Series

January 2018

Mantus Headlamp

Submersible, rechargeable, durable

The Mantus Headlamp is built around a rugged, watertight aluminum-alloy case that houses a rechargeable and replaceable battery. The LED light mounted in the middle of the housing has a high output of 770 lumens, a low output of 150 lumens, an SOS signal, and a red light for preserving night vision.

January 2018

Sleeveless Sanding Drums

Ordinary sandpaper, softer contours

Sleeveless sanding drums are built around a cylinder padded with a layer of 1/8” neoprene and hold strips of common sandpaper. The sheet sandpaper isn’t as durable as sanding sleeves and requires a lighter touch, but the flexibility of the paper and the cushioning behind it allow the sandpaper to mold to the contours of the workpiece and round edges without making unsightly, unwanted facets.

January 2018

ATNA

An Adirondack Guideboat

Gary Strombo of Everett, Washington, told his friend John Leyde that he wanted to build a boat. As often happens, the moment you speak of your wishes to someone else, the momentum to carry them out begins to build.

December 2017

Eel

A William Garden canoe yawl

The Eel is an 18’ 6” canoe yawl designed by William Garden as a slightly shorter and much lighter version of the original Eel designed by George Holmes in 1895. Holmes was one of the pioneers of the canoe yawls that became popular in England at the end of the 1800s, when recreational boating was then in its early stages.

December 2017

Pooduck Skiff

An able dinghy by Joel White

The Pooduck skiff provides a good feel for traditional boatbuilding. After it leaves the shop, it is easily trailered, well suited for rowing, and gorgeous under sail. It carries a lug-rigged mainsail that can be sailed with or without a jib. A cleverly designed mast partner allows the mast to be angled forward or backward to keep the rig balanced whether raising the main alone or the main and jib.

December 2017

Wolf Rock Light

Eight miles out to sea in a dinghy

Will Stirling set a goal for himself to sail around every one of Britain’s 50-plus offshore lighthouses. Nic Compton joined him for an 8-mile passage from Land’s End to the Wolf Rock Light. They sailed a 15’ dinghy, anchored near the wave-washed rock, and swam to the lighthouse in dry suits.

December 2017

Sliding-Seat Conversion

A longer stroke without outriggers

Sliding seats are commonly associated with outriggers and long oars, but Ben Fuller found he could rig some of his boats with a sliding seat and add power to his rowing without changing oars or gunwale-mounted oarlocks.

December 2017

GoBag

A self-closing bag with a magnetic seal

Smart phones are as valuable afloat as they are ashore, but require reliable protection from the water. We take a look at two unusual waterproof cases. The GoBag is a transparent case with a magnetic closure that assures a tight seal every time.

December 2017

Ugo

A different kind of waterproof phone case

The Ugo holds a phone behind a window and keeps other essentials in partitioned space behind it. A waterproof zipper provides easy access when open, a reliable seal when closed.

December 2017

KRAKEN and THE G.O.A.T.

Harbor Master Skiffs

The Independence Seaport Museum is not only preserving artifacts of the past, but is also keeping traditional skills alive by passing them along to the youth of Philadelphia. This year the Workshop on the Water, the museum’s working boatshop, brought groups of high-school students together to build a pair of flat-bottomed skiffs.

November 2017

19′ Bartender

A seaworthy outboard

The Bartender was designed by George Calkins during the 1950s to negotiate the river bars along the Oregon coast and the outboard-powered double ender quickly earned a reputation as a capable rough-water hull. We take a look at the 19-footer, the smallest in the series of six sizes and configurations.

November 2017

Noank

A sliding-seat pulling boat

While Nick Schade of Guillemot Kayaks has been building boats since 1993, the strip-built Noank is his first boat with a sliding seat. With watertight compartments in each end and generous freeboard, it is designed for light and fast camp-cruising and recreational rowing in exposed and choppy water.

November 2017

Back Door to Georgian Bay

A Sail and Oar Journey

Tom Pamperin takes us aboard his newly-built Kurylko-designed Alaska for a shakedown cruise among the islands clustered between Ontario’s North Channel and Georgian Bay. Both the boat and the landscape lived up to his expectations.

November 2017

A Downdraft Table

Taking care of dust without taking up space

Along with boatbuilding comes a lot of sanding, and with sanding comes a lot of dust. A do-it-yourself downdraft table built into a table saw can help clear the air without adding to the clutter of machinery.

November 2017

StopLossBags

Eliminating air, preventing waste

When the varnish or paint in a half-full can skins over, you waste time and money. Transferring these expensive products to StopLossBags solves the problem by eliminating the air space that leads to premature curing.

November 2017

Moor n Stow

A compact collapsible fender

Fenders are quite necessary when any boat is tied at a dock, but in a small boat they take up valuable space while underway. Cabela's came up with a self-inflating fender that be rolled up into a compact package that takes up only a fraction of the space.

November 2017

HARMONY

A peapod tender

HARMONY, based on a sailing peapod built in the 1880s for the northern Maine coast and adapted for strip-built construction, is the tender and a fitting accompaniment to INTEGRITY, a 32’ double-ended Eastport Pinky.

October 2017

15′ Sailing Dinghy

An evolution in design

The 15’ Sailing Dinghy from Stirling & Son is the biggest boat in their range of lapstrake dinghies and the only one equipped with a deck to adapt it for coastal voyaging and adventure sailing.

October 2017

Glen-L Zip

A twin-cockpit runabout

Glen-L’s Zip was designed in 1954 and can be built from fir plywood and painted as a utilitarian boat or dressed up with varnished mahogany to give it the look of a classic runabout.

October 2017

A Faering for New Zealand

The Craft of Ulf Mikalsen

Two New Zealand filmmakers travelled to Norway and made a short movie about Ulf Mikalsen, a builder of traditional Norwegian boats. Three years later they brought Mikalsen to New Zealand to build a faering for their coastal community.

October 2017

Vacuum-Bagging

Working under pressure

Vacuum bagging puts the weight of the atmosphere to work to press broad panels together for gluing and sqeeze irregular shapes to make strong, lightweight composite pieces that would be difficult to achieve in wood.

October 2017

Mud Pattens

Firmer footing on soft ground

If there are mud flats lining your cruising grounds, a pair of mud pattens will allow you to walk around without sinking in over your boot tops. They’re easy to make and require just a few bits of wood, a handful of screws, and some rope.

October 2017

Rivet Spacing Tool

Quick, accurate divisions

Do-it-yourselfers who build airplanes are necessarily fussy about their work. When it comes to marking an even spacing for rivets, they use a rivet fan spacer. It’s a tool boatbuilders will also find quite handy.

October 2017

SYNCHRONY

A customized Tread Lightly

John Welsford’s Scamp has created quite a following and his Tread Lightly is often overlooked. It’s 13” longer and has a mizzen and a cabin with enough room to sit and sleep comfortably. Reader Steve Judson made a few modifications to his homebuilt Tread Lightly to best suit the sailing he had in mind.

September 2017

Milford 20

A New Zealand Sharpie

The Milford 20 design appeals as a very elegant, classic craft for home building, and gives a great sailing experience for both experienced and inexperienced sailors. It also would be a suitable craft for a couple or family of four; a delight to sail and appealing to those who want a safe boat for leisure and pleasure.