Series

April 2022

LAZY LIGHTNING

An electrically adorned strip-built kayak

When Dave Feder built his first boat—a cedar-strip kayak—he wanted to give it some personal artistic touches and did what any other electrical engineer might do. He had high-voltage electricity do the work.

March 2022

Handy Billy

An outboard out of sight

Handy Billy, Harry Bryan’s V-bottom launch, has classic lines inspired by William Hand’s deep-V inboards of the early 1900s but gets its power from a modern 4-stroke 25-hp outboard. Concealed by a housing over the motorwell, the outboard is hidden from view and as quiet as it can be.

March 2022

Colonia Dinghy

A 17' daysailer from N. G. Herreshoff

In 1901, N. G. Herreshoff designed a 17’ sailing dinghy for the steam yacht COLONIA. The boat proved successful, and 36 more Colonia dinghies were built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Sea trials aboard a 1975 copy suggest the design would be well worth reviving.

March 2022

Sailing the Archipelago Sea

A father-and-daughter cruise on Finland’s coast

Finland’s Archipelago Sea is dappled with countless islands, making it an idyllic setting for a cruise aboard a faering. Mats Vuorenjuuri and his daughter Inari sailed a crooked path to an island far from the mainland coast.

March 2022

It’s a Wrap

Clamping with stretch wrap and inner tubes

Gluing laminates for spars, oars, and paddles can be fussy and messy jobs for clamps. Stretch wrap and rubber strips are a better way even if you have enough clamps, and inexpensive if you don’t.

March 2022

Quick Change Jack

An easy lift for roadside repairs

When a trailer’s tires or bearings fail, having the tools to make the change can save an outing from being turned into an ordeal. The Quick Change Jack has no moving parts and takes only seconds to use.

March 2022

Small Boat Head System

A compact way to leave no trace

The Small Boat Head System from Duckworks provides a convenient way to take a restroom break ashore without leaving a trace and afloat if you just can’t wait.

March 2022

HOPEWELL

Staying afloat

When an artist with an affection for boats suffered a heart attack, he was in the midst of a multi-year project of building a small outboard runabout. The challenges he faced in building boats gave him valuable insights about meeting the unexpected challenges of life.

February 2022

Utility Launch

Zimmer's "good, common-sense little boat"

Nelson Zimmer designed his Utility Launch to shuttle people between towns and fishing camps in Canada’s North Woods. Powered by a small diesel motor, it’s efficient and elegant, and what he regarded as a “good, common-sense little boat.”

February 2022

Outer Banks 26

Cruising in comfort for two

The Outer Banks 26 is the newest and longest of the three Outer Banks cruisers from B&B. They are designed for economical cruising for a couple, with the 26 providing more features and additional room for multi-week adventures.

February 2022

Pen Lake

Cruising Canoes in Algonquin Provincial Park

There are more than 1,500 lakes within the borders of Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park. Phil Boyer and friend spent four days exploring three of them in canoes that Phil designed and built.

February 2022

Removable Floorboards

Removable panels to protect and preserve

Floorboards are often fastened directly to steam-bent frames in traditionally built lapstrake boats. Boatbuilder Eric Hvalsoe developed a system to make floorboards that are easily removable and don’t damage the frames.

February 2022

Custom Tie-Downs

Purpose-built straps for safe transport

There are many ways to secure a boat to the trailer that carries it, but the best system is one that is just tight enough, doesn’t damage the boat, and is convenient to use. CustomTieDowns offers a wide array of straps and fittings to do the job right.

February 2022

Impact Fenders

Useful beyond the dock

If your boat fenders get put away after launch and stowed until you get back to the ramp, they spend most of their time taking up valuable space. Impact Fenders make themselves useful while you’re underway or taking a break on shore.

February 2022

TRIO

Divide by three and conquer

A small living room for a shop and a small car for storage and transport didn’t stand in the way of Paul Sesto’s dream of building a boat; he designed and built a sectional boat with three nesting pieces.

January 2022

Sand Dollar

A skiff for oar, sail, and outboard from Arch Davis Design

Arch Davis designed the Sand Dollar as a boat that a novice woodworker could build. The flat-bottom skiff can be rowed, propelled with a small outboard, or equipped with one of the three sailing rigs detailed in the plans.

January 2022

Port Aransas Skiff

A shallow-draft outboard

The Port Aransas Skiff was developed in a Texas Gulf Coast fishing town for fishing and duck hunting in the flats and shallows of the nearby barrier islands. Originally designed for sailing and rowing, the skiffs are now built for outboard power.

January 2022

Thwarted

A solo row to Florida’s Dog Island

Something would be missing if every cruise went as expected and that’s the satisfaction in rising to meet the unexpected. A lot of things went wrong during Bill Hutton’s short cruise to one of Florida’s barrier islands, but the experience was more fulfilling than what he’d imagined.

January 2022

Oarlock Extensions

DIY devices for forward-facing stand-up rowing

If you want to get a good look at where you’re going while you’re rowing, a pair of oarlock extensions is all you need. Ben Fuller explores the ways Maine watermen rowed standing up and facing forward.

January 2022

Third Reef Foulies

A waterproof jacket and bibs from West Marine

The waterproof, breathable foulweather gear from West Marine has lots of features well suited for use aboard small boats. Kent and Audrey Lewis share their experience with their new affordable foulies.

January 2022

Woodboy

A fine-toothed saw from Silky

Silky’s Woodboy folding saw with its fine, non-set teeth, is a tool for fine joinery. Folded, the handle protects the teeth from damage and keeps them sharp.

January 2022

RIPPLE

A good-natured dory skiff

Sean Russell is the author several novels about naval warfare in the days of sail, but RIPPLE, the dory skiff he designed as a tender to his sailboat, is meant to lead a more tranquil life.

Going Down the Road

A guide to trailer safety

From the 2010 Small Boats Annual - A proper towing vehicle, a trailer well-matched to the boat and properly maintained, and a good grasp of procedures, are the elements of safe trailering.

KATIE

Harry Bryan’s 20' cruiser

From the 2010 Small Boats Annual - Inspired by N.G. Herreshoff’s Buzzards Bay 12 1⁄2-footer and Joel White’s Flatfish, the 20' cruiser KATIE, designed and built by Harry Bryan, cuts a handsome profile underway.

December 2021

A Twin Cities Boat

A tale of two cities and a boat in three parts

When Matt Morris of Waterloo, Ontario, learned that the restoration of a silted-in lake in the middle of town would include a boat launch, he began to design a sectional boat he could tow to the lake behind his bicycle.