February 2020

Colonial’s Marlinspike Knife

United States Navy issue

The U.S. Navy introduced the Marlinspike Knife in the First World War and it has been used by sailors ever since then. Its stainless-steel sheepsfoot blade and locking marlinspike are as useful now as they were a century ago.

Small Boats Annual 2021February 2020

Jackery Explorer 160

A portable power station

Electronic devices have become essential tools for our daily life and when our boats break us free from the grid, it’s handy to have a portable power station to recharge them. The Jackery 160 is a compact unit with lithium-ion batteries, several charging ports, and a built-in flashlight.

Small Boats Annual 2021February 2020

FALCONE de PALÙ

A Dias Harrier, Venetian style

When Antonio Dias designed his 17’ camp-cruisier, the Harrier, he had accommodations for rowing in mind, but almost certainly didn’t expect that one builder, Detlef Arthur Dueker, would rig his Harrier for

January 2020

Across an Ocean

Rowing the Atlantic

After Christophe Papillon served as a paratrooper, he retired from the military and needed to find other ways to slake his thirst for adventure. He had done a bit of kayaking and some freshwater sailing, so the challenge he set for himself was a daunting one: rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Small Boats Annual 2021January 2020

Jimmy Skiff II

Redesign adds outboard to sail and oar

Chesapeake Light Craft’s Jimmy Skiff has been popular for two decades, but the design’s success didn’t mean it couldn’t benefit from a thorough makeover. The latest version, the Jimmy Skiff II, has flotation-tank side benches and a transom that can take a small outboard.

To the Black Sea – Episode 16

Reflecting on their adventure

In this final video of their series, Finn and Teresa are at their journey’s end: Constanta, a Romanian port on the west coast of the Black Sea. With their boat...

January 2020

Yankee Tender

Classic construction

For the traditional-minded boatbuilder, the Yankee Tender, with its origins dating back a century, is an exercise in classic boatbuilding methods and produces a versatile small rowing skiff.

January 2020

Making a Slicker Trailer

HDPE for less friction

Carpet is a common surface treatment for trailer bunks, meant to protect the boat and ease loading and unloading, but it gathers abrasive grit and creates friction. Replace it with high-density polyethylene and using the launch ramp is no longer such a drag.

January 2020

Gaffer Tape

A duct-tape rival

Duct tape finds its way into almost every boater’s and camper’s repair kit but there are some jobs that are better left to gaffer tape, with its tidier adhesive and soft-cloth feel.

January 2020

Vintage 3-Strand from New England Ropes

Modern material, traditional look

In boats with a traditional vibe, multi-colored braided cordage looks out of place. Vintage 3-Strand from New England Ropes has not only the right look but also a soft feel and good flexibility and strength.

January 2020

LA BELLE OIE

A mesmerizing melonseed

Noah Seixas’ skiff may be small, but it’s much too pretty to escape notice. The 16’ Barto melonseed built by this University of Washington professor is a standout in a city with a wealth of beautiful boats.

To the Black Sea – Episode 15

A beautiful day on the Black Sea.

A Beautiful Day on the Black Sea: - Watch Now The final week on the Danube brought Finn and Teresa to a short-cut to the Black Sea. Small boats aren’t allowed on the 40-mile-long canal, so they hitched a ride aboard a cargo-carrying motor barge. Join them for their last miles as they relaunch JILL at the end of the…

December 2019

Quick Whippings

Admiralty and West Country

You don’t need a needle and sewing palm to apply secure whippings to the ends of your boat’s lines. The Admiralty whipping dresses up laid line and the West Country whipping holds braided line together.

To the Black Sea – Episode 14

Ukrainian Merchantman Comes to the Rescue

Ukrainian Merchantman Comes to the Rescue: - Watch Now Joined by a schoolmate for the lower Danube River through Bulgaria and Romania, Finn and Tereza, draw near the Black Sea. One last barrier stands in their way-a canal that doesn’t welcome small boats. Watch as a Ukrainian merchantman comes to the rescue.

To the Black Sea – Episode 13

Towed Alongside a Barge Doing 7 Knots

Towed Alongside a Barge Doing 7 Knots: - Watch Now Still descending the Danube, Finn and Tereza found the going slow on a stretch of the river between Serbia and Romania. Rather than struggle for meager miles against a headwind, they did what any resourceful wayfarer would do: stick out a thumb and hitch a ride.

Small Boats Annual 2021December 2019

Wolfgangsee skiff

A century-old Austrian design revived

A lapstrake rowing skiff that has been in a friend’s family in Austria for generations inspired a young boatbuilder to document it and build a new one at an English boatbuilding school. Rowed solo, tandem, with or without a passenger, the skiff has an enduring appeal.

December 2019

Autumn Leaves

A canoe-yawl pocket cruiser

Chesapeake Light Craft’s designer, John Harris, set out to create a coastal cruiser in the spirit of designs by Phil Bolger and Albert Strange. The straight-sided hull simplifies and speeds construction; deftly curved lines give it eye appeal.

December 2019

Southing in the Inside Passage

A sail-and-oar voyage

Bruce Bateau took the summer off, launched his boat near the north end of Vancouver Island, and headed south to a haul-out 350 miles away, with only two sails and two oars to get him there.

Small Boats Annual 2021December 2019

Grayl’s Geopress Water-Treatment System

Water treatment made simple

Most wilderness water filters require a lot of pieces: one container for dirty water, another for clean water, a pump, a filter, and hoses to connect everything. Grayl turned the containers for dirty water and clean water into a pump for an ingenious and compact system.

December 2019

MaxxHaul Trailer Dolly

Rolling a trailer with ease

The caster on a trailer jack provides some mobility for a trailer when it’s off the vehicle’s hitch, but it can be a nuisance on gravel or grass. This trailer dolly with a pair of 12” tires isn’t so easily mired.

December 2019

FESTINA LENTE

A wherry to “Make Haste Slowly”

After Frank Ward retired, he enrolled in classes to learn how to build boats and how to row. When he decided to build a boat to row with his wife, he was drawn to the Annapolis wherry, but preferred cedar-strip construction to a stitch-and-glue plywood kit. The designer was willing and able to accommodate him.

To the Black Sea – Episode 12

Through the Iron Gates

Tacking Downstream Through the Iron Gates: - Watch Now Finn and Tereza enter the Iron Gates where the Danube passes between ranges in Serbia and Romania. Funneling between the steep slopes, the wind is often on the nose. Watch as they tack downstream under a reefed sail.

Small Boats Annual 2021November 2019

Glen-L Bo-Jest

An accommodating 18-footer

Glen-L’s power pocket cruiser, the Bo-Jest, manages to pack comfortable and roomy accommodations into its 18’ x 8’ footprint. There’s standing headroom in the wheelhouse, a 7’-long V-berth in the trunk cabin, and seating for four in the cockpit.

November 2019

CLC’s Team Dory

For friends and friendly competition

The Team Dory from Chesapeake Light Craft offers clubs an affordable way to get crews of five rowing enthusiasts on the water in safety and in style. The ample freeboard and buoyant hull can take on a bit of rough water and still keep the crew dry.

November 2019

A Fringe of the Wild

Wisconsin's Turtle-Flambeau Flowage

After an unexpectedly dreary summer, Tom Pamperin drove off with his boat in tow and no clear destination in mind except “away.” He found the restorative “away” he was seeking in the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage of Wisconsin’s north woods.