To the Black Sea

Small Boats Annual 2014

The Sid Skiff

A boat to take personally

The classic transom-sterned skiff that became known as the Sid Skiff, here with cobuilder Zach Simonson-Bond at the oars, first came to Ray Speck’s attention while he was living on a houseboat in Sausalito, California. The boat is as much as joy to look at as it is to row.

Small Boats Annual 2014

The McIntosh Canvas Boat

An unusual and useful double-ended tender

Canvas sheathing over a wooden framework makes Ned McIntosh’s 9’ dinghy extraordinarily light, at only 35 lbs, yet it remains a versatile tender that is easy and quick to build.

3

July 2023

Seavolt LED Tail Lights

Trailer guidepost lights for improved visibility

The tail lights on small trailers are often obscured by the boat being carried. These LED lights solve the problem and fit most standard trailer posts.

12

July 2023

Sharing a Sense of Freedom

Building canoes to give away

John Lloyd was introduced to canoeing 65 years ago and his love of paddling has grown to the point that he is driven to build canoes to kindle that love in others.

8

July 2023

Cygnet 20

A trailer-sailer ideal for gunkholing

Designed and built in New South Wales, Australia, this versatile cruiser blends modern construction with traditional influences.

8

July 2023

Petrel Play SG

A kit-built kayak with range and versatility

The Petrel Play SG suits a wide range of paddling skills, can be used in calm waters and surf alike, and has sufficient cargo space for multi-day trips.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Thistle

A pedal boat with a fin drive

Harry Bryan’s 12’ Thistle is powered by a large rudder shaped like a fish’s tail and driven by foot pedals. With steady pedaling you can keep pace with about any rowboat of the same length.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Spindrift 12

A performance yacht tender

The Spindrift series of dinghies from B&B Yacht Designs promises a range of capable yacht tenders that offer plenty of sailing excitement. Here we see a 12’ model built by Meredithe Stuart-Smith of Castine, Maine.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Making a Boat a Home, Part 2

Four more small boat tents

In Southeast Alaska, rocky beaches, insects, and a large resident bear population often make tent-camping on the beach an unappealing option,” James Danner writes from Juneau. “Having a boat tent has really opened up the family’s beach-cruising options. It can be set or struck easily while at anchor and has seen regular summertime use since it was created. My wife,…

Small Boats Annual 2014

Making a Boat a Home, Part 1

Boatbuilding never ends with launching day

In small-boat cruising—particularly under sail—having an absolute destination and schedule can be hazardous. At times, getting into a sheltered cove can be a necessity, but you can’t always count on finding a legal or comfortable place to camp ashore. Being able to stay aboard the boat gives the small-craft sailor the same kind of cruising freedom a yachtsman has.

5

June 2023

Tape-Backed Sandpaper

Using duct tape to make sandpaper more durable

Sandpaper is prone to tearing, limiting its working life and the uses it can be put to. Adding duct tape to its backside will make it last longer.

6

June 2023

Colorado River Dory

Fit to row the Grand Canyon

With six watertight compartments, the Colorado River Dory has plenty of room to stow gear and an abundance of buoyancy for running rapids.

9

June 2023

A Peapod for a Schooner

Building the BILL D at the Maine Maritime Museum

Volunteers at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine, built a 15’ Washington County peapod to be tender to MARY E, the museum’s 1906 schooner.

6

June 2023

Coleman’s Portable Camp Oven

Baking aboard or ashore

While fresh baked goods are a treat at home or a bakery, they’re even better when baked far from civilization.

3

June 2023

Malone’s MicroSport

A small trailer for small boats

Malone’s MicroSport trailer is nicely sized for a small boat or two and, with its retractable tongue, it can be stored standing on end in small spaces.

14

June 2023

Pontchartrain and Maurepas

Sailing the estuarine lakes of Louisiana

Peter Sawyer takes his Norwalk Islands Sharpie sailing across Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, two vast brackish lakes trapped in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta.

7

June 2023

Seil 18

An 18’ pram for oar and sail

Designed by François Vivier for cruising French backwaters, the Seil 18 has a Norwegian pram hull form.

12

May 2023

TAMO

How a boatbuilding project led to the race of a lifetime

One-time varsity sculler Henry Billingsley was in search of a rowboat that had the style of a Whitehall but was equipped with a sliding seat and outriggers for performance. The Cosine Wherry was just the boat to bring those elements together. Helped by friend and mentor, Ed Neal, he embarked on a boatbuilding odyssey that led the pair to a 70-mile, overnight rowing race.

3

May 2023

Khimera

A hybrid foam/inflatable PFD from Mustang Survival

For some rowing, paddling, and sailing outings in small boats, a simple, compact PFD that provides extra buoyancy only when you really need it, is the answer. Ben Fuller believes he’s found just the thing.

7

May 2023

FlexStep Pro

A user-friendly solution for boarding boats on trailers

It’s hard enough getting in and out of some boats when they’re on the water, but when they’re on a trailer it can be almost impossible. The trailer-mounted FlexStep Pro offers a helpful leg up.

20

May 2023

DIY Soft Shackles

Made with ordinary rope and knots

Bronze and stainless-steel shackles can be expensive and more than you need for use on a small boat. Homemade soft shackles made of rope are an inexpensive alternative that are more than adequate for many applications.

19

May 2023

My Texas 200

A five-day sail-and-oar raid along the Texas coast

David Zumwalt joined a fleet of 80 sail-and-oar boats in a five-day raid along 200 miles of the Texas coast. Sailing his home-built cat-ketch, REDWING, on her first long voyage, he endured equipment failures and mud banks.

7

May 2023

Rhode Runner

A stitch-and-glue version of a mid-century classic

Designed for stitch-and-glue construction by experienced amateur builders, Chesapeake Light Craft’s Rhode Runner offers performance, comfort, and classic runabout looks.

7

May 2023

Didi 23

A Dudley Dix 23-footer with generous accommodation and fine sailing performance

A modern pocket cruiser with high-performance sailing pedigree, the DIDI 23 has a plywood hull that does away with angular chines by using Dudley Dix’s radius-chine plywood construction method.

7

April 2023

Lillie

Updating a classic design for modern construction

Designed for both strip-plank and stitch-and-glue plywood construction, Selway Fisher Design’s Lillie is a modern interpretation of the canoe yawls of late 19th-century England.

Series

The Sid Skiff

The McIntosh Canvas Boat

Seavolt LED Tail Lights

Sharing a Sense of Freedom

Cygnet 20

Petrel Play SG

Thistle

Spindrift 12

Making a Boat a Home, Part 2

Making a Boat a Home, Part 1

Tape-Backed Sandpaper

Colorado River Dory

A Peapod for a Schooner

Coleman’s Portable Camp Oven

Malone’s MicroSport

Pontchartrain and Maurepas

Seil 18

TAMO

Khimera

FlexStep Pro

DIY Soft Shackles

My Texas 200

Rhode Runner

Didi 23

Lillie

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