Series

Small Boats Annual 2023September 2022

Shellback

An easily built all-around skiff

The Shellback is a 11′ 2″ lapstrake plywood dinghy designed by Joel White for sailing, sculling, and rowing. A precut kit can pave the way for a novice boatbuilder.

September 2022

Oonagh

A lapstrake plywood pram for oar and sail

The Oonagh was designed by Doug Hylan “to combine some of the best qualities of inflatables with the advantages of a traditional dinghy and put it into a package that is a little less hostile to the planet.”

September 2022

A Portage Too Far

A tidal rapid, a beaver dam, and an impossible haul

Tom Conlogue and Delaney Brown took a shot at circumnavigating Maine’s Blue Hill Peninsula by rowing a dory along the coast, down the gullet of a tidal rapid, and across a salt pond to a portage used centuries ago.

September 2022

A DIY Sling Tote

A handy carryall for small-boat gear

A sling bag is a project suitable for a home sewing machine and saves time and effort when loading miscellaneous gear aboard a boat at the beach or launch ramp.

September 2022

Torrentshell 3L

A breathable rain jacket

The Torrentshell 3L from Patagonia is a trim, waterproof, and breathable jacket. It fits neatly under a PFD and when not in use stuffs into a zippered pocket.

September 2022

Totes for Boats

Management for the miscellaneous

Even a short outing for sailing or rowing can involve a lot of gear, and Ben Fuller uses a sling bag or mesh scuba bag to get it all to the boat hands-free and keep it handy onboard.

September 2022

DREADNOUGHT

A tarred-canvas curragh

When James Baker of England decided he needed a second tender for the 42′ wooden gaffer he built, a paddling curragh native to County Donegal in Ireland was his inspiration.

Small Boats Annual 2012

Lowell’s Amesbury Skiff

A traditional type developed for outboard use

“…a boat that will teach the newcomer nuances of powerboat handling and seamanship while rewarding the more experienced with its capabilities.”

Small Boats Annual 2012

The Rhodes 18

A racing daysailer

The Rhodes is the perfect daysailer for up to five people, or it can be raced by a crew of three in one-design fleets.

Small Boats Annual 2012

Redbird

A proven cedar-strip touring canoe

Over three decades, the Redbird canoe has proven to be an exceptionally fine model for wilderness tripping. While its bow and stern profiles are inspired by Ojibwa rice-harvesting canoes, the epoxy-sheathed, cedar-strip construction is contemporary. This example was built by Edmund Pozniak and photographed on Clear Lake, Louisiana.

Small Boats Annual 2012

Salty Heaven

A sprightly cat-yawl for daysailing or camp-cruising

The author’s Salty Heaven, JESS, singlehanded in a fresh breeze. Sailed solo, the 17’ cat-yawl is fast and responsive. She will also happily carry passengers or a load of camping gear.

Small Boats Annual 2023August 2022

Shrimper 19

A trailer sailer from Cornish Crabbers

Built in Britain by Cornish Crabbers, the Shrimper 19 is a fiberglass production boat with a traditional lapstrake look, a gaff-sloop rig, and a flush-deck cabin.

Small Boats Annual 2023August 2022

Firefly

Grace and ease in a quickly built hull

The 18’ Firefly is a performance rowing boat that has a combination of stability and speed that’s well suited for novices getting into sliding-seat rowing.

Small Boats Annual 2023August 2022

Sailing to Denton

Two canoe yawls on the Choptank River

Two 18’ Autumn Leaves canoe yawls follow in the wake of 19th century cargo schooners to ascend Maryland’s Choptank River under sail and oar.

August 2022

A Folding Outboard Stand

An easy, inexpensive shop project

A folding, shop-made stand makes it easy to work on a small outboard motor and then can be stowed out of the way when it’s not needed.

August 2022

Sailor’s Tool

Myerchin's rigger's knife with pliers

Rigging knives usually have a blade for cutting cordage and a marlinspike for splicing lines. The Sailor’s Tool has pliers that make it even more useful.

August 2022

WorkTunes

Hearing protection with radio and Bluetooth

Hearing protection is essential for working with power tools. WorkTunes muffs have a 24 dB noise reduction rating and have a built-in AM/FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

August 2022

WAYLO-WAYLO

A peapod built by family and friends

In retirement, Richard Honan of Winthrop, Massachusetts, turned his attention to building boats and spending time with his grandchildren. A peapod is the latest family-built boat.

Small Boats Annual 2012

Devlin’s Pelicano

Inspired by pangas, in three flavors

“…saucy-looking, efficient, and seaworthy, and still unfancy enough that an ambitious amateur can realistically aspire to building one.”

Small Boats Annual 2012

The Norwalk Islands 18 and Its Cousins

A family of sharpies

“Having no jib, changing tacks on a sharpie is a matter of simply pushing the tiller over. The two sails look after themselves. ”

Small Boats Annual 2012

FOX

A double-paddle canoe

The 14’7” Fox double-paddle canoe, which weighs only 44 lbs, is casually portable. Its 6’8”-long cockpit offers considerable room, yet can be securely sealed with a spray skirt.

Small Boats Annual 2012

D-18 Myst

A camp-cruiser with good looks

The D-18 Myst has a striking profile and sail plan, and her general appearance prompts thoughts of British fishing boats of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

July 2022

Norwalk Islands Sharpie 23

The NIS 23 is the second to the smallest in a family of Norwalk Islands Sharpies designed by Bruce Kirby, who gave the world his Laser. He called the NIS 23 a “cruising Laser for grownups.”

Small Boats Annual 2023July 2022

Excursion

A strip-built kayak for novice boatbuilders and beginning paddlers

The Excursion is a stable recreational kayak for quiet coastal waters and lakes. The kit from Newfound Woodworks can provide a novice with an easy introduction to strip-building boats.

July 2022

Norway’s England Sailors

Crossing the North Sea to honor Norwegian heroes of WWII

During World War II, hundreds of Norwegians took to small boats to escape their enemy-occupied homeland. Eighty years later, four Norwegian mariners repeated their North Sea crossing to Scotland.