January 2015

Boat Profile

The Willis Boats of Maine’s Dark Harbor

The enduring legacy of Willis Rossiter

The legacy of the Rossiter Skiff outshines that of even its most popular fiberglass counterparts. The family of skiffs that evolved on the mid-coast island of Islesboro, Maine, has been around for decades, and summer residents and local fishermen alike continue to use these boats more than a half-century after the design’s debut. Some of the boats have become family heirlooms.

Boat Profile

John Welsford’s Sweet Pea

A Lightweight Cruiser/Racer

Sweet Pea offers sport cruising on a budget: a fairly fast shallow-water cruiser for those who prefer the comforts of a cabin and a portable toilet to a tent and a trowel. The boat could even be a contender in adventure races, where a place for the off-watch crew to rest is more of an advantage than speed.

Adventures

Dories in the Canyon

Honoring the boats and the men who saved the Grand Canyon

In the early 1960s Martin Litton came to the McKenzie River in Oregon to write a story. The wooden drift boats he saw there would change his profession, his life, and river running on the Colorado River forever.

Technique

Comfortable Seating for Sailing a Small Rowing-and-Sailing Skiff

The trim of a small boat dictates where you need to put your weight; adding width and wings to the center thwart will give you a place to sit when you’re where you belong.

Product Reviews

Spyderco’s Salt Knives

An exotic steel that can take abuse, neglect and a sharp edge

Product Reviews

Greatland Laser’s Rescue Flares

Emergency laser signals have an impressive range and don't burn out in a few short minutes.

Reader Built Boats

TRADEOFFS

Tom Potrykus launched his center-console outboard skiff, TRADEOFFS, in the shallow inshore salt water near Beaufort, South Carolina. When the hull touched the water for the first time, it was already 15 years old.