canoe Archives - Small Boats Magazine

David W. Dillion Plans at Mystic Seaport’s Website

Posted on November 27, 2019April 21, 2020 by Anne Bryant

Special thanks to friend-of-the-magazine Ben Fuller for bringing it to our attention that 37 drawings by David W. Dillion of 15 different designs have recently appeared on Mystic Seaport Museum’s website. The plans are now available for purchase, too.

From the archives: Read about the Woods Hole Spritsail Boat, one of the boats Dillion documented for Mystic Seaport.

From Mystic Seaport: “David W. Dillion was an engineering draftsman before establishing a career as a freelance boat documentation specialist. He measured and drew more than seventy boats up to a hundred feet in length and taught lines-taking at the WoodenBoat School and half a dozen maritime museums across the United States. His plans have been published in WoodenBoat and other periodicals. He was the major contributor to the Museum Small Craft Association’s publication Boats, A Manual for Their Documentation.

List of Available Dillion Plans

North Haven Peapod, 13’x 3’10″. Carvel planked.

Nova Scotia Gunning Skiff, 14’9″ x 4’2”. Carvel planked, double ender.

Five Islands Skiff, 15′ x 4’5″. Round hull, transom stern, carvel planked.

Abaco Dinghy. Owned by Lance Lee, carvel planked, transom stern. No centerboard.

Bindals Boat, 15′-10″ x 4′3″. Danish built in the Norse style. Owned 1985 by James S. Rockefeller, Jr. Study plans only to show construction details.

Whitney Gunning Float duck hunting boat for oar or scull, 15’7″ x 48″. Carvel planked, transom stern.

Rangeley Boat, Herb Ellis No. 2, 17′2″ x 4′2″.

Whitehall pulling/sailing boat built by Orvil Young during 1968-69 as a recreational boat for the schooner ROSEWAY of Camden, Maine, 16′3″ x 4′5″. Based on fig. 73 of Chapelle’s American Small Sailing Craft. Carvel planked.

Rangeley