Adventures
An unconventional Alaskan camp-cruiser
<span class="excerpt_part">...our <strong>com</strong>pact galley alcove to serve as a table and countertops. We kneel on knee-friendly, 1″-thick foam topped by carpet. We use simple snap-latch dogs to secure the longitudinal bench seat’s storage-locker lids. We also use one for the aft locker hatch. These simple wood-and-paracord dogs were inspired by those used in fishery tote lids. Nylon paracord acts as a...</span>
Boat Profile
Fit to row the Grand Canyon
<span class="excerpt_part">...If the load is the least bit off-center, it becomes difficult to maintain a straight course; the boat tends to spin to the weighted side. https:/<strong>/www</strong>.youtube<strong>.com</strong>/watch?v=lmwkJohrIJo Jess and I built our dory in about 75 days, working on and off over two years. It was a wonderfully rewarding experience. A decked river dory like the Colorado River Dory is a...</span>
Product Reviews
An epoxy with flexibility
<span class="excerpt_part">...hours. Inside the static mixing tip, a series of baffles fold the white and brown <strong>com</strong>ponents back on themselves until they emerge tan and fully blended. Thixo Flex’s resin and hardener are contained in a single cartridge and dispensed simultaneously with a high-thrust caulk gun. The <strong>com</strong>ponents are blended as they flow through a mixing tip, so there is no...</span>
Product Reviews
Myerchin's rigger's knife with pliers
<span class="excerpt_part">...find this gives a more <strong>com</strong>fortable and secure angle than a straighter folding marlinespike to work into tight knots. The spike point is smooth but not sharp and will not puncture skin unless excessive force is applied. The spike serves as a handle for the pliers, which have 1″-long plier jaws and are very handy to tighten and loosen shackle...</span>
Product Reviews
Precut panels and patches for a strong and efficient DIY sail
<span class="excerpt_part">...the shape will provide good performance for the small pram. Audrey and Kent Lewis mess about in the Tidewater Region of Virginia, and look forward to the launch of their mighty pram, EXCUSE ME. Their adventures are logged at <strong>www</strong>.smallboatrestoration.blogspot<strong>.com</strong>. The Nutshell sail kit in white Dacron costs $169.90. It is also available in cream ($289.20) and tanbark ($295.20). Sailrite...</span>
Boat Profile
A plywood deep-V sportfisher
<span class="excerpt_part">...ample range for southern California fishing. https:/<strong>/www</strong>.youtube<strong>.com</strong>/watch?v=Txv3gYn8pyk Our 24′ La Paz sits on a trailer we had custom-made. It weighs roughly 4,000 lbs fully loaded and trailers like a dream. At the launch ramp it can be handled by one person, but usually needs to be walked off and on with the trailer close to the dock. Two pairs of...</span>
Boat Profile
A shallow-draft outboard
<span class="excerpt_part">...6″-wide strip of plywood on either side. The bottom should not be widened more than that because it’s designed as a “floating bottom” that flexes when underway. Another dimension some builders decide to veer from is the 20ʺ to 24ʺ height of the sides. This height, <strong>com</strong>bined with the flare and splash rails, provides a bone-dry ride in most conditions....</span>
Technique
An epoxy cure for weathered plywood
<span class="excerpt_part">...epoxy before painting or varnishing is a step well worth the time and expe<strong>nse.</strong> When not treating checked plywood, Audrey and Kent Lewis mess about in their armada of 16 small boats. Their adventures are logged at <strong>www</strong>.smallboatrestoration.blogspot<strong>.com</strong> For the editor’s perspective on checking and his repairs inspired by this article, see “Checking My Work” in this issue. You can...</span>
Boat Profile
Joel White’s classic
<span class="excerpt_part">...is then placed on top of the molds and temporarily held on with screws. The molds are drawn to the inside of the frames, so the ribbands are let into notches in the molds. The 1/2″-thick, white-oak frames are steam-bent over the ribbands and fastened to the backbone with bronze ring nails. The frames are spaced 5-1/2″ apart, with the...</span>
Boat Profile
Everything from gunkholing to open-water sailing
<span class="excerpt_part">...eliminate the need for lofting. Phil Maynard Sailed level, the Marsh Cat has very little weather helm and can clip along at 5 to 6 knots. The round-bilged hull can be cold-molded, or carvel-, lapstrake-, or strip-planked. I chose to strip-plank the hull with 5/8″ x 1″ western red-cedar strips. The hull is constructed upside down on a strongback supporting...</span>
Boat Profile
A smart little runabout from 1938 designed by Bruce N. Crandall
<span class="excerpt_part">...teaches; the project took 18 months of his spare time. Construction begins upside-down on a strongback with sawn ring frames constructed of lapped pieces for the bottom, sides, and deckbeams. The plans specified frames made from 5/8”-thick spruce or mahogany or 1/2″-thick white oak, but Kaufman went with sassafras, making the frames 9/16″ thick and the transom 5/8″ thick. Crandall...</span>
Boat Profile
A plywood speedster from Bateau.com
<span class="excerpt_part">...Jacques Mertens-Goossens of Bateau<strong>.com</strong> is one such craft. Jacques has been building and designing boats for most of his life. Schooled in Belgium in yacht design, he has created a considerable stable of boat designs. He was an early adopter of CAD, and Bateau<strong>.com</strong> quickly made the transition to CNC-cut kits so Jacques could spend more time designing boats while...</span>
Adventures
Paddling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
<span class="excerpt_part">...raw quality, but I was hoping to do without the <strong>com</strong>mon Voyageur maladies of <strong>com</strong>pacted spines and hernias. At 28, I was still living with my mother when I wasn’t working for Outward Bound. My friends found this odd, but my Italian grandfather assured me that when he was a boy the practice of living with a parent at my...</span>
From The Editor
Following a 19th-century adventurer
<span class="excerpt_part">...boats being made of paper by Waters & Sons, the only <strong>com</strong>pany making paper boats, as well as observatory domes and racing shells. The <strong>com</strong>pany was in Troy, so he ordered a paper canoe. This letter, dated October 12, 1874, seems to be an announcement of the <strong>com</strong>pletion of the canoe. Nine days later, having christened the 58-lb canoe MARIA...</span>
Boat Profile
An eye-catching blend of old and new technology.
