March 2021

In the midst of a worrisome winter, our editor found reassurance in photos he took of kayaking Palau’s island paradise. The most capable pleasure craft often have practical origins and John Gardner’s Down East Workboat and Roger Crawford’s Melonseed Skiff are good examples. Last autumn, three former college oarsmen get together to row a stretch of Oregon’s Willamette at a pace decidedly slower than racing. Tom Hepp shows how building a mock-up of a new design makes it possible to work out the bugs and create templates before the real boatbuilding begins. We take a look at heavy-duty spur grommets and a multi-fuel camp stove, and our Reader Built Boat is a first-time boatbuilder’s beautiful and innovative shallow-water skiff.