October 2023 Archives - Small Boats Magazine

The Gilpatrick-designed Laker Canoe and Devlin’s Candlefish 16 are the subjects of our Boat Profiles, and a compass for rowers and a throw bag for rescues get a close look in our Product Reviews. This month’s Technique details how to coil throwing lines to prevent tangles when tossed. Our editor recalls a successful but awkward rescue of two sailors, while two friends motor the coast of British Columbia under solar power. Joe Lanni makes his third appearance with his latest Reader Built Boat.

From The Editor

To the Rescue, After a Fashion

The only casualty was pride

Knowing what to do in an emergency isn’t the same as putting a practiced response into action. The two approaches can produce very different results.

Boat Profile

The Laker Canoe

An all-purpose strip-planked canoe

Gil Gilpatrick designed the 16’ strip-planked Laker Canoe with good stability for relaxed family paddling.

Boat Profile

Candlefish 16

A stitch-and-glue skiff with plenty of volume

Sam Devlin’s Candlefish 16, a stitch-and-glue open outboard skiff, is a good introduction to boatbuilding and an excellent boat in which to go camp-cruising with the family.

Adventures

An Electric Journey to Knight Inlet

Exploring the wild beauty of British Columbia

Two friends explore the islands and inlets of the British Columbia coast in a solar-powered 20’ Whitehall.

Technique

Quick Coils for Throwing Lines

Two techniques for tangle-free tosses

Knowing how to coil a throw line correctly is as important as having one on board.

Product Reviews

Scotty Rescue Throw Bag

For quick deployment of a floating rescue line

Scotty’s Rescue Throw Bag houses 50’ of floating line that can be quickly deployed and easily thrown.

Product Reviews

Reverse-Reading Compass

Getting an accurate heading while looking astern

Most boat compasses are designed to be used while you’re facing forward. The Ritchie Rowing Compass is designed for aft-facing rowers.

Reader Built Boats

Joe Lanni’s LUCKY DUCK

The ultimate built-on-a-shoestring racer

Joe Lanni had thought of building a boat with graceful curves, but he built a Puddle Duck Racer instead. Despite its boxy hull, he was impressed by its ease of construction and its performance under sail.

Past Issues

From The Archives

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