Small Boats Annual 2009

Editor’s Page: The Magic of Tweaking
BEATRICE (page 60), a 27′ pocket-cruising powerboat, has roots that wind from the North Atlantic through the Pacific Northwest, and on down to New Zealand. She is based on the humble Saint Pierre dory, a type that developed on the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon … Continued on Page 5 of PDF version.

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Boat Profile

The Harrier Double-Ender

An eye-catching blend of old and new technology.

The Harrier double-ender carries a standing-lug yawl rig, high-peaked and fully battened in the main—an eye-catching blend of old and new technology. She is exceptional under oar or sail, due to her light weight and refined shape.

Boat Profile

The Geary 18

The 1928 “Flattie” is all about speed and simplicity

The ease of sailing the Geary 18 has been compared to sailing while sitting on a couch.

Boat Profile

The Wineglass Wherry

A stitch-and-glue pulling boat from Pygmy

Boat Profile

ADVENTURE

A camp-cruiser from Bill Garden

The author's initial outings in his boat, ADVENTURE, were on Western rivers. In the summer of 2009, he plans an expedition along the Maine coast. The boat sleeps two and has ample dry stowage.

Boat Profile

Marblehead Gunning Dory

A boat that almost builds itself

Under sail, the Marblehead gunning dory is both fast and responsive, though it's intended to be rowed.

Boat Profile

The Hvalsoe 16

On its way to becoming a Northwest classic

Although its construction is substantially different from the classic Whitehall pulling boat, representing as it does a compromise between good rowing and sailing performance, the Hvalsoe 16 is squarely in the tradition of the historical type.

Boat Profile

The Hird Island Skiff

Comfortable—and quiet

The reedy shallows of Georgia call for a shoal-draft boat that can easily navigate the channels—and with its electric motor, the Hird Island Skiff can do so without disturbing the peace and quiet.

Boat Profile

GRACE’S TENDER

Easy to love, easier to build

GRACE’S TENDER is a kindly little plywood boat that Arch Davis designed to build with his daughter, Grace. This handsome and capable craft is an exceptionally good first boatbuilding project.

Boat Profile

Sunshine

A much-admired yacht tender

With excellent load-carrying capacity and rowing characteristics, low weight, and great looks, the Sunshine makes a wonderful yacht tender.

Boat Profile

MARCUS NOER

A Danish four-sail double-ender

MARCUS NOER is a particularly fine example of a traditional double-ender from Denmark, with a shapeliness to her hull that will take your breath away. The design is one descendant—one of many—of a Nordic boatbuilding tradition that should properly stand beside the great cathedrals of the world and the sculptures of antiquity as among the loveliest creations ever made by…

Boat Profile

RETRO-ROCKET

Glen-L’s Super Spartan makes a splash

RETRO-ROCKET was built from Glen-L Marine Design’s plans for Super Spartan, a three-point hydroplane. Constructed in marine plywood, RETRO-ROCKET weighs less than 100 lbs and darts across the water, mostly on a cushion of air.

Boat Profile

Fenwick Williams’s 18’ Catboat

A frisky little cat

Fenwick Williams designed 17 catboats from 8' to 30' in length. All of them are legendary; but his first, an 18-footer created during the height of the Great Depression in 1931, stands out as a little gem.

Boat Profile

Duckling

A sliding-seat skiff

When Sam Devlin of Devlin Designing Boat Builders was commissioned to build a rowing skiff to be carried aboard a 45' motoryacht, he was given two requirements: it had to be short enough to fit on the yacht’s cabintop, and it had to be equipped with a sliding-seat rowing rig.

Boat Profile

BUFFLEHEAD

A high-end hybrid for paddle and sail

While you may not want to try building BUFFLEHEAD without some experience under your belt, when ready, your hard work will pay off in an eye-pleasing, seaworthy craft for daysailing or extended coastal passages.

Boat Profile

Diablo

A fast and stable outboard-powered skiff

BONITO’s Diablo design is derived from the Amesbury skiff—itself a dory-derivative. The plywood hull is easily built, and easy on the eyes. A narrow bottom and wide, angled bilge panels combine to give Diablo an efficient planing surface and predictable banking in turns. She has great dynamic stability at speed.

Boat Profile

Beetle 14

Sequel to a legend

The Beetle 14 (14'4") is the big sister of the 12' 4" classic. Lest you think 2' is not much of a difference, consider the designer’s observation that “You could fill two [original] Beetles with water and empty them into this boat.”

Boat Profile

BEATRICE

A modified Saint-Pierre Dory

BEATRICE is a modified Saint-Pierre dory—a type once common on the waters of Canada’s Maritime Provinces. Born on the islands of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland (French possessions to this day), the Saint-Pierre dory was a local response to a French government requirement for cheap, durable, and safe fishing craft for local fishermen.

Adventures

Beach Cruising

A primer in pictures

A trailerable sailboat can be so much more than a daysailer. With a sense of adventure, a little thought, and a bit of gear, the same boat can beach-cruise far and wide for days, weeks, and even months on end.

Boat Profile

Tremolino Trimaran

What’s old is new again

The Dick Newick–designed Tremolino blends ancient technologies with high-tech design and construction methods. The strip-built trimaran gives even the less-experienced builder a chance to own this fast and fun-to-sail craft.

Boat Profile

The King

A strip-planked kayak from Redfish

Redfish Kayak specializes in kits and plans for a range of strip-planked paddle craft. The King has plenty of volume for gear stowage, yet is fast and responsive.

Boat Profile

The Asa Thomson Skiff

A humble gem

Asa Thomson was a New Bedford, Massachusetts, boatbuilder who clearly had a great deal of experience in skiffs. His design, devoid of any “wow” factor, has all the attributes of a craft born of lifelong learning.

Boat Profile

The 16/30 Sailing Canoe

An easy-to-build racer finds its inspiration in history

The 16/30 class sailing canoe is the product of a long-term project on the part of John Summers, General Manager at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario. He designed the canoe while at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York.

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