To the Black Sea

3

August 2025

NRS Float Bags

Inflatable flotation for small boats

Not all small boats have built-in buoyancy, but flotation is important. NRS Float Bags are available in a range of sizes, made from tough, long-lasting materials, and come with a lifetime warranty.

4

August 2025

W.L. Fuller Countersinks

A popular tool approaches 100 years of longevity

Tapered drill bits with countersinks may not be the most glamorous tools in the workshop, but no boatbuilder would be without them. W.L. Fuller has been making countersinks and special-purpose drill bits of unbeatable quality and durability in Rhode Island since 1930.

6

August 2025

Making a Spar Carrier

Support for spars when trailering

When trailering a sailboat, it’s not always easy to support the spars and keep them stable. Bill Jordan solved the problem by building his own custom spar carrier.

8

August 2025

Newfound Woodworks’ Otter

A playful solo canoe

The sweet-lined Otter may be one of Newfound Woodworks’ smallest strip-planked boats, but this solo canoe has space enough for a paddler and a dog, a child, or overnight camping gear.

13

August 2025

Rowing the SEVENTY48

One boat, four oars, seventy miles

In 2019, when Basin Herbertson first heard about the SEVENTY48, he didn’t know how to row, nor did he have a boat in which to learn. He designed and built a performance boat for the event, and in June 2025 he and his son, Ben, completed the 70-mile race.

6

August 2025

The Tango 17

A durable two-person rowboat

Built of modern materials but with lines that hark back to the 19th century, Whitehall Spirit’s Tango 17 is equally suited to double performance rowing and solo camp-cruising.

8

Small Boats Annual 2011

Beg-Meil

A small yacht, whether under sail or oars

Inspired by the workboats of Brittany, France, François Vivier designed Beg-Meil as a safe and seaworthy daysailer.

6

July 2025

PETRICHOR

Building a Northeaster Dory

In his youth, Dylan Spaulding had built two boats with his dad. After his father died, Dylan decided to build a third, a Northeaster Dory, in his memory.

3

July 2025

Flextail Max Shower

Keeping clean while cruising

When you’re small-boat cruising, you shouldn’t have to forgo all the luxuries of modern living. With its own pump, the Flextail Max Shower delivers good flow for refreshing bathing even in remote camps and anchorages.

2

July 2025

Kirby’s Marine Topside Hull and Deck Paint

Custom paint production since the mid-19th century

The George Kirby Jr. Paint Company has been hand-mixing top-quality marine paints to order for the past 179 years. As viable today as they were in the 1840s, the paints are user-friendly, durable, and available in any color.

3

July 2025

Oiling Plywood

Extending the lifespan of plywood-on-frame boats

In the Pacific Northwest it’s not always practical to epoxy-coat or varnish marine plywood. An alternative solution, tried and tested among Oregon coastal fishermen, is to saturate the wood with a homemade recipe known as “boat soup.”

14

July 2025

A Civilized Adventure

Kayaking through Burgundy and Nivernais in the 1980s

Lured by the gentle countryside, the expectation of easy camping, and the promise of good French food and wine, a young New England couple explore the waterways of Burgundy in a 17′ Klepper Aerius II kayak.

6

July 2025

Lowell Dory Skiff

John Gardner’s “substantial rowboat” for fishing

A sturdy rowboat based on an early 20th-century working boat and drawn up by John Gardner, the 14′ 9″ flat-bottomed, shallow-drafted Dory Skiff is suited to fishing, general recreational, and workboat use.

7

July 2025

The 13′ Boston Whaler

The original “unsinkable” powerboat

They’ve been used as harbor tenders, kids’ first powerboats, yacht-club chase boats, and all-around stable workboats. Almost 70 years after the first of its type was launched, the 13’ Boston Whaler remains a favorite around America’s coasts.

7

Small Boats Annual 2011

Deer Isle Koster Boat

A full-bodied, stable, and promising daysailer

Deer Isle Koster Boat was designed by Bruce Elfstrom to be a safe and enticing daysailer for his daughters on Deer Isle, Maine.

13

June 2025

Paddling the Susquehanna River

A two-and-a-half week trip by canoe

Hugh Rand takes two and a half weeks to paddle his canoe from Cooperstown, New York, to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. Along the way he encounters otters, beavers, and bears; submerged boulders, fallen trees, and fast-running rapids.

5

June 2025

EMMA

Building a Mayfly 14

When a grandson asks for help building a boat, what grandfather can resist? Kippen and his grandfather Ken work together to build a Jim Michalak–designed Mayfly 14 that Kippen can call his own and will sail with his friends.

4

June 2025

QuikFair from System Three Resins

An easily applied epoxy fairing putty

Some blemishes can’t be covered up with a seasonal coat of paint but don’t warrant an entire repaint. QuikFair is a two-part epoxy compound that adheres to old finishes, is easy to apply, and can be sanded within hours of application.

3

June 2025

Kayalite Kayak Light

A practical all-around light for small boats

Even the smallest of boats need lights if they are to be operated between sunset and sunrise. The Kayalite from Kayalu is waterproof, floats, and can be quickly set up and removed as needed.

6

June 2025

Mounting an Electric Outboard on Rudder Fittings

A simple solution for boats that can’t easily take an outboard

Weighing less than their gas counterparts, electric outboard motors lend themselves to creative mounting options, making them useful for small boats with removable rudders.

6

June 2025

Gartside’s Design 206

A traditional pram dinghy

The 8′ pram from Paul Gartside is traditional in appearance and construction. Suitable for more experienced builders, it is an ideal tender, towing and rowing well, and with space for one rower with cargo or passenger.

6

June 2025

Selway-Fisher Heron 15

A pocket cruiser for two

It’s only 15′ 4″ long, but the Selway-Fisher Heron 15 provides a comfortable cockpit and a generous cabin for two—a compact but capable pocket cruiser for home-building.

5

Small Boats Annual 2011

Onset Island Skiff

Utility, affordability, good fun

Beetle Inc.’s Onset Island Skiff is a recent interpretation of an old idea: the traditional New England flat-bottomed skiff.

6

Small Boats Annual 2011

BLACK GHOST

A fisherman's friend

Walter Ansel built BLACK GHOST to Weston Farmer’s Kingfisher plans. Traditional construction and a seaworthy result make her an enticing project for any experienced builder.

9

May 2025

The Garsharp-14

The Garlasco family establish a boatbuilding tradition

Four generations of the Garlasco family come together to build a sailboat designed by great-grandfather Felix.

Series

NRS Float Bags

W.L. Fuller Countersinks

Making a Spar Carrier

Newfound Woodworks’ Otter

Rowing the SEVENTY48

The Tango 17

Beg-Meil

PETRICHOR

Flextail Max Shower

Kirby’s Marine Topside Hull and Deck Paint

Oiling Plywood

A Civilized Adventure

Lowell Dory Skiff

The 13′ Boston Whaler

Deer Isle Koster Boat

Paddling the Susquehanna River

EMMA

QuikFair from System Three Resins

Kayalite Kayak Light

Mounting an Electric Outboard on Rudder Fittings

Gartside’s Design 206

Selway-Fisher Heron 15

Onset Island Skiff

BLACK GHOST

The Garsharp-14

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