Series

October 2019

Grappling Hooks

Salvaging and scavenging

When valuable gear finds its way over the side and sinks, you might have a chance of getting it back if the water’s not too deep. We take a look at two compact grappling hooks to see if they can retrieve sunken trash and treasures.

Small Boats Annual 2021October 2019

Song Wren

A Devlin gaff-rigged cutter

The Song Wren from Devlin Designing Boat Builders is a handsome gaff-rigged cutter with a comfortable cockpit and cabin. For easy trailering it has a tabernacle mast and can be built with a swing keel. The full-keel option opens up space in the cabin.

Small Boats Annual 2021October 2019

Elf

A plywood faering from Iain Oughtred

Traditional Norwegian faerings are elegant boats that require exceptional boatbuilding skills. Iain Oughtred’s Elf captures the form and function beautifully in plywood and makes the ancient type accessible to contemporary amateur builders.

October 2019

Barron Canyon

Canoeing the Algonquin

Phil Boyer and two of his good friends paddled three of Phil’s canoes along the Barron River in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park, and portaged to nearby lakes where they contended with boulders by day and bullfrogs by night.

October 2019

Cleating the Main

Two quick-release options

When you’re sailing solo, you’ll often have one hand on the tiller and the other on the sheet. Ben Fuller has two ways of secure the sheet if the wind is steady and moderate and both can be released quickly if a gust hits.

October 2019

Circular-Saw-Blade Sharpener

Diamonds aren't always a blade's best friend

Carbide-tipped circular saw blades can have a long life, but they do eventually get dull. Sending one out to be sharpened can cost almost as much as a new blade, so we tried an affordable sharpening device with a diamond wheel to do the job at home. Unfortunately, it did more harm than good.

October 2019

A George Putz Walrus

An experimental skin on an old-school frame

Serial boatbuilder Richard Nissen, who already has a lot of ways to get out on his stretch of the River Thames, added another boat to his fleet. With the book, Wood and Canvas Kayak Building, in hand, Richard followed the instructions for the 17’ wooden frame, but struck out on his own when it came to using canvas for the skin.

To the Black Sea – Episode 7

It's all Downhill (River) From Here

It's all Downhill (River) From Here- Watch Now Finn and Teresa continue eastward on the Main-Donau Canal, taking lock aft lock the geographical high point of the voyage. While it was all “downhill” from there to the Danube, their video conveys a grand adventure.

To the Black Sea – Episode 6

Problem Solving

Problem Solving and Moving Against the Current.- Watch Now At Würzberg, Finn and Tereza are joined by Lorenzo, a staffer from their alma mater, the Brockwood Park School. Watch how our adventurers solve a few problems on their way to the city of Bamberg and the entrance to the canal that will carry them to the Danube river.

To the Black Sea – Episode 5

Finally Sailing JILL!

The Wind Picks Up and JILL is Sailing - Watch Now Averaging about 17 miles a day, Finn and Tereza work their way up the Main River and reached Würzberg. They still have many more miles of the Main ahead of them before they reach the first canal along the route to Russia. Our young travelers are getting into their…

To the Black Sea – Episode 4

Summer heat, torrential rain and the excitement of the first week on the water.

Summer heat, torrential rain and the first week on the water. - Watch NowTheir destination, Sochi, Russia, was 1,500 miles away as the jet airliner flies, but Finn and Tereza are in no hurry and determined to travel in a manner that’s kind to the environment. They have been underway for a week now.

To the Black Sea – Episode 3

Driving to Germany, The Adventure Begins

Getting JILL to Germany - Watch NowWith no car, Finn and Tereza have to figure out how to get their boat to Mainz, Germany. With all their supplies (and a guitar) aboard JILL, their goal was to get her in the water and spend their first night under the open sky.

To the Black Sea – Episode 2

Finishing Their Boat, JILL

Finn and Tereza Finish Their Boat - Watch NowJILL, the boat Finn and Tereza have been building for their journey across Europe to Russia, is still not finished. Watch this video to see the challenges finishing JILL and the final stages of the pre-trip preparations.

To the Black Sea – Episode 1

Introducing Finn and Tereza's Adventure

Introduction to Finn and Tereza's Adventure - Watch NowWhile students at Brockwood Park School in Hampshire, UK, Finn Cameron-Turner and Tereza Deminova, both 17, built a 16’ Matinicus double ender. They’ll cross Europe on inland waterways, the last of which, the Danube, will deliver them to the Black Sea.

September 2019

Campion’s Apple 16

Light, fast, and well mannered

The Apple 16 is a stitch-and-glue plywood dayboat designed by Thomas Dunderdale of Campion Sail and Design. It has classic lines, a jaunty plumb bow, and a traditional balanced lug yawl rig, but a flat aft section of the hull allows the boat to get up on a plane.

September 2019

Oughtred’s Auk

An adaptable tender

Iain Oughtred’s Auk is one of several plywood lapstrake dinghies that is well suited to recreational rowing and sailing as well as serving as a tender to a larger vessel. While the shortest version of the Auk is 7’11”, the plans can easily be stretched a foot or more longer.

September 2019

Running on Sunshine

The Trent-Severn Waterway under solar power

Phil Boyer likes exploring the many inland waterways of southern Ontario and can cruise all day without raising a sail, breaking a sweat, or burning fossil fuel. His strip-built launch, SOL CANADA, has an electric motor and a canopy covered with solar cells. We tag along for his 337-mile solo on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

September 2019

Four Practical Tips

We have four new tips on tap: coiling tie-down straps, folding tarps, using IKEA wooden bed slats for a small-boat sleeping platform, and putting a portable thickness planer on wheels to handle long stock in a short shop.

September 2019

Rolling Relief for Boat Trailers

Dual pneumatic jack-stand tires

The small wheel on a trailer’s jack stand may function well enough on smooth pavement, but on sand and soil it will plow when you want it to roll. A pair of wheels with 10” pneumatic tires will make moving a trailer much easier.

September 2019

Dust Deputy Cyclone Separator

Oneida's Dust Deputy

Shop vacuums are useful tools for gathering the wood chips and dust produced by power tools, but cleaning the filters is a messy chore and collection bags can get expensive. The Dust Deputy dumps the debris into a bucket before it even gets to the vacuum.

Small Boats Annual 2020September 2019

The Kingfisher Elective

A class in boatbuilding

Glenn Joyner was ready to retire after a 43-year-long career as an educator, but the school was reluctant to let him go. Glenn floated an idea: “Build me a boatshop on campus and let me teach boatbuilding instead of English.” The school agreed to his terms and now students have an elective in boatbuilding. Glen-L’s Kingfisher 18 is the latest boat to emerge from the shop.

August 2019

Oxford Wherry

Simplicity and speed

The Oxford Wherry from Angus Rowboats is a fast, lightweight cruiser and a sliding-seat rowing trainer. Its stitch-and-glue construction is straightforward enough for a first-time boatbuilder.

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.