Boat Profile

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.

February 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.

January 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.

January 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.

December 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.

November 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.

November 2017

Noank

A sliding-seat pulling boat

While Nick Schade of Guillemot Kayaks has been building boats since 1993, the strip-built Noank is his first boat with a sliding seat. With watertight compartments in each end and generous freeboard, it is designed for light and fast camp-cruising and recreational rowing in exposed and choppy water.

October 2017

15′ Sailing Dinghy

An evolution in design

The 15’ Sailing Dinghy from Stirling & Son is the biggest boat in their range of lapstrake dinghies and the only one equipped with a deck to adapt it for coastal voyaging and adventure sailing.

October 2017

Glen-L Zip

A twin-cockpit runabout

Glen-L’s Zip was designed in 1954 and can be built from fir plywood and painted as a utilitarian boat or dressed up with varnished mahogany to give it the look of a classic runabout.

September 2017

Milford 20

A New Zealand Sharpie

The Milford 20 design appeals as a very elegant, classic craft for home building, and gives a great sailing experience for both experienced and inexperienced sailors. It also would be a suitable craft for a couple or family of four; a delight to sail and appealing to those who want a safe boat for leisure and pleasure.

September 2017

Drake Raceboat

Easy speed under oars

The Raceboat is designed “for the greater speeds in race conditions,” but you don’t have to compete to appreciate the boat. It will give you an exhilarating workout and reward improvements in your stamina and technique.

August 2017

Tango 13

A twin-tailed transom

The Tango Skiff has interesting hull extensions that create an attention-grabbing geometry aft of the transom. The additional running surface and buoyancy of the extensions appealed because of previous experience in small outboard-powered boats. When operated solo, many of them with a conventional transom will squat under the weight of the motor and the skipper and set the bow pointing skyward.

August 2017

Tenderly Dinghy

An able boat to row, tow, motor, and sail

When John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft came to WoodenBoat School here in Brooklin to lead a six-day class in building his newly designed Tenderly Dinghy and brought two finished boats with him, there was an opportunity to see the progress on the student-built boats, and to take the finished ones for a spin in Great Cove.

July 2017

Peeler Skiff

A lightweight fishing and utility skiff

The requirements were simple. The boat had to be light enough to tow behind a four-cylinder SUV, small enough to fit in a garage, and capable of getting two and gear the 50 miles from the south end of Lake Chelan to the north end and back again in the afternoon when the lake gets rough. Although there are many affordable aluminum and fiberglass boats that would serve the purpose, the boat had to be something distinctive.

July 2017

RoG

Microcruiser and Adventure Racer

RoG was designed, in some part, for the 300-mile Everglades Challenge, a Florida thin-water endurance voyage, but for less grueling adventures the RoG is a charming miniature cruiser. It is just 15′ 3-1/2″overall, yet it has a deep, comfortable, private cabin with built-in bookshelves forward, obviously designed for a contemplative sailor. The cabin has sitting headroom and offers a chart-sized nav/dining table that drops down to seat level to form two full-sized berths.

June 2017

Penobscot 17

An Arch Davis cruiser for sail and oar

Arch Davis drew the Penobscot 17 with three rigs—gunter sloop, ketch, schooner—and we take a look at his sloop-rigged version. The plywood lapstrake cruiser sails and rows well and is well suited for meandering among small islands and along convoluted coasts.

June 2017

Pelicano 20

A trig outboard cruiser

The owner of the first Devlin-designed Pelicano 20 had high praise for the boat: “A real jewel. We were impressed when we first took the boat out for sea trials. Even with that big 115-HP outboard hanging on the stern, it floated perfectly on her lines, and its performance turned out to be nothing short of breathtaking.”

May 2017

The Coot Dinghy

A proper little boat

Andrew Wolstenholme’s Coot is a proper little boat. With respect on your part it will look after you, take you on mini adventures on rivers, lakes, and estuaries, and be greatly admired wherever it goes.

May 2017

All-Rounder

Pygmy's SUP board

The All-Rounder SUP is Pygmy Boats’ newest kit. The 11’ stand-up paddleboard has plenty of stability for beginners and volume enough to take a youngster along for a ride.

April 2017

Woods Hole Spritsail Boat

From workboat to daysailer

The Woods Hole spritsail boats are similar to the iconic Cape Cod catboats, with a few distinct differences. They are sprit rigged, not gaff rigged, to make it easier to unstep the mast to pass underneath a stone bridge at the entrance their traditional harbor, narrower to allow them to be rowed by a lone fisherman, and have more freeboard for the notoriously rough waters of Vineyard Sound.

April 2017

The Glen-L Utility

Classic 1950s style in a boat that's simple to build, a joy to use

The Utility, a small general-purpose outboard, was designed in 1953 and is among Glen-L’s earliest designs. For over six decades, it has endured as a standard offering in the Glen-L catalogue, and with good reason. It was specifically designed to be affordable and easy to build for the first-time amateur builder.

March 2017

Fairhaven Flyer

A light dory for solo or tandem rowing

The Fairhaven Flyer from Devlin Designing Boat Builders is a versatile 20’ light dory that can be rowed solo or tandem, with fixed thwarts or sliding seats, and used for exercise or adventure.

March 2017

Saturday Night Special

More Bang for the Buck

The Saturday Night Special was John Welford’s idea for a fast beach cruiser that was so simple to build that you could arrive a few days early at a multi-day small boat cruise or raid, build the boat, participate in the event, and fly back home, leaving the boat behind for someone else to use.