<span class="excerpt_part">...the step—and that’s all there is to it. To raise the sail there is just the one halyard counter-tensioned by the downhaul, and thanks to the boomless foot, the sail can be raised with the wind <strong>com</strong>ing from any direction. With two adults aboard, the Harrier seems bigger than her 17’6″ by 5′, and despite her lightweight construction (6mm plywood...</span>
<span class="excerpt_part">...and how to send it. You’re also welcome to email us your suggestions for articles; we’ll try to find a writer who can cover the topics you’re interested in. E-mail Jenny Bennett, Editor, at jenny@woodenboat<strong>.com</strong>. Q. May I post <strong>com</strong>ments and images on this site? A. Yes, you are welcome to post <strong>com</strong>ments on articles, and our Classifieds section allows...</span>
Boat Profile
A beach-launched outboard fishing skiff
<span class="excerpt_part">...22′, a beam of 7.5′ to 8′ carried well forward, a 5′- to 6′-wide flat bottom, a transom raked at 12 degrees, and sides angled of at least 25 degrees. Sandy Weedman, (pcphotolady.webs<strong>.com</strong>) With a flat bottom that’s 5′ wide for much of its length, the Hunky Dory is quick to get on plane even at low speeds. For the...</span>
<span class="excerpt_part">Customer Service customerservice@smallboatsmonthly<strong>.com</strong> Contact the Editors Would you like to pitch a story to Small Boats Magazine? Or let us know of a boat we should profile? Or send us a <strong>com</strong>ment, a criticism, or an accolade? If so, please e-mail Jenny Bennett, editor, at jenny@woodenboat<strong>.com</strong>. You can also review our Editorial Guidelines....</span>
News and Curiosities
<span class="excerpt_part">...New England—July 28 in Boston (It’s really soon!) Contact: Kelly Crawford, Kelly<strong>@com</strong>munityboatbuilding.org Here’s a link to their flyer. Mid-Atlantic—November 3 in Philadelphia Contact: Gary Lowell, gnlowell@gmail<strong>.com</strong> Great Lakes—In October Contact: Bill Nimke, bill@allhandsboatworks.org Northwest—Planning an event in the Fall Contact: Robin Mills robin@nwmaritime.org Bay Area—October 18, Berkeley Contact: Inka Petersen, peterseninka@gmail<strong>.com</strong> South—Still trying to see if there is “critical mass”...</span>
Boat Profile
A fast and heavy skiff from Westport, Massachusetts
<span class="excerpt_part">...at this hull shape after being pressed by the same needs and longings of those who came before him: inshore watermen looking seaward. What better way to do this than to adapt a proven skiff for rough-water work. Photo by Matthew P. Murphy Wesport skiffs were designed for the shallow expa<strong>nse</strong> of the Westport River, where the ability to travel...</span>
Boat Profile
A dreamboat for the rest of us
<span class="excerpt_part">...the benefit of students. Bending-in steamed frames provides new boatbuilders with a fun and important lesson that transfers to more <strong>com</strong>plicated work. Kiefer nearly always factors in a design’s suitability as a teaching tool in his classes. While not a <strong>com</strong>mon theme in glued-lapstrake plywood construction, the sassafras frames add stiffness to the hull and heighten the traditional look of...</span>
Boat Profile
On its way to becoming a Northwest classic
<span class="excerpt_part">...185 lbs with the centerboard and trunk, and carries an 85-sq-ft spritsail. For <strong>com</strong>parison, the Hvalsoe 13 is truly 13′ in length, but the beam and draft are the same as the 16’s. It weighs 155 lbs and the spritsail is 65 sq ft. “Either of these boats is a capable near-shore boat within the confines of <strong>com</strong>mon se<strong>nse,</strong>” says...</span>
<span class="excerpt_part">...cancel your subscription anytime from your account page or by emailing customerservice@smallboatsmonthly<strong>.com</strong>. If your subscription has expired, you’ll see a prompt to subscribe when browsing our web site. Your access to the current issue and back issues will be restored upon renewal of your subscription. Special Offer When You Subscribe to Small Boats Magazine You can add the 14th Annual...</span>
Boat Profile
Designed and built for Alaskan waters
<span class="excerpt_part">...plywood surface inside and out is covered with a layer of 6- or 10-oz ’glass cloth and epoxy. The inwales are open and constructed from single pieces of wood, without scarfs. The rails are an integral design element in an open boat without obstructions for walking about. The inside rail is ironbark—a heavy, de<strong>nse</strong> eucalyptus. The outside rail is fir....</span>
<span class="excerpt_part">...Nation, as final and binding as it relates to the content. The giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. 3. Giveaway Period: Entries will be accepted online starting on or about Sept. 18, 2024 and ending Oct. 14, 2024. All online entries must be received by 5:00 PM EST on Oct. 14, 2024. The winner will...</span>