Boat Profile

Small Boats Annual 2012

The No Mans Land Boat

A challenge with great potential

This heavy old fish boat holds her own and then some against other displacement hulls.

Small Boats Annual 2012

The Sea Bird Yawl

Simplicity in a hard-chined cruiser

Simple enough to be built by amateurs, small enough to be singlehanded, and big enough for long passages

Small Boats Annual 2013

The Rambler 18

A runabout for adventure

The Rambler 18 is for people seeking comfortable cruising, not the exhilaration of speed. Riding in this boat is a pleasant and relaxing experience.

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January 2023

Nexus Planing Dory

A planing dory for home construction

Sleek but traditional, and with the versatility to serve a wide range of uses, the Nexus 21’ Planing Dory is an uncomplicated boat to build at home either as an open boat or with a cuddy cabin.

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January 2023

Cape Henry 21

An expedition sailboat for adventurers

A 21’ plywood-lapstrake gaff cutter inspired by traditional sailing craft of the U.K., the Cape Henry 21 can appeal to sailors downsizing from a full-keel cruiser as well as camp-cruisers looking for more comfort while still adventuring in shoal waters.

Small Boats Annual 2013

The AS-17

A working class skiff

It’s an advantage for a work-boat that will be used by many different operators to be dead simple, and this boat is.

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December 2022

Salish Voyager

An expedition boat for sail and oar

With a hull form inspired by working skiffs of the New Jersey Shore, the Salish Voyager is a customizable fiberglass boat that can be equipped for long-distance coast cruising under sail and oar.

7

December 2022

North Shore Dory

A dory design from the 1900s

A 16′ dory built around 1900 on the North Shore of Massachusetts for summer rowing on the Maine coast found its way to a maritime museum where detailed drawings were made 80 years later so boatbuilders could give it new life.

Small Boats Annual 2013

ELSON PERRY

A sailing treasure from the past

Under the supervision of the museum’s resident boatbuilder, Eamonn Doorly, the staff of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, volunteered their time to build the ELSON PERRY. Their hours of work were well rewarded, though, as the museum uses the boat to teach staff how to sail.

Small Boats Annual 2013

Lyman Runabout

A 1950s classic in lapstrake plywood

"Some things from the 1950s are indeed worth keeping operational, if not outright restored.”

Small Boats Annual 2013

Heritage 23

A kit boat inspired by the Great Lakes Mackinaw

Conceived as an adaptation of successful programs for rowing and sailing elsewhere, the Heritage 23 was designed by Richard Pierce, to be worked up for kit construction by Jordan Boats.

Small Boats Annual 2013

Manitou 18

A classic plywood runabout

Starting with plans of the Downeaster 18 by Charles Wittholz, Copper Harbor Boat Works built this stunning interpretation seen here on Lake Superior near Copper Harbor, Michigan. Five coats of varnish cover the deck and interior.

6

November 2022

Drake 13

A Selway Fisher sharpie

The Drake 13 from Selway Fisher is a small sharpie designed to be propelled by oars, a lugsail, or an outboard and to serve as a tender, a daysailer, a beach cruiser, or a fishing skiff.

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November 2022

L’Ark

A cozy canal cruiser

Phil Thiel’s Escargot canal boat plans come with an option for a roomier hull and a cabin with standing headroom. The modifications for L’Ark provide comfortable accommodations for four.

Small Boats Annual 2013

ZEEK

Designed and built for Alaskan waters

Dave Seaman designed ZEEK to be fast and comfortable in Kachemak Bay's choppy waters. A chop of 3' is not uncommon. The 90-hp outboard will drive her to a maximum speed of 30 knots.

Small Boats Annual 2013

FAIREHOPE

A 21' hard-chined adventurer by Nelson Zimmer

Straight sides and her V-bottomed design give the 21-footer a “hard chine,” or intersection where the topsides and bottom meet. Done right, the resulting shape is pleasing to the eye.

Small Boats Annual 2013

The Savo 650S

Innovation from Finland—technology confronts tradition

Simplicity, bordering on minimalism, is a hallmark of the Savo 650S. Developed in Finland for racing, the boat is equally suited for recreational rowing.

Small Boats Annual 2013

The Spaulding 16

A tribute to a Bay Area designer

In 1923, young Myron Spaulding, who went on to an illustrious career as a San Francisco Bay yacht designer and builder, sketched a 16’ sailboat, which modern designers Tom Wylie and Doug Frolich helped bring to fruition last year at the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center in Sausalito.

Small Boats Annual 2013

TROUT

A camp utility garvey

TROUT, a “camp-utility garvey” designed and built by Harry Bryan, is meant to carry a load of gear and passengers to a remote lakeside home.

Small Boats Annual 2013

LUCIE

A Gil Smith catboat, in miniature

When Michael Tyler began his boatbuilding studies in March 2011, he knew he wanted to build something "a bit different."

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Small Boats Annual 2023October 2022

A 17′ Outboard Runabout

Paul Gartside's Design #221

Paul Gartside’s Design #221 is an outboard-powered runabout with the look of a classic but more easily built using lapstrake-plywood or strip-plank construction.

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October 2022

Nutshell

Joel White's little packet

The 7′ 7” Nutshell Pram was designed by Joel White to row easily, tow well, and be fun to sail. All of the planks for the glued-lapstrake plywood construction can be cut from 8’ sheets of plywood.

Small Boats Annual 2013

The Kaholo

A stand-up paddleboard you can build

Geoff Kerr reports that paddling a standup paddleboard is intuitive, requiring no more balance than does riding a bike. The experience, he says, is “a hoot.”

Small Boats Annual 2013

Murrelet

A svelte and versatile new kayak from Pygmy Boats

The Murrelet kayak has ample leg room but a very low after deck, which makes it easy to lie back when executing a roll.

Small Boats Annual 2012

Wittholz 11′ Dinghy

An ode to a simpler time

Charles Wittholz designed his traditional 11' catboat dinghy for protected waters. While fun to sail, she is also well suited to work under oars and to serve as a tender to a larger boat.