Series

Small Boats Annual 2021August 2019

Super Sailfish

A wild and wet ride

The Alcort company in Waterbury, Connecticut, designed the 11’7” Sailfish in 1947. The boat gained popularity after an article in LIFE magazine in 1949 and inspired the creation of a big sister, the Super Sailfish.

August 2019

An Uphill Battle

Northern Forest Canoe Trail, the wrong way

In 2013, Peter Macfarlane paddled the 750 miles of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail from west to east, taking advantage of the net 1,300’ drop in elevation. Five years later, he paddled the trail again, but from east to west, the hard way. We tag along for the long uphill journey.

August 2019

Anchors Astray

Unsticking stuck anchors

Anchors are meant to dig into the bottom and hold tight until it’s time to get under way, but they’ll occasionally hook something and won’t let go no matter how hard you pull. Fortunately, you can rig your anchor so you can get it back.

August 2019

Pedal and Paddle Switches

Safer switches for workshop tools

Bandsaws and table saws demand our full attention, so they should be easy to turn off. Alternative switches allow us to keep our eyes on the blades.

August 2019

Image-Stabilized Binoculars

The Canon IS II 10x30

The usefulness and pleasures of binoculars are often lost because it’s nearly impossible to hold them still. We take a look at an offering from Canon that’s equipped with image stabilization.

August 2019

WEE BONNIE

Variations on a classic

Phil Boyer has built four modified Wee Lassie canoes: one in cedar strips, one with a foam hull, and two skin-on-frame, and all named WEE BONNIE after his late sister.

Small Boats Annual 2021July 2019

Shenandoah Whitehall

Light enough to carry solo

Gentry’s Shenandoah Whitehall is a modern boat with traditional lines that’s large enough to take an adult and a kid camping, relatively seaworthy, efficient under oars, and light enough to toss on the roof of the car. For a few hundred dollars and a few dozen hours, it can provide a novice with both a manageable entry into boatbuilding and rowing adventures.

Small Boats Annual 2020July 2019

O’Day Day Sailer

A proven performer for 61 years

Famed designers Uffa Fox and George O’Day teamed up in 1956 to create the O’Day Day Sailer. The first Day Sailer was sold in 1958 and immediately became popular in the recreational and racing markets, with over 10,000 boats hitting the waterways. It is a very versatile boat, easy to rig, sail, transport, and store.

July 2019

Dallying Downeast

Meandering the Maine coast by sea kayak

Michael and Rebecca Daugherty wanted to kayak the Maine coast and take their time doing it. They closed their business, sold their house, and meandered the length of the coast from Portland to the Canadian border—twice. They covered 600 miles before the end of summer nudged them ashore.

July 2019

A Cartop Water Tank

Rinsing at the ramp

When you get back to the launch ramp after an outing, a quick fresh-water rinse of your boat and trailer, and even a warm shower, are possible if you make a pressurized, plastic-pipe water tank for your vehicle’s roof rack. Leave the salt and sand at the beach.

July 2019

DeWalt’s Benchtop Planer

DeWalt's DW734

DeWalt’s DW734 bench-top planer can handle lumber up to 12” wide and 6” thick. Its three-blade cutter head spins at 10,000 rpm, making 96 cuts per inch. With powerful feed rollers, it can cut up to 1/8” in a single pass.

July 2019

Quickloader Retractable Ratchet Straps

A better ratchet strap

Quickloader’s retractable ratchet straps are thoughtfully engineered and simple to use. The QL15 model has a reach of 12’ and neatly coils its 1” polyester webbing around a spring-loaded drum. The strap feeds out and retracts like a tape measure so there’s never any slack to get knotted, tangled, or twisted.

July 2019

DREAM WEAVER

College credit

Two industrial design students at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, furthered their education by designing and building a kayak. Their strip-built kayak is as much an artistic expression as a seaworthy vessel.

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Small Boats Annual 2020June 2019

Ed Monk Skiff

A working tender from 1943

Edwin Monk, a Seattle-based naval architect renowned for designing handsome motor-yachts for cruising, applied his talents to a number of handy small boats. His 13’6” flat-bottom skiff, drawn in 1943, is a no-nonsense workboat for oars and outboard.

June 2019

Salt Bay Skiff

Easy to build, impressively functional

Described by its designer as “a quick-and-dirty boat in swan’s clothing,” Chris Franklin’s Salt Bay Skiff is well suited to first-time boatbuilders and families looking to introduce kids to building, sailing, and rowing a small boat.

June 2019

Lessons from Penobscot Bay

In pursuit of thrills

Arch Davis, the New Zealand-born, Maine-based designer of small boats, set out in a brisk northwesterly wind, hoping for an exciting sail on Penobscot Bay. He got more than he bargained for and the memories and the lessons from that day have stayed with him for 30 years.

June 2019

Maintaining Trailer Bearings

Greasing the wheel before it squeaks

Trailer bearings have a difficult job to do. The weight of the trailer, the boat, and everything in it bears on handful of steel rollers and races that have to endure dunkings at the ramp and high speeds on the road. We take a look at bearing care and replacement.

June 2019

16” Wandel Bandsaw

An economical DIY project

Matthias Wandel, a Canadian engineer, woodworker, and YouTuber makes many of his shop tools out of wood and offers remarkably detailed plans for his creations. His 16” bandsaw is a rewarding project for frugal do-it-yourselfers.

June 2019

WS-3000 Tool Sharpener

Turning sharpening upside down

Work Sharp’s WS-3000 tool sharpener uses see-through sanding disks, tempered-glass wheels, and an air-cooled guide to make quick, accurate work of sharpening chisels, plane irons, and other edge tools.

June 2019

WEE LASSIE SURVIVOR

A memory to hang on to

As a teenager, James Shamis worked for a boatwright who happened to have an old Wee Lassie canoe, and the joy of paddling that diminutive vessel stuck with him for decades. The memories even helped him pull through a bout with cancer. Two days after his last treatment, he started building Gentry’s skin-on-frame version of that classic.

May 2019

Chester Yawl

A shapely pulling boat

The Chester Yawl from Chesapeake Light Craft is a 15’ Whitehall-type pulling boat with beautiful lines and a complexity in the building of it that is just enough to feel like an accomplishment without being daunting.

May 2019

Moccasin 14

A tripping canoe from B & B

Simply sweet and sweetly simple, the Moccasin 14 from B & B Yachts is a solo canoe for a double-bladed paddle. It is quick to build, easy to cartop, and a breeze to paddle.

May 2019

Zaire, 1986

The Sankuru and Kasai Rivers by pirogue

In 1986, when the country once known as Zaire was under the rule of a dictator, Tom DeVries, his college roommate, and a Peace Corp volunteer rendezvoused in Central Africa country to paddle down serpentine Zairean rivers in a hand-carved dugout pirogue.

May 2019

Compact Routers

Better visibility, easier handling

A lot of the jobs a router can do don’t require a lot of heft and horsepower. A compact router that is easily managed with one hand will quickly prove its usefulness in the boat shop.

May 2019

Versa Vise

Making itself useful since 1901

A bench vise is an essential tool and the Versa Vise, with its smooth-faced jaws and ability to pivot in four different ways, can handle wood, brass, and bronze without damaging them.