To the Black Sea

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.

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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.

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November 2022

Two Tramps and a Lady

A 280-mile row across France along the Two Seas Canal from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean

For over 150 years, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of France have been connected by a series of canals and locks that were nearly two centuries in the making. In 2022, a couple from England were the lone rowers on the canal in the company of motorboats.

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November 2022

French Whipping

A quickly whipped grip

While ropework can be made very complex to be especially decorative, it can be kept simple and still be attractive and functional. A French whipping’s spiral of hitches looks good and provides a non-slip grip.

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November 2022

DeWalt’s Cordless Power Planer

A brushless motor and 30,000 cuts per minute

Cordless and weighing under 8 lbs, DeWalt’s 20-volt planer goes where the work is and is easy on the user. The brushless motor makes quick work of removing wood.

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November 2022

Clampdesk

A weatherproof writing organizer

Cruising is a fine way to get away from the office, but it’s good to have a way to manage a little paperwork aboard a boat for navigating, journaling, and letter writing.

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November 2022

AL DEMANY CHIMAN

A skin-on-frame outrigger canoe

Tim Shaw grew up by the water in Manchester, Massachusetts, and has never drifted too far from boats. After building a few small boats, he was intrigued by the outrigger canoes he saw in Hawaii and years later designed and built one for his family.

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.

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October 2022

A Week on Georgian Bay

Thirty thousand islands, two small boats

On another sail-and-oar cruise of Ontario’s Georgian Bay, Tom Pamperin and his brother explore the islands clustered along the coast and the narrow, rocky inland waterways of the French River Delta.

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October 2022

Sail Care

Offseason maintenance for small-boat sails

Sails get you where you want to go without burning gasoline or calories and deserve to be treated kindly to give them a long and useful life.

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October 2022

An Old-School Folding Ruler

A pocket yardstick in brass and basswood

The brass-and-basswood folding ruler first gained favor among boatbuilders when it was introduced in 1851. Kent Lewis found it came in handy for building the new addition to his fleet of small boats.

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October 2022

Moldaway

A mold, mildew, and organic stain remover

After years of use and occasional abuse, sails can show their age. Shurhold’s Moldaway removes mildew, mold, and other organic stains without harming the sailcloth.

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October 2022

DERRY

A project for the pandemic

Most serial boatbuilders don’t really need another boat, they just need an excuse to build one. The pandemic provided just that for Gary Hardy of Melbourne, Australia: building a Skerry would be an important mental-health measure during a lockdown.

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.

Series

Heritage 23

Manitou 18

Drake 13

L’Ark

Two Tramps and a Lady

French Whipping

DeWalt’s Cordless Power Planer

Clampdesk

AL DEMANY CHIMAN

ZEEK

FAIREHOPE

The Savo 650S

The Spaulding 16

TROUT

LUCIE

A 17′ Outboard Runabout

Nutshell

A Week on Georgian Bay

Sail Care

An Old-School Folding Ruler

Moldaway

DERRY

The Kaholo

Murrelet

Wittholz 11′ Dinghy

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