To the Black Sea

September 2016

Building on Tradition

An American geitbåt

Jay Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and English but realized the life of a man of letters was not his calling. He left North Dakota and moved to Norway, the land of his ancestors, and apprenticed himself to a master boatbuilder.

Lowering the centerboard and "tacking" can make rowing to weather easier than fighting the wind head on.

September 2016

Tacking for Rowing

An unusual use for a centerboard

Ready about? Centerboards and tacking aren’t just for sailing. If you’re rowing against a strong wind, dropping the board and taking a ziz-zag course may be easier than fighting your way straight upwind.

September 2016

IceMule Cooler

A dry bag that keeps its cool

We take a look at an insulated dry bag that can serve as a cooler, padded dry storage, and flotation.

The Mantus anchor has a sharp tip to cut through seaweed.

September 2016

Mantus Dinghy Anchor

Digs deep, stows flat

The dinghy anchor from Mantus digs deep and fast and comes in a stainless-steel version that can be disassembled for compact storage.

Nate was used to sailing a sloop and found that the trimming of the sails on the schooner had more impact on steering than speed.

September 2016

BOB

A Boat on a Budget

Nate Morrison’s Shell Schooner 18, christened BOB for Boat On a Budget, proves that limited skills, limited tools, and unlimited dreams can get you afloat even where water is scarce.

Dyneema rope, with spliced in stainless-steel thimbles and simple lashings, makes strong, do-it-yourself standing rigging.

August 2016

Synthetic Fiber Rigging

Stronger than steel

If your boat has standing rigging, stainless-steel wire and the special tools it requires aren’t your only option. John Marples introduces us to high-strength Dyneema rope. It’s every bit as strong as steel and you can install all the fittings by yourself.

Dave made paddles for the canoe and decorated them with the same insignia he put on the canoe. He and his friend Andy Look won the wooden canoe division of the 13.5-mile Abe's RIver Race on the Sangamon River in Illinois

August 2016

Hope and Memories

A canoe to live for

An Illinois man given a second chance at life decided to recreate some of the best times of his youth by building a canoe. Working side-by-side with his 82-year-old father, he created a vessel for the future he almost lost.

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The Small Hatchet is small enough to be tucked into a pants pocket.

August 2016

Gränsfors Hatchets

Hand-forged Swedish steel

Hand-made Gränsfors Bruk hatchets are a pleasure to use and uncommonly beautiful.

August 2016

Sounding Off

Signal horns for small boats

We take a look at five horns that you can use to make yourself heard.

After steam bending and scarf-jointing a full length chine log, Andy and I finished the precise compound angle end-cuts to fit it tightly into the hull.

August 2016

Dories Down Under

From the Grand Canyon to the Whanganui River

When a New Zealand guide wanted to offer his clients better boats for rowing the revered Whanganui River, he had two American boatbuilders set up shop in a sheep shed and build a pair of Grand Canyon dories.

Devlin writes that “duckboats are overloaded most of their lives, are used in inclement weather most of the time, are run in waters too shallow most of the time, and encounter sea conditions that would turn a normal boats hair white. They also have to maneuver well in tight conditions and have passengers constantly boarding and exiting the boat with lots of weight and gear.”

August 2016

Honker

Eminently adaptable

Sam Devlin’s Honker can be pressed into service as an open boat for fishing, a floating blind for waterfowling, or a cold-weather coastal cruiser with a removable pilothouse and cabin.

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The plans call for a motor mount on the boomkin, at nearly right angles to the normal orientation. Most builders use a conventional bracket fastened to the transom.

August 2016

Navigator

A beach-cruising centerboard yawl

The Navigator started out as a sailing club’s racing trainer, but it became John Welsford's most popular design after he turned it into a long-range cruising dinghy.

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The Candlefish has comfortable seating for the family and plenty of freeboard.

July 2016

LADY LOUISE

A Candlefish 13

Small Boats Monthly reader Scott Rowley read about the Candlefish outboard skiff in our April 2015 issue and decided it not only would be a good tender for his sailboat, but also better suited than his car for taking his family of four, not to mention the dachshund, out to dinner and visiting friends near his South Puget Sound peninsula home.

The water-cooled stone makes quick work of sharpening tools without affecting their temper.

July 2016

Makita Blade Sharpener

Quick, sharp edges

Sharp edge tools can save you a lot of time when you’re working with wood, but sharpening your blades by hand can nibble away at those savings. The Makita wet-wheel sharpening tool can give you razor-sharp edges in a fraction of the time.

