April 2025 Archives - Small Boats Magazine

In Small Boats this month we look at Paroz & Co.’s load-carrying tender from Queensland, Australia, and the Scout 14, a kit-built sail-and-oar camp-cruiser from Duckworks in Washington State. An amateur rower tackles the fast-running waters of Maine’s Bagaduce River on a four-day tidal adventure. Bill Thomas reviews an affordable corner-easing plane, and Kent and Audrey Lewis introduce some stock and custom-made boat covers from California. We offer a pre-road trailer checklist that will help get you and your boat where you need to go, and in Pennsylvania we meet Bill Jordan, who built his Haven 12 ½ with a strip-planked hull.

Featured on our front cover is SUNNY SIDE UP, designed, built, and operated by Simon Paroz of Breakfast Creek, Queensland. Photograph by Nigel Sharp.

From The Editor

The Promise of Spring

A late snowfall sends the editor back to dreaming

When spring is a long time coming there's always dreaming and getting boats and trailers ready for the big day.

Boat Profile

The Paroz Tender

A new dinghy for oars, outboard, and towing

Designed and built by Simon Paroz for his own use, the Paroz Tender is large enough to carry a family of four, small enough to be lifted on deck with davits, and light enough to plane with just a 3-hp outboard.

Boat Profile

Scout 14

A new camp-cruiser from Duckworks

Building on the success of their Scout 10, designer Brandon Davis and Duckworks Boat Builders Supply collaborated to create a sleek-looking camp-cruiser that offers speed, stability, and capacity.

Adventures

The Bagaduce River by Rowboat

A four-day rowing trip through the strong currents of a Maine river

Davis Taylor had enjoyed occasional overnights on local ponds when he decided he really wanted to explore tidal Maine. He successfully navigated the fast-running Bagaduce River to enjoy a four-day island-hopping voyage under oars.

Technique

Road-Ready Trailer Checklist

Preparing your trailer for travel

Whether towing over long or short distances, at the start of every journey it’s good practice to make sure your trailer is in roadworthy condition. Our pre-trip checklist will help.

Product Reviews

Jorgensen Corner Easing Plane

A compact plane for rounding edges

Smooth and rounded edges are important on boats. The compact Jorgensen Corner Easing Plane helps to achieve them.

Product Reviews

SLO Covers and Bags

Quality covers for small boats

Protecting boats from the weather—both rain and sunshine—prolongs their finishes and reduces maintenance needs. Bundling sails and spars together helps keep them organized and makes it easier to carry them. SLO Sail and Canvas makes good-quality, well-fitting covers and bags in durable materials.

Reader Built Boats

Building the Haven 12 1/2

Strip-planking a 12 1⁄2 for trailer-sailing

When Bill Jordan started building his carvel-planked sailboat, he thought it was going to live on a mooring where the seams would have a chance to swell and become watertight. But, when he realized he’d be trailer-sailing, he decided to strip-plank the hull instead.

Past Issues

From The Archives

Small Boats Annual 2021

January 2017

June 2023

September 2015

View All

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