June 2023 Archives - Small Boats Magazine

The Seil 18, a French cruising pram, and the Colorado River Dory, a plywood whitewater boat, are the subjects of our June Boat Profiles. Peter Sawyer takes a three-day cruise on Louisiana’s Lake Ponchartrain and Lake Maurepas. Reinforcing sandpaper with duct tape extends its life and expands its uses. Coleman’s Portable Camp Oven and Malone’s MicroSport trailer prove their worth in gear reviews. A peapod built by volunteers at the Maine Maritime Museum is this issue’s Reader Built Boat and our editor shares his experience of kayaking the Galápagos Islands.

From The Editor

Galápagos Islands

Differing with Darwin

During a kayaking cruise in 2005, the Galápagos Islands were very much as they were when Charles Darwin landed there in 1835.

Boat Profile

Colorado River Dory

Fit to row the Grand Canyon

With six watertight compartments, the Colorado River Dory has plenty of room to stow gear and an abundance of buoyancy for running rapids.

Boat Profile

Seil 18

An 18’ pram for oar and sail

Adventures

Pontchartrain and Maurepas

Sailing the estuarine lakes of Louisiana

Peter Sawyer takes his Norwalk Islands Sharpie sailing across Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas, two vast brackish lakes trapped in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta.

Technique

Tape-Backed Sandpaper

Using duct tape to make sandpaper more durable

Sandpaper is prone to tearing, limiting its working life and the uses it can be put to. Adding duct tape to its backside will make it last longer.

Product Reviews

Malone’s MicroSport

A small trailer for small boats

Malone’s MicroSport trailer is nicely sized for a small boat or two and, with its retractable tongue, it can be stored standing on end in small spaces.