Series

March 2023

MUSE

Building on indigenous experience

Jeremy Kyncl was looking for a new family boat that was light enough for him to lift onto the car roof, could take the whole family on lake excursions, and handle hauling crab traps in Puget Sound.

March 2023

Revolve Boat Hook

A full-sized boat hook for small boats

Boathooks are useful but unwieldy items of equipment. A new version rolls up to a size barely larger than a coffee mug and can be stowed just about anywhere.

March 2023

A Sneakbox on the Gulf Coast

Rowing and sailing from New Orleans to Cedar Key, Florida

After rowing down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Christopher Cunningham arrives at the Gulf of Mexico for the last leg of his 2,400-mile sneakbox adventure.

March 2023

New York Whitehall

An American classic

The Whitehall has been with us for 200 years and has evolved from working taxi to recreational rowing craft. A 14’ New York Whitehall reveals why the type is still so popular.

March 2023

A DIY Hammock Chair

Suspended relaxation

On a small boat stowage space is premium, and few would think of taking along a comfortable chair. But with this simple-to-make hammock chair, all that might change.

March 2023

Meaban

A trailerable Vivier sloop

At a little over 22', with berths for four, and a minimum draft of just 1'6” François Vivier's new design, Meaban, is ideal for shoal-water cruising.

February 2023

Spruce Spoon Oars

Beautiful oars that inspire good rowing

Adirondack Guideboat has introduced spruce spoon oars that are pretty to the eye, light in the hand, and, unlike their traditional guideboat oars, meant to be feathered.

February 2023

Hobie 16

More than fifty years old and as popular as ever

The Hobie 16, enjoyed by many as a summer recreational boat and raced in fleets all over the world, remains one of the most popular and enduring of small one-designs and is among the most successful of all racing catamaran classes.

February 2023

A Sneakbox on the Mississippi

850 miles from Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans, Louisiana

After rowing his sneakbox down the Ohio River, Christopher Cunningham continues on the Lower Mississippi River, hoping to outrun the advance of winter’s cold.

February 2023

Fine

A sliding-seat pulling boat with excellent stability

The Fine from Oyster Bay Boats is an 18’ strip-built wherry that combines a sliding-seat rowing rig for speed and a hull with a 34” beam for stability.

February 2023

A Bridge-Crane Boat Lift

Lifting a boat up and sideways for storage

There are several devices for lifting a boat straight up off a car’s roof rack, but they may not work in a garage with an overhead door. This DIY hoist can raise the boat and move it sideways.

February 2023

Thixo Flex

An epoxy with flexibility

Thixo Flex is a flexible thickened epoxy that can be used on oily woods, dry, damp, or wet surfaces, as well as a wide array of materials including fiberglass, metals, and plastics.

March 2023

The Tow Tuff

A battery-powered electric dolly

Moving boats around on land singlehanded is never easy, but this battery-powered electric dolly is a welcome assistant. The Tow Tuff is easily assembled, easily handled, and can move boat trailers and their loads of up to 3,500 lbs.

February 2023

SEA BESTIA

A race boat built for a holiday challenge

Seafaring friends working in the Scottish Isles occupied their time off by building small boats for a friendly race. SEA BESTIA's builder may have broken the rules, but his boat had the look of a serious contender.

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.

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.

January 2023

A Sneakbox on the Ohio

980 miles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois

Inspired by “Four Months in a Sneakbox,” Nathaniel H. Bishop’s account of a 2,500-mile cruise in the winter of 1875, Christopher Cunningham built a sneakbox and followed Bishop’s route from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cedar Key, Florida. In this first of three installments he takes on the 980 miles of the Ohio River.

January 2023

A DIY Boat Cart

Transporting boats with ease and economy

Influenced by years of carrying kayaks and small boats back and forth between home and harbor, and inspired by an everyday garden cart, this simple design transports boats, gear, kids, and dogs.

January 2023

The Silent Hitch Pin

A spring-loaded block-and-pin assembly prevents trailer rattle

A rattling drawbar can be annoying and cause wear and tear on a trailer hitch receiver. The Silent Hitch Pin is easy to install, stops the rattling, and has a lock to prevent theft.

January 2023

The Salus Coastal PFD

A life jacket with built-in harness

A PFD is essential for all boaters, but for solo small-boat sailors, not all life jackets serve their needs well. The Salus Coastal has a built-in safety harness for extra security and can be equipped with a leg harness to keep its buoyancy where it belongs when it’s needed.

January 2023

PERIWINKLE

A boat built for singlehanded cruising

Downsizing from boats used for family cruises led a serial boatbuilder to add a kit-built sail-and-oar double-ender to his Maine-coast fleet. He made some modifications as he was building, launched PERIWINKLE, and is now all set for solo cruising.

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.

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.

December 2022

The Broughton Archipelago

A British Columbia cruise

The myriad islands between Vancouver Island and the intricate mainland coast of British Columbia provided a rower and a paddler with unspoiled waterways shared with orcas and humpback whales.

December 2022

A Simple Sling Lift

Raising a small boat with minimal effort

A pair of easily made, inexpensive slings provide an effective way to lift a small boat off its trailer and flip it upside down, even single-handedly.