Series

April 2018

Runabout 14

A plywood speedster from Bateau.com

If the Runabout 14 looks like a classic, its designer, Jacques Mertens-Goossens, the founder of Bateau.com, has hit his mark. The boat’s appearance was inspired by a 1950s design, but its structure is a contemporary blend of plywood, fiberglass and epoxy.

April 2018

First Mate

A Lillistone beach cruiser for sail, oars, and outboard

The Phoenix III is Ross Lillistone’s most popular design, but its glued-lapstrake construction, with its bevels and gains, was not the easiest method for novices to take on. His First Mate is a stitch-and-glue equivalent of the Phoenix III with the same hull, rigs, and cockpit layout. It provides an easier path to the launching and the same performance afloat.

April 2018

From Father to Son

Five generations of boatbuilders

Nick Blake is a boatbuilder living on a plot of Mississippi land that has been in the family since the 1830s. Nick built a modified version of a Chapelle Whitehall with the help of his father, tools passed down from his grandfather, traditions established by his great-grandfather, and lumber milled from trees grown on his great-great-grandfather’s land.

April 2018

Eton Oar Stands

Quick work without clamps

A 1950s newsreel offered a glimpse of English craftsmen making racing shells and oars in the Eton Boathouse on the River Thames. The system they used to hold the oars while working on them did away with clamps and was fast and efficient.

April 2018

Luci and LuminAID Lanterns

Inflatable solar-charged lighting

Camp-cruising requires lighting, and these three solar-charged, waterproof, and inflatable lanterns illuminate tents, boat canopies, and camp kitchens with a bright diffuse light at night, can charge your phone, and recharge themselves during the day.

April 2018

Poseidon Sliding Seats

Power without outriggers

Most sliding-seat rigs come with outriggers that require long, racing-style sculls. The Poseidon sliding seat provides power without changing the nature of the boat. It’s meant to be used with gunwale-mounted oarlocks and the same kind of oars used for fixed-seat rowing.

April 2018

KUPENDANA

A kayak with a purpose

Barb Geiger’s father had dreamed of building a stitch-and-glue kayak but when a stroke restricted him to a wheelchair, he thought his dream was out of reach. Barb didn’t agree. They ordered a kit and got started on the project. Sadly, he didn’t live long enough to see the boat finished and launched. He would have had good reason to be proud of the kayak—it carried Barb and her husband safely on a 2,000-mile journey across America.

March 2018

BEULAH

An Escargot with a difference

Curt White made a number of modifications to his Escargot to turn it into a roomy, well-furnished, and warm living room afloat. BEULAH takes Curt and his wife in style and comfort to the lakes near their home in the hills of western North Carolina.

March 2018

Copper Guards

Traditional protection for oars

Oar blades, ideally, should only come in contact with water, but they often do battle with rocks, sand, and barnacles in our comings and goings to and from landings. Copper tips will take the abuse and not show their age as easily as paint and varnish will.

March 2018

Flexpoxy

A versatile epoxy

Pettit offers a multi-purpose epoxy that makes flexible bonds as well as fills that won't sag or shrink. Dispensed from a cartridge that fits common caulking guns, it is easy to dispense for jobs small and large.

March 2018

The Portable Buddy

Radiant heat for tents and cabins

It's easier to extend your small-boat cruising into the shoulder seasons when you have a way to stay warm when the weather turns chilly. The Portable Buddy from Mr. Heater uses standard 1-lb propane canisters to create radiant infrared heat to warm small cabins and tents.

March 2018

From the Channel to the Med

Rowing the canals and rivers of France

Polly and Mat Hilton left their home in Devon, England, rowing and sailing a lapstrake skiff that Mat had built. Fifty-six days and 870 miles later they had crossed France by river and canal and reached the Mediterranean Sea.

March 2018

Ebb

Easy, efficient rowing

WINONA, a pulling boat built for a mountain lake in New York State's Adirondack Mountains, inspired Tom Regan, a boatbuilder living on the tidelands of Washington State, to create a version of his own. We take a look at the Ebb from Grapeview Point Boat Works.

March 2018

Tiki 21

A Wharram catamaran

James Wharram is well known for his catamarans. His Tiki 21, designed in 1981, it took advantage of stitch-and-glue construction and has proved itself in ocean crossings and has remained a popular trailerable gunkholer.

February 2018

Nova Scotian

A Grand Banks dory from Spira Boats

Kevin Power's grandfather was born in Nova Scotia and grew up using locally-built dories. The affection for the Banks-style dories was passed down to Kevin's father and to Kevin, so when he decided to build a boat it was fitting that he ordered plans for Jeff Spira's Nova Scotian.

February 2018

Drascombe Lugger

In production for 50 years

The Drascombe Lugger turned 50 years old last year. John Watkinson designed it for his own use and built the first in plywood. The design caught on and in 1968, Luggers went into production in fiberglass and have since done everything from afternoon outings to ocean crossings.

February 2018

Uncertain Ground

Tide flats and sloughs

When you have a canal boat but no canals, sloughs will have to do. Our editor spent three days cruising the tidal waterways that surround Everett, Washington, and took his chances anchoring at night on falling tides in unfamiliar places.

February 2018

Power Carving

Working wood with an angle grinder

Angle grinders are standard tools for working metal, but they can be equipped with special wheels designed for working wood, and spinning at over 10,000 rpm, they can move wood very quickly.

February 2018

Helinox Chair One

Compact, comfortable seating

We all grow up with chairs and take them for granted until we have to do without. Helinox chairs bring to campsites the comfort and back support we've become accustomed to.

February 2018

Muck Boots

Warm and dry feet

You can buy a pair of rubber boots for $15, and they may keep your feet dry but be far from comfortable. We take a look at two pairs of Muck Boots—one for men and one for women—that will keep feet dry, warm, and happy.

February 2018

Jericho Bay Lobster Skiff LIZZY B

A Jericho Bay Lobster Skiff

Bob Burns was finishing the final year of a career in data management and his forward-thinking wife bought Jericho skiff plans for him for Christmas, expecting the project would keep Bob from growing idle in retirement. When he retired, the boatbuilding project did keep him busy, but not for long. In six months the skiff was ready to launch.

January 2018

A Boat for the Summer

A quick-and-dirty build for a British Columbia cruise

A father and his son took the summer off, built a boat in a month by forgoing the fine finish work, and sailed north with a plan to do little planning, leaving their adventure to chance.

January 2018

Minahouët

A well balanced sail-and-oar dinghy

François Vivier’s Minahouët has two maststeps, so it can be rigged either as a sloop with the mast set in the aft position, or cat-rigged with the mast in the forward position. Either way, the boat is lug-rigged and there’s no need for stays, so rigging is simple and fast.

January 2018

Penobscot 14

An Arch Davis Classic

The Penobscot 14 is a versatile sail, oar, and motor boat designed by Arch Davis in the early ’90s. His goal was to design a boat that was easy to build, had pleasing lines, and offered excellent sailing and rowing performance.

January 2018

Doughnut Fenders

Distinctive and easy to make

The basic principle of most rope fenders is to create a core and then wrap it prettily. The core of the doughnut fender is a coil and the wrap is a type of loop hitching. Using a darker line for the core has the pleasing effect of contrasting with a lighter-colored line on the outside.