Our family of five has been sea kayaking and canoeing for several years around the islands and coastline of Maine’s mid-coast. Paddling took us where we wanted to go, but on some days when a breeze came up and we were fighting headwinds home, I started to think about a larger boat, one that would sail well to weather and would row easily when the wind died. I wanted it to have some of the simplicity of our kayaks or canoes and allow us to continue day-trip exploration and overnight adventures.

The gunter rig comes into its own in a 10-knot breeze and the boat can get up to 6 knots and better.Buzz Bilik

The gunter rig comes into its own in a 10-knot breeze and the boat can get up to 6 knots and better.

I wanted a boat that would fit the Maine-coast aesthetic, be light enough to launch easily, and could remain watertight after prolonged dry storage, so I focused on glued plywood construction. The length had to be around 18′, small enough to fit in our barn, alongside the kayak fleet, yet big enough to feel safe and comfortable out in open water.

Read this article now for free!

Sign up here (No credit card required) to finish reading your article now.

— OR —

Subscribe now for $29.99 a year! You'll have access to our new issues as they are published, and access to our entire archive of back issues, starting with our inaugural issue in September 2014. Subscribers can also post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!