To the Black Sea

9

February 2023

Fine

A sliding-seat pulling boat with excellent stability

The Fine from Oyster Bay Boats is an 18’ strip-built wherry that combines a sliding-seat rowing rig for speed and a hull with a 34” beam for stability.

6

February 2023

A Bridge-Crane Boat Lift

Lifting a boat up and sideways for storage

There are several devices for lifting a boat straight up off a car’s roof rack, but they may not work in a garage with an overhead door. This DIY hoist can raise the boat and move it sideways.

2

February 2023

Thixo Flex

An epoxy with flexibility

Thixo Flex is a flexible thickened epoxy that can be used on oily woods, dry, damp, or wet surfaces, as well as a wide array of materials including fiberglass, metals, and plastics.

3

March 2023

The Tow Tuff

A battery-powered electric dolly

Moving boats around on land singlehanded is never easy, but this battery-powered electric dolly is a welcome assistant. The Tow Tuff is easily assembled, easily handled, and can move boat trailers and their loads of up to 3,500 lbs.

9

February 2023

SEA BESTIA

A race boat built for a holiday challenge

Seafaring friends working in the Scottish Isles occupied their time off by building small boats for a friendly race. SEA BESTIA's builder may have broken the rules, but his boat had the look of a serious contender.

Small Boats Annual 2012

The No Mans Land Boat

A challenge with great potential

This heavy old fish boat holds her own and then some against other displacement hulls.

Small Boats Annual 2012

The Sea Bird Yawl

Simplicity in a hard-chined cruiser

Simple enough to be built by amateurs, small enough to be singlehanded, and big enough for long passages

Small Boats Annual 2013

The Rambler 18

A runabout for adventure

The Rambler 18 is for people seeking comfortable cruising, not the exhilaration of speed. Riding in this boat is a pleasant and relaxing experience.

7

January 2023

Nexus Planing Dory

A planing dory for home construction

Sleek but traditional, and with the versatility to serve a wide range of uses, the Nexus 21’ Planing Dory is an uncomplicated boat to build at home either as an open boat or with a cuddy cabin.

7

January 2023

Cape Henry 21

An expedition sailboat for adventurers

A 21’ plywood-lapstrake gaff cutter inspired by traditional sailing craft of the U.K., the Cape Henry 21 can appeal to sailors downsizing from a full-keel cruiser as well as camp-cruisers looking for more comfort while still adventuring in shoal waters.

36

January 2023

A Sneakbox on the Ohio

980 miles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois

Inspired by “Four Months in a Sneakbox,” Nathaniel H. Bishop’s account of a 2,500-mile cruise in the winter of 1875, Christopher Cunningham built a sneakbox and followed Bishop’s route from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cedar Key, Florida. In this first of three installments he takes on the 980 miles of the Ohio River.

7

January 2023

A DIY Boat Cart

Transporting boats with ease and economy

Influenced by years of carrying kayaks and small boats back and forth between home and harbor, and inspired by an everyday garden cart, this simple design transports boats, gear, kids, and dogs.

3

January 2023

The Silent Hitch Pin

A spring-loaded block-and-pin assembly prevents trailer rattle

A rattling drawbar can be annoying and cause wear and tear on a trailer hitch receiver. The Silent Hitch Pin is easy to install, stops the rattling, and has a lock to prevent theft.

3

January 2023

The Salus Coastal PFD

A life jacket with built-in harness

A PFD is essential for all boaters, but for solo small-boat sailors, not all life jackets serve their needs well. The Salus Coastal has a built-in safety harness for extra security and can be equipped with a leg harness to keep its buoyancy where it belongs when it’s needed.

5

January 2023

PERIWINKLE

A boat built for singlehanded cruising

Downsizing from boats used for family cruises led a serial boatbuilder to add a kit-built sail-and-oar double-ender to his Maine-coast fleet. He made some modifications as he was building, launched PERIWINKLE, and is now all set for solo cruising.

Small Boats Annual 2013

The AS-17

A working class skiff

It’s an advantage for a work-boat that will be used by many different operators to be dead simple, and this boat is.

7

December 2022

Salish Voyager

An expedition boat for sail and oar

With a hull form inspired by working skiffs of the New Jersey Shore, the Salish Voyager is a customizable fiberglass boat that can be equipped for long-distance coast cruising under sail and oar.

7

December 2022

North Shore Dory

A dory design from the 1900s

A 16′ dory built around 1900 on the North Shore of Massachusetts for summer rowing on the Maine coast found its way to a maritime museum where detailed drawings were made 80 years later so boatbuilders could give it new life.

14

December 2022

Rowing the Broughton Archipelago

A British Columbia cruise

The myriad islands between Vancouver Island and the intricate mainland coast of British Columbia provided a rower and a paddler with unspoiled waterways shared with orcas and humpback whales.

5

December 2022

A Simple Sling Lift

Raising a small boat with minimal effort

A pair of easily made, inexpensive slings provide an effective way to lift a small boat off its trailer and flip it upside down, even single-handedly.

4

December 2022

Rudder Hardware

For an easily installed rudder

A single, long pintle and an open, hooked lower gudgeon simplify the task of hanging a rudder on a skiff’s transom.

5

December 2022

nCamp Food-Prep Knives

Sharp knives for quick food prep

Folding food-prep knives made of high-end stainless steel hold a very sharp edge and bring efficiency and pleasure to meal preparation.

9

December 2022

MEASURE AGAIN

Building a boat and a friendship

A chance meeting at a wooden-boat festival brought together two couples who quickly bridged the broad gap in their ages, experience, and resources.

Small Boats Annual 2013

ELSON PERRY

A sailing treasure from the past

Under the supervision of the museum’s resident boatbuilder, Eamonn Doorly, the staff of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, volunteered their time to build the ELSON PERRY. Their hours of work were well rewarded, though, as the museum uses the boat to teach staff how to sail.

Small Boats Annual 2013

Lyman Runabout

A 1950s classic in lapstrake plywood

"Some things from the 1950s are indeed worth keeping operational, if not outright restored.”

Series

Fine

A Bridge-Crane Boat Lift

Thixo Flex

The Tow Tuff

SEA BESTIA

The No Mans Land Boat

The Sea Bird Yawl

The Rambler 18

Nexus Planing Dory

Cape Henry 21

A Sneakbox on the Ohio

A DIY Boat Cart

The Silent Hitch Pin

The Salus Coastal PFD

PERIWINKLE

The AS-17

Salish Voyager

North Shore Dory

Rowing the Broughton Archipelago

A Simple Sling Lift

Rudder Hardware

nCamp Food-Prep Knives

MEASURE AGAIN

ELSON PERRY

Lyman Runabout

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