The SynMat Mega is inflated by means of a bag called a Schnozzel Pumpbag. It takes about 90 seconds and three fillings of the Schnozzel to bring the SynMat Mega up to a firm pressure

July 2016

Exped Mats

Uncommon comfort

Getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to get your day off to a good start. Two sleeping mats by Exped that are as good as any mattress at home.

I used the Siwash system frequently with my Gokstad faering on a second cruise up the Inside Passage. The anchor is ready to drop over the side with the retrieval line secured to the stock and the chain, rode, and painter joined to the shank.

July 2016

Tsimshian anchoring

Dropping the anchor while standing ashore

When you come ashore for a quick stop or for an overnight stay, Tsimshian anchoring is a simple way to keep your boat afloat and off the beach.

July 2016

The Race to Alaska

High Hopes, Dogged Determination

In a race as long and as arduous as the 2015 R2AK, coming in last can be counted as a victory. The weather took a heavy toll on the race fleet—many of the boats withdrew and a few needed to be rescued.

The boom and the foot of the jib are both set high, providing a clear view forward and eliminating the need to tell passengers to duck when coming about.

July 2016

Glen-L 15

Building experience

When Kelsey Johnson decided he wanted a boat for exploring the lakes near his British Columbia home, he had never sailed a boat, let alone built one. The Glen L-15 turned out to be the perfect introduction for both boatbuilding and sailing.

Rollin has a long history of sharing his designs and hires young builders so he can pass along his knowledge. He has licensed his Atkinson Traveler design to a handful of other builders, among them Jeanne Bourquin in Ely, Minnesota. She has been building the Atkinson Traveler since the 1990s and believes the Traveler is “as close to perfect as possible.”

Small Boats Annual 2017July 2016

Atkinson Traveler

The pinnacle of wilderness canoes

The Atkinson Traveler is Rollin Thurlow’s favorite canoe, and that’s saying something because Rollin has been building canoes in Maine for 38 years. We’ll take a look at what makes this wood-and-canvas canoe stand out among all the others he has built.

June 2016

ELLANDELL

After his kids were grown, Elliot Arons had plenty of free time but spent a lot of it planted in front of the TV. A dream of building a sailboat and a Penobscot 17 kit from Arch Davis got him off the couch.

June 2016

Pocket Puller

Safe, easy hauling of pots and anchors

The Thomas Pocket Puller can help you haul crabpots and anchors aboard without dragging a line over the rail and wearing through your boat's finish.

The Pro Model is recommended by NewGrip for rowing: the wrist strap is said to relieve the strain that causes sore wrists and carpal tunnel syndrome. The wrist strap is made of cotton webbing for better comfort against the skin.

June 2016

NewGrips

Cool comfort

Rowing is hard on the hands and most gloves only exacerbate the problem. NewGrips aren’t anything like gloves, and that’s why they work to prevent blisters.

Small Boats Annual 2017June 2016

Hvalsoe 18

A new design for solo cruising

Seattle boatbuilder Eric Hvasloe was asked to draw up a boat for cruising the Inside Passage under sail and oars. We put his latest design, the Hvalsoe 18, through its paces.

Small Boats Annual 2017June 2016

Squirt

A Glen-L runabout

The 11’ Squirt runabout was the biggest boat Art Atkinson could build in his basement, but it didn’t come up short on the performance it delivered. He gives us a good look at this offering from Glen-L.

Stout ski poles offer a way to move upstream in the shallows while kneeling rather than standing in a canoe.

June 2016

Double Poling

A different take on a traditional technique

Poling a canoe is a skill that requires good balance and lots of practice. Peter Macfarlane took a hint from cross-country skiers and applied double-poling to working a canoe upstream in shallow water.

Series

Building on Tradition

Tacking for Rowing

IceMule Cooler

Mantus Dinghy Anchor

BOB

Synthetic Fiber Rigging

Hope and Memories

Gränsfors Hatchets

Sounding Off

Dories Down Under

Honker

Navigator

LADY LOUISE

Makita Blade Sharpener

Exped Mats

Tsimshian anchoring

The Race to Alaska

Glen-L 15

Atkinson Traveler

ELLANDELL

Pocket Puller

NewGrips

Hvalsoe 18

Squirt

Double Poling

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