Issues
Boat Profile
The Melonseed Skiff
Daysailer and duckgunner
...and flat deck seemed acceptably comfortable…at least for a not-yet-old crew. Sprit rigs, when properly set up, deliver about as much drive-per-dollar as any arrangement. We’ll need to keep adequate tension in the snotter (the line that secures the heel of the sprit to the mast). In strong breezes we’ll snug up the snotter. As the wind dies, we’ll ease...
Designs, Daysailer,
The Haven 12 1/2-Footer
A handsome daysailer based on the Herreshoff 12 1/2, but modified for a centerboard
...a little more than average effort. In fact, however, it is not very complicated; it simply requires care and concentration. We have done everything we could to make the building process understandable: the plans for the Haven 12 1⁄2 are very detailed, and they include full-sized templates for the hull molds, transom, and other key pieces. The need for lofting...
Designs, Performance Rowing,
22′ 6″ Recreational Shell Kingfisher
V-bottomed single shell with sliding seat, outriggers and light plywood construction.
...strongback, keel and patterns. WB Plan No. 51. $75.00. A complete construction kit for the Kingfisher is also available from King Boat Works, and the kit comes with everything you need to build your boat, except varnish and oars. For those who are building from plans, outriggers and hardware can be purchased separately from King Boat Works as well. Write...
House & Canal, Designs,
18′ Escargot Canal Boat
Phil Thiel's ESCARGOT is a canal boat designed for slow, enjoyable journeys in protected waters.
Phil Thiel was enamored of the canals of England and France and found the slow pace along the waterways, the pauses at the locks, and the proximity of verdant shores not only relaxing but also conducive to connecting to the world around him. Near the end of his 93 years, he designed several boats in the spirit of the canal...
Designs, Powerboats,
19′ 6″ Ocean Pointer
Design based on the Alton Wallace West Pointer workboats from the Maine coast.
...appearance in any company. Completed Ocean Pointer Images Matthew P. Murphy Owner-builder John Blatchford with his Ocean Pointer skiff near Bucksport, Maine. Using detailed instructions from designer David Stimson, Blatchford built the boat over the course of two years. Matthew P. Murphy Ocean Pointer uses a classic center-cockpit layout, with ample storage under the foredeck, in the console, and under...
Designs, Tenders,
7′ 7″ Nutshell Sailing Pram
Glued-lap plywood rowing or sailing tender with plenty of capacity.
The Nutshell Sailing Pram is, in our opinion, one of the best tenders ever designed. She’s a beauty in looks, easy to build, and does her job far, far better than most boats of her length. She rows very easily, and can carry three adults with a comfortable margin of free board. She tracks exceptionally well and, even in a...
Designs, Powerboats,
15′ 9″ and 19′ Ben Garveys
Fine boatyard skiff or small harbor ferry.
Here is a pair of boats that will feel right at home on the working waterfront. Both would make fine boatyard skiffs or small harbor-ferries. Both would be fine for a little recreational fishing or getting around the lake on a summer vacation, or ferrying out to that island camp. The larger boat would make a fine skiff for some...
Designs, Sailing & Pulling,
11′ 2″ Shellback Dinghy
It would be hard to imagine a better all-around small boat than the Shellback Dinghy. She is a pleasure to row, and fast and responsive under sail. She is easy to build and maintain, docile and well mannered under tow, small enough to handle easily but big enough to carry a good load. And, she looks great—handsome with just paint,...
Designs, Canoes & Kayaks,
12′ Wee Rob Canoe
Light, elegant double-paddle canoe for glued-seam lapstrake construction
...a revival of double-paddle sailing canoes, as more people rediscover the versatility of these lovely craft. Traditional construction, though, of what is essentially a tiny yacht can be a challenging project-given light scantlings, solid lumber, tight spaces, and a complex round-bottomed shape. Wee Rob can certainly be built in the traditional manner, and Oughtred has specified information for that option....
Designs, Powerboats,
19′ 7″ Albury Runabout
Straight out of the Bahamas, this design is ideal for strip-planking or cold-molding.
...construction, cold-molded construction, and details. Calculations for U.S. Coast Guard safe powering, load capacity, and flotation requirements are included. WB Plan No. 136, $90.00. Albury Runabout Top View Completed 19′ 7″ Albury Runabout Images Matthew P. Murphy Here’s a behind-the-scene’s look at how many a WoodenBoat cover and calendar have come to be. Maynard Bray (left) mans the helm of...
Designs, Daysailer,
19′ 6″ Caledonia Yawl
A clean, frameless, glued-lapstrake plywood hull makes this a handsome double-ender.
...surfboats that have evolved to meet the rigors of working off exposed beaches. Oughtred gave her a run that is finer and shows more deadrise than might be ideal for extremely high speed under sail, but the resulting gains in helm balance and civilized behavior in waves make the compromise worthwhile. Caledonia’s builders can rig their boats with either balanced...
Designs, Sailing & Pulling,
12′ 10″ Pooduck Skiff
A big little boat with a lot of excellent qualities.
...comes when two people can no longer lug the boat around. Pooduck particulars. Joel White’s Pooduck Skiff is a big little boat — about as large as two average people would want to carry on shore. As a big sister to the 11’2″ Shellback Dinghy, she has a lot of the same great qualities: excellent rowing and sailing ability, easy...
Contest – WoodenBoat Tote
Designs, Canoes & Kayaks,
13′ 7″ MacGregor Canoe
An able double-paddle canoe.
...a companion instructional booklet on methods and materials. The MacGregor shares much with her smaller sister, Wee Rob (WB Plan No. 79). Both are ultralight, traditionally attractive, versatile canoes. Both offer decked/undecked options; both can be expanded to longer lengths on a fixed beam; and both have been given the seakeeping benefits of greater flare, freeboard, and keel rocker than...
Designs, Tenders,
9′ 6″ Martha’s Tender
An easy-towing, easy-rowing tender featuring simple plywood construction and good capacity.
The Martha’s Tender is a particularly well-proven design because so many boats have been built from it over the years. Both fishermen and yachtsmen have found what they were after in these boats: robust carrying capacity, reasonably light weight, and reasonable initial cost. With its firm bilges and a full-length outer keel, people have found through experience that this is...
Powerboats, Designs,
15′ 6″ Jericho Bay Lobster Skiff
A Maine Coast classic redesigned for strip-planking.
...of the bottom, just forward of the transom, serving as a built-in trim tab or “shingle” (as the old-timers used to call them), preventing the bow from rising abruptly as the boat comes on plane. Plan 145 DESCRIPTION Hull type: Round-bottomed, transom sterned Construction: Strip PERFORMANCE Suitable for somewhat protected waters Intended capacity: 13 Trailerable Propulsion: 15–20-hp outboard BUILDING DATA...
Designs, Daysailer,
20′ 3″ Flatfish Class Sloop
Inspired daysailer with a centerboard conversion similar to the Haven 12 1/2.
...Average Cost per set: $150.00 WB Plan No. 129 *See page 96 for further information. Completed 20’3″ Flatfish Class Sloop Images Photo by Alison Langley An original Herreshoff Fish, SHARK, near Noank, Connnecticut. The Fish is narrower and deeper than the Flatfish; the greater beam of the Flatfish compensates for the reduced stability caused by the newer design’s shallower keel....
Adventures
Beach Cruising
A primer in pictures
...for more wine. It might also be compared with car-camping—though without the nocturnal door slamming in the campground. The range of suitable vessels is limited mostly by your imagination. With seaworthiness suitable to your chosen cruising area, the ability to carry a load of gear and companions, and a reliable rig, you are off. The necessary gear can be simple...
Boat Profile
MARCUS NOER
A Danish four-sail double-ender
...boat. But as he does so, he should know that each saw cut made straight and true and each plank line sweeping an honest curve will contribute to the understanding of something greater. Each boat built should contribute to the understanding for the next boat. This 17′ 81⁄2″ lapstrake-planked double-ender can stand comparison to the finest of yacht design, and...
Boat Profile
RETRO-ROCKET
Glen-L’s Super Spartan makes a splash
...about the comfort of the driver, who must kneel on the cockpit sole when the boat is underway. “It’s important to put something down to absorb shock and stay dry,” he said. “At a local surplus store I found just the thing—the long black foam wrist rests used with computer keyboards. I bought 20 of them, and that’s what you...
Boat Profile
Duckling
A sliding-seat skiff
...amidships supports a fixed thwart and, paired with a bulkhead at the forward edge of the thwart, it creates a compartment for foam flotation. A similar compartment in the stern supports a woven cane seat for a passenger. The rest of the hull is uncluttered except for a pair of drain plugs. To withstand the rigors of being stored uncovered...
Boat Profile
Beetle 14
Sequel to a legend
...racing-oriented model,” Sauerbrey noted. “The latter would have a flatter bottom and tighter turn at the bilge. The Beetle 14’s comparatively round bottom is deeper than a Beetle Cat’s and puts more of the rudder in the water. This not only improves steering as the boat heels but means we could round off the rudder. This rudder won’t catch the...
Designs, Daysailer,
15′ Marsh Cat Catboat
Cold-molded construction results in a light, tight hull that is well suited to trailering.
...set of plans for the Marsh Cat Catboat includes: lines, full-sized patterns (for molds, stem, and expanded transom-no lofting needed), construction, sail and spar plans, lumber and fastening list, full-sized hardware drawings, and even directions for making ballast bags. WB Plan No. 95, $90.00. Click for a Complete Marsh Cat Catboat Profile and Video Plan 95 DESCRIPTION Hull type: Round-bottomed,...
Designs, Powerboats,
Candlefish Skiff 13′, 16′, 18′
Choose from three sizes based on your needs.
...that of the 13, or with just side benches for seating and an open cockpit without the central storage compartment. The Candlefish 18 adds a pair of plywood longitudinal bulkheads to brace the bottom and provide additional enclosed storage compartments. Plans for the Candlefish 13, Candlefish 16 and Candlefish 18 include detailed scaled drawings and offsets for the transom, bulkheads,...