Series

September 2023

A DIY Light Bar

Keeping trailer lights out of the water and in the line of sight

The electrical system is arguably the most vulnerable part of any boat trailer. A removable light bar raises the lights to increase their visibility, keeps them out of the water, and can be used on more than one boat and trailer.

September 2023

Jim Schroer

An inexhaustible spirit

The late Jim Schroer took the road less traveled and gathered a wealth of skills and experiences that far exceeded what most would even dream possible.

November 2023

Centerboard Sloop #226A

A new traditional rig on a proven Gartside hull

Paul Gartside’s 16′ Centerboard Sloop was designed as a daysailer and cruiser for one or two. There are three options for sailing rigs, including a gaff main with topsail.

September 2023

Portage Pram

A towing tender for two adults and their gear

The Portage Pram is just 6′ 8″ long, weighs 35 lbs, is cartoppable, tows well, and can carry two adults and their gear.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Rescue Minor

From military rescue vessel to family electric launch

Shallow draft, center console, room for a family, and an electric motor make this Rescue Minor, built by students at the Great Lakes Boat Building School, an ideal boat for Michigan’s Les Cheneaux Islands.

Small Boats Annual 2014

The Peterborough Nomad

A cottage runabout reborn

This 15' cedar-strip Peterborough Nomad by Woodwind Yachts was built on a mold created from an original Nomad launched by the Peterborough Canoe Company in 1958.

August 2023

Plastimo Fog Horns

Two fog horns from Plastimo float, aren’t adversely affected by the marine environment, and are impressively loud.

August 2023

WaveFront’s TillerClutch

When the rudder is set to hold the course you want, WaveFront’s TillerClutch can mind the tiller while you tend to other tasks or take a break.

August 2023

TIME–TRAVELER

Building a Salt Bay Skiff

Senate Hills has been an enthusiastic and prolific do-it-yourselfer from an early age; TIME–TRAVELER is his first rowing skiff.

August 2023

Hiwassee Wanderer

A simple and affordable solo canoe

The Hiwassee Wanderer from Maddox Boat Works is a stitch-and-glue solo canoe designed for quick construction from three sheets of plywood without the need for building forms.

August 2023

Centerboard Lugger

Paul Gartside's Design #166

Paul Gartside’s Design #166, a two-masted lugger, is a satisfying and sometimes challenging project for home boatbuilders, and its shoal draft makes it a versatile sail-outboard-and-oar cruiser.

August 2023

DIY Oarlock Sockets

Oilite bearings to reduce wear

There are several good reasons to forgo common cast oarlock sockets when you can make your own of higher quality without special metalworking tools.

August 2023

From Birchbark to Trucker’s Tarp

A traditional canoe with a contemporary twist

One man’s passion for birchbark canoes led him to make his own tools and to handcraft a canoe in a traditional manner but without the bark skin.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Sinne 610 Expedition Boat

For adventuresome rowing

For long-distance rowing trips on Finland’s many lakes, Jouko Koskinen had in mind a lightweight boat that would row very well but could also be fitted with bicycle wheels for portages and equipped for camp-cruising.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Thompson Thomboy

A speedy little runabout

The author’s THOMMY, a 1955 Thompson Thomboy, is in original condition, with nothing anachronistic or out of place.

Small Boats Annual 2014

Lit’l Petrel

A simple and admirable tender

The diminutive pram, less than 9’ long, has remarkable carrying capacity. A centerline seat allows the person rowing to choose from two stations, depending on the boat’s fore-and-aft trim.

Small Boats Annual 2014

The Simmons Sea Skiff

A seaworthy outboard fishing boat

The Simmons Sea Skiff was first developed as a beach-launched, oar-powered fishing boat for coastal North Carolina, and it eventually evolved into an outboard-powered range of sizes, from 18’ to 22’. The 18-footer above was built by its owner, for family fishing excursions on and near Narragansett Bay.

July 2023

The CLC Tool Box Kit

A plywood tool-tote kit from Chesapeake Light Craft that’s a snap to assemble

A well-organized tote for storing and carrying tools for building, repairing, and maintaining boats as well as doing household chores is easily assembled from Chesapeake Light Craft’s Tool Box Kit.

July 2023

Magnet Retrieval

The powerful pull of neodymium

It’s not unusual to drop things overboard at a dock or a launch ramp. A retrieval magnet can help get some of them back.

Small Boats Annual 2014

DragonFlyer 3.2

Brooks Boats’ lively sailing dinghy

ZIP is the prototype model of the DragonFlyer 3.2, a design intended as a versatile and dynamic sail trainer. She can be sailed with main alone, main and jib, or main and asymmetrical spinnaker.

Small Boats Annual 2014

The New Hampshire Snekke

A Norwegian motor launch descended from Viking ships

Low-powered, double-ended launches called snekker are ubiquitous along the coast of Norway, but rather exotic in New Hampshire, where Andrew Wallace’s Traditional Boatworks builds these boats.

July 2023

MUSTELID

An unconventional Alaskan camp-cruiser

A couple in Southeast Alaska built a 24’ sail-and-oar plywood cruiser to pursue a life among the islands and waterways that are their home.

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.

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.