April 2022 Archives - Small Boats Magazine

Our Boat Profiles feature two outboard fishing skiffs from Glen-L that have very different hulls. The Hunky Dory has a flat bottom for beach launching through surf and the La Paz has a deep-V hull for choppy offshore seas. Two couples take a paddling tour by canoe and kayak on Umbagog Lake in the heart of the Great North Woods. We take a close look at a boating first-aid kit and a cordless random-orbit sander. Our Technique feature details a holder that makes printed charts easier to use aboard an open boat. Our editor offers a peek at his cramped workshop and for our Reader Built Boat, an electrical engineer uses high-voltage current to create lightning-like patterns to adorn his strip-built kayak.

From The Editor

I Spy

Lost and found in a small workshop

After collecting tools and materials for boatbuilding over the past 44 years, our editor has everything he needs in his one-car garage shop. While it’s all practically within arm’s reach, that doesn’t mean he can lay his hands on it.

Boat Profile

Hunky Dory

A beach-launched outboard fishing skiff

Patterned after the outboard dory skiffs of the Oregon Coast, Glen-L’s Hunky Dory has a wide flat bottom and an upturned bow, features that make it possible to launch from a broad sandy beach and safely negotiate the surf zone.

Boat Profile

La Paz

A plywood deep-V sportfisher

Glen-L’s La Paz is a center-console sportfishing boat with a deep-V hull that smooths the ride in rough water. The 100-gallon fuel tank under the cockpit sole gives the boat enough range to reach far-flung fishing holes.

Adventures

Umbagog Lake

Paddling in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire and Maine

Umbagog Lake straddles the north end of the New Hampshire/Maine border in the midst of the Great North Woods. Tom DeVries and company take us on a paddling tour of the lake with a freight canoe and two homebuilt sea kayaks.

Technique

A Small-Boat Chart Holder

Taming Paper in an Open Boat

While electronic navigation devices are exceptionally useful, there are still good reasons for carrying a printed chart. A simple homemade holder protects charts and make them easier to use on an open boat.

Product Reviews

Boat Medic

Waterproof first-aid for the backcountry

Accidents happen. If they result in an injury when you’re far from medical care, a good first-aid kit is essential. The Boat Medic kit from MyMedic is well stocked and packed in a durable waterproof case.

Product Reviews

DeWalt 20v Random-Orbit Sander

Cordless power in your palm

Anyone building a wooden boat is in for a lot of sanding, so it makes good sense to use a sander that is efficient and convenient. DeWalt’s cordless random-orbit sander quickens the otherwise tedious work.

Reader Built Boats

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.

April 2022