Series

January 2019

Missouri Breaks

Under solar power in Montana

Rick Retzlaff, an engineering professor, needed a project to keep him happily and productively occupied during a long Saskatchewan winter, so he devised a solar-powered micro-cruiser. The build and sea trials were a success and he set out for a solo cruise on the Missouri River through the Montana countryside.

January 2019

Boxing a Bigger GPS

A bit bigger, a lot better

A handheld GPS is a valuable tool for the small-boat cruiser, but its small screen can be hard to read. Ben Fuller took a larger GPS that’s meant to be built into a console, combined it with a waterproof box and battery, and made a system that’s nearly as portable as a handheld and much more practical.

January 2019

Trailer Guide Posts

Less drama at the ramp

Trailer guide posts can be your new best friend at the ramp when you’re on your own and struggling to get your boat lined up on the trailer and operate the winch at the same time.

January 2019

A 1″ x 30″ belt sander

Just 20 seconds to change belts

A 1”x 30” belt sander is a small benchtop machine that can not only handle woodworking projects too small for other power tools, but also work metal from rough shaping to polishing.

January 2019

A Boat of His Own

A square-stern wood-and-canvas canoe

Jon Wiegand built canoes for his kids and a kayak for his wife before he gave much thought to a boat for himself. With the three strip-building projects to his credit, he decided to raise the stakes and build a wood-and-canvas canoe and the form the traditional construction requires.

Small Boats Annual 2020December 2018

St. Ives Punt

Local boat, wide appeal

The tenders serving the fishing fleet of St. Ives, on the north coast of Cornwall, had a rough life. When the seas were breaking in the harbor, the tenders at anchor would get battered by breaking waves at the water’s edge with each turn of the tide. Jonny Nance designed his St. Ives sailing punt to be stout enough to survive.

Small Boats Annual 2020December 2018

Stickleback Canoe

An Oughtred canoe

If it’s true that smaller boats get used more frequently, Iain Oughtred’s wee Stickleback will rarely sit idle for long. It’s a featherweight canoe that’s easy to carry and well suited to backwaters few other boats can explore.

December 2018

River People

A Shantyboat on the Sacramento River

Wes Modes spent two years building a shantyboat using salvaged materials and in 2014 he began voyaging America’s rivers. He takes us along on his voyage down California’s Sacramento River.

December 2018

Shop-Made Riveting Hammers

The right tool for the job

If sanding is the most tedious boatbuilding task, peening rivets has to be a close second. A hammer made for the job is easier on the wrist and less prone to buckling the rivets.

December 2018

A MacIntosh Canvas Boat

Built by 4th and 5th graders

Brookwood School, serving kids from Pre-K to the 8th grade, decided that building a boat would be a good fit for their “project-based learning” approach to education, so they put fourth- and fifth-grade students to work on a wood-and-canvas tender designed by Ned MacIntosh.

December 2018

V-DrillGuide

Accurate alignment for hand drills

When you can’t get the work to a drill press, the V-DrillGuide from Big Gator Tools makes it easy to drill holes centered and squared.

December 2018

A Cordless Wet/Dry Vac

Portability from Porter Cable

Porter Cable’s compact cordless vacuum cleaner goes wherever there’s a mess to clean up whether it’s wet or dry, in the shop or in the boat.

Small Boats Annual 2020November 2018

Rushton 109

A lapstrake pulling boat

The Rushton pulling boat, model 109, is a double-ender with nearly plumb stems, a lapstrake hull, and sweeping sheer. It has the good looks of an old-fashioned guideboat and rows easily whether going solo or bringing a passenger along for company.

Small Boats Annual 2020November 2018

Swallow

A Wolstenholme gunter-rigged dayboat

Andrew Wolstenholme's Swallow is a timeless design that offers an ideal compromise of lightness, speed, and roominess. It is very responsive under sail and light on the helm. The hull offers a good turn of speed, reassuring stability, and a dry ride in choppy conditions.

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November 2018

Sea Trial Part II

A neophyte on the Inside Passage, Part 2

In this final installment, Chris Cunningham continues on his way north along the Inside Passage of the British Columbia coast. As August draws to a close, the channels get longer, the anchorages farther apart, the rains more frequent, and the winds stronger.

November 2018

Padook

Paddle + Boat hook

Two things come in handy when you’re shoving off or docking: a paddle and a boat hook. A

November 2018

Jetboil Flash

Cooking aboard, quicker and safer

Jetboil’s Flash Cooking System is pot, stove, and fuel all in one tidy and easily stowed package. It is very quick to boil water and simmers gently enough to make cooked meals without scorching. The pot has a neoprene insulating sleeve to retain heat and a webbing handle so you don’t need a pot gripper.

November 2018

P.O.S.H. Rope

Easy on the eyes and hands

For a boat with bright-finished wood and bronze hardware, bright white braided line can look out of place. Langman Ropes’ P.O.S.H cordage has the aesthetics of traditional hemp and the strength of modern synthetics.

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November 2018

ODYSSEY

A Marblehead gunning dory

When Harvey Hamel of Kingston, Washington, decided to build a Marblehead gunning dory, he searched for months for good boatbuilding lumber at a good price. A Craigslist ad led him to white oak and clear, old-growth vertical-grain Douglas-fir that had been sitting in a warehouse for 15 years.

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October 2018

Sea Trial Part I

A neophyte on the Inside Passage, Part 1

In boatbuilding, according to Pete Culler, “the experience starts coming the minute you begin, and not one jot before.” Christopher Cunningham found that was indeed the case when he built his first wooden boat, and when he set out in that boat heading north along the Inside Passage, experience kept coming, suddenly and frequently.

Small Boats Annual 2020October 2018

Ruth Wherry

Quick to build, fast to row

It’s hard to beat skin-on-frame construction for light weight and ease of construction. Dave Gentry’s Ruth is well suited for rowers eager to get on the water with an easily driven wherry.

Small Boats Annual 2020October 2018

Winter Wren II

A pocket yacht for two

The great joy of the Winter Wren II, Sam Devlin’s trailerable mini cruiser, is its responsiveness. Every nuance of change in air or water conditions translates into some sensation transmitted directly through the tiller, sail controls, or seat of pants.

October 2018

DIY Bronze Blocks

Bronze cheeks and ball-bearing sheaves

If you take pride in making your own boat or would like reduce the expense of outfitting it for sailing, you can make your own traditional-looking bronze blocks with ball-bearing sheaves. You probably already have all the tools you’ll need.

October 2018

Cruz Camera

from Hyndsight Vision Systems

Rowing has, at long last, gone digital and wireless. Hyndsight makes a waterproof cameras and monitors that provide a clear view over the bow, so you don’t have to swivel your head like an owl. And the Cruz system goes one better than having eyes in the back of your head; it works for those trailering tasks when you need to be in two places at once.

October 2018

AR-Tech LED Flashlight + Lantern

Five functions and it floats

The Life Gear Flashlight + Lantern was design with boating in mind. It floats, turns on automatically when immersed, has a 100-lumen flashlight beam, and an all-around area light in white for general use and in red for preserving night vision.