on rough water, the Albion is a comfortably stable and roomy platform for more relaxing outings.

August 2018

Ilur

Classic form in plywood

The Ilur is the most popular of François Vivier’s sail-and-oar boats and has classic form designed for modern computer-assisted design and glued lapstrake plywood construction. His plans offer several options for the sailing rig.

Small Boats Annual 2019August 2018

Nauset Marsh Skiff

Console and casting platforms

The Nauset Marsh Skiff, a 16’ stitch-and-glue outboard fishing boat, was designed and built by Walter Baron of Old Wharf Dory for working shallow waters.

Small Boats Annual 2019July 2018

Ski King

A fast inboard in plywood from Glen-L

Glen L. Witt, the founder of Glen-L, could have had any of the countless boats he designed for his company’s offerings of plans and kits, but it was the Ski King he chose to build for his own use. Among the first boats he designed, it is once again in the Glen-L catalog, 65 years later.

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July 2018

Periwinkle

A camp-cruiser for oar, sail, and outboard

When one of Ross Lillistone’s regular customers asked for a fast camp cruiser for sail, oars, and motor, Ross drew up a 17’ lug-rigged cat ketch for glued-lap plywood. The Periwinkle hit the mark and is a great all-rounder.

June 2018

Crabbing Skiff

A Chesapeake Bay working boat from Chapelle

The traditional craft documented in Howard Chapelle’s books are well known, but a number of his drawings are tucked away in the Smithsonian Institution. Among them is a handsome 18’ crabbing skiff with many of the characteristics of the turn-of-the-century working skiffs used by Chesapeake Bay crabbers. With plywood construction, it is easy to build and lively under sail.

June 2018

Hitia 17

A beach catamaran, a micro cruiser

James Wharram’s Polynesian catamaran designs have inspired countless backyard boatbuilders with dreams of ocean voyaging to exotic tropical destinations. His Hitia 17, with its dry-storage holds and kayak-like cockpits, features real camp-cruising capability for sailors who don’t mind roughing it a bit.

Small Boats Annual 2019May 2018

Beer Beach Boat

A workboat for pleasure

Beer is a village located in the middle of England’s Lyme Bay coast and the boats built there have evolved over many years. They come in various shapes and sizes but they are seaworthy enough to cope with exposed coast and durable enough to be hauled up the steep, pebbled beaches there.

Small Boats Annual 2019May 2018

Spring Run

A versatile kayak from Redfish

This lively performer has enough cargo space for multi-day cruising, and when you’re not out paddling it, the fine workmanship and decorative touches make it something you might want to hang in your living room.

Small Boats Annual 2019April 2018

Runabout 14

A plywood speedster from Bateau.com

If the Runabout 14 looks like a classic, its designer, Jacques Mertens-Goossens, the founder of Bateau.com, has hit his mark. The boat’s appearance was inspired by a 1950s design, but its structure is a contemporary blend of plywood, fiberglass and epoxy.

April 2018

First Mate

A Lillistone beach cruiser for sail, oars, and outboard

The Phoenix III is Ross Lillistone’s most popular design, but its glued-lapstrake construction, with its bevels and gains, was not the easiest method for novices to take on. His First Mate is a stitch-and-glue equivalent of the Phoenix III with the same hull, rigs, and cockpit layout. It provides an easier path to the launching and the same performance afloat.

Small Boats Annual 2019March 2018

Ebb

Easy, efficient rowing

WINONA, a pulling boat built for a mountain lake in New York State's Adirondack Mountains, inspired Tom Regan, a boatbuilder living on the tidelands of Washington State, to create a version of his own. We take a look at the Ebb from Grapeview Point Boat Works.

March 2018

Tiki 21

A Wharram catamaran

James Wharram is well known for his catamarans. His Tiki 21, designed in 1981, it took advantage of stitch-and-glue construction and has proved itself in ocean crossings and has remained a popular trailerable gunkholer.

February 2018

Nova Scotian

A Grand Banks dory from Spira Boats

Kevin Power's grandfather was born in Nova Scotia and grew up using locally-built dories. The affection for the Banks-style dories was passed down to Kevin's father and to Kevin, so when he decided to build a boat it was fitting that he ordered plans for Jeff Spira's Nova Scotian.

Small Boats Annual 2019February 2018

Drascombe Lugger

In production for 50 years

The Drascombe Lugger turned 50 years old last year. John Watkinson designed it for his own use and built the first in plywood. The design caught on and in 1968, Luggers went into production in fiberglass and have since done everything from afternoon outings to ocean crossings.

Small Boats Annual 2019January 2018

Minahouët

A well balanced sail-and-oar dinghy

François Vivier’s Minahouët has two maststeps, so it can be rigged either as a sloop with the mast set in the aft position, or cat-rigged with the mast in the forward position. Either way, the boat is lug-rigged and there’s no need for stays, so rigging is simple and fast.

Small Boats Annual 2019January 2018

Penobscot 14

An Arch Davis Classic

The Penobscot 14 is a versatile sail, oar, and motor boat designed by Arch Davis in the early ’90s. His goal was to design a boat that was easy to build, had pleasing lines, and offered excellent sailing and rowing performance.

Small Boats Annual 2019December 2017

Eel

A William Garden canoe yawl

The Eel is an 18’ 6” canoe yawl designed by William Garden as a slightly shorter and much lighter version of the original Eel designed by George Holmes in 1895. Holmes was one of the pioneers of the canoe yawls that became popular in England at the end of the 1800s, when recreational boating was then in its early stages.

December 2017

Pooduck Skiff

An able dinghy by Joel White

The Pooduck skiff provides a good feel for traditional boatbuilding. After it leaves the shop, it is easily trailered, well suited for rowing, and gorgeous under sail. It carries a lug-rigged mainsail that can be sailed with or without a jib. A cleverly designed mast partner allows the mast to be angled forward or backward to keep the rig balanced whether raising the main alone or the main and jib.

Small Boats Annual 2019November 2017

19′ Bartender

A seaworthy outboard

The Bartender was designed by George Calkins during the 1950s to negotiate the river bars along the Oregon coast and the outboard-powered double ender quickly earned a reputation as a capable rough-water hull. We take a look at the 19-footer, the smallest in the series of six sizes and configurations.