Small Boats Annual 2013

Editor’s Page: Small Boats, Big Reach
Small boats, it may seem, are limited to local adventures. With their simple rigs or small motors, light weight, and general lack of space for an expedition’s-worth of provisions, many of the boats on these pages, one might think, should not venture too far from home … Continued on Page 5 of PDF version.

Subscribe to read Issue Purchase Issue

Boat Profile

The Rambler 18

A runabout for adventure

The Rambler 18 is for people seeking comfortable cruising, not the exhilaration of speed. Riding in this boat is a pleasant and relaxing experience.

Boat Profile

The AS-17

A working class skiff

It’s an advantage for a work-boat that will be used by many different operators to be dead simple, and this boat is.

Boat Profile

Lyman Runabout

A 1950s classic in lapstrake plywood

"Some things from the 1950s are indeed worth keeping operational, if not outright restored.”

Boat Profile

ELSON PERRY

A sailing treasure from the past

Under the supervision of the museum’s resident boatbuilder, Eamonn Doorly, the staff of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, volunteered their time to build the ELSON PERRY. Their hours of work were well rewarded, though, as the museum uses the boat to teach staff how to sail.

Boat Profile

Heritage 23

A kit boat inspired by the Great Lakes Mackinaw

Conceived as an adaptation of successful programs for rowing and sailing elsewhere, the Heritage 23 was designed by Richard Pierce, to be worked up for kit construction by Jordan Boats.

Boat Profile

Manitou 18

A classic plywood runabout

Starting with plans of the Downeaster 18 by Charles Wittholz, Copper Harbor Boat Works built this stunning interpretation seen here on Lake Superior near Copper Harbor, Michigan. Five coats of varnish cover the deck and interior.

Boat Profile

FAIREHOPE

A 21' hard-chined adventurer by Nelson Zimmer

Straight sides and her V-bottomed design give the 21-footer a “hard chine,” or intersection where the topsides and bottom meet. Done right, the resulting shape is pleasing to the eye.

Boat Profile

ZEEK

Designed and built for Alaskan waters

Dave Seaman designed ZEEK to be fast and comfortable in Kachemak Bay's choppy waters. A chop of 3' is not uncommon. The 90-hp outboard will drive her to a maximum speed of 30 knots.

Boat Profile

The Savo 650S

Innovation from Finland—technology confronts tradition

Simplicity, bordering on minimalism, is a hallmark of the Savo 650S. Developed in Finland for racing, the boat is equally suited for recreational rowing.

Boat Profile

The Spaulding 16

A tribute to a Bay Area designer

In 1923, young Myron Spaulding, who went on to an illustrious career as a San Francisco Bay yacht designer and builder, sketched a 16’ sailboat, which modern designers Tom Wylie and Doug Frolich helped bring to fruition last year at the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center in Sausalito.

Boat Profile

LUCIE

A Gil Smith catboat, in miniature

When Michael Tyler began his boatbuilding studies in March 2011, he knew he wanted to build something "a bit different."

Boat Profile

TROUT

A camp utility garvey

TROUT, a “camp-utility garvey” designed and built by Harry Bryan, is meant to carry a load of gear and passengers to a remote lakeside home.

Boat Profile

The Kaholo

A stand-up paddleboard you can build

Geoff Kerr reports that paddling a standup paddleboard is intuitive, requiring no more balance than does riding a bike. The experience, he says, is “a hoot.”