September 2016

From The Editor

Gimme Shelter

In 2004, my kids, then 14 and 11, and I decided a Caledonia yawl was the boat we needed for cruising. While I was building the hull I revised the plans to make the interior as comfortable as possible for them.

Boat Profile

Compass Skiff

A lightweight, nimble, outboard skiff

The Compass outboard skiff, designed by Clint Chase to build during a weekend festival, is a good boat for a family to build together and for introducing children to the pleasures and responsibilities of boating.

Boat Profile

Guillemot

An Iain Oughtred sail-and-oar skiff

Iain Oughtred is best known for his modern glued-lapstrake adaptations of traditional hull forms, but his Guillemot skiff looks especially handsome when done with larch planking riveted to bent chestnut frames.

Adventures

Building on Tradition

An American geitbåt

Jay Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and English but realized the life of a man of letters was not his calling. He left North Dakota and moved to Norway, the land of his ancestors, and apprenticed himself to a master boatbuilder.

Technique

Tacking for Rowing

An unusual use for a centerboard

Ready about? Centerboards and tacking aren’t just for sailing. If you’re rowing against a strong wind, dropping the board and taking a ziz-zag course may be easier than fighting your way straight upwind.

Product Reviews

IceMule Cooler

A dry bag that keeps its cool

We take a look at an insulated dry bag that can serve as a cooler, padded dry storage, and flotation.

Product Reviews

Mantus Dinghy Anchor

Digs deep, stows flat

The dinghy anchor from Mantus digs deep and fast and comes in a stainless-steel version that can be disassembled for compact storage.

Reader Built Boats

BOB

A Boat on a Budget

Nate Morrison’s Shell Schooner 18, christened BOB for Boat On a Budget, proves that limited skills, limited tools, and unlimited dreams can get you afloat even where water is scarce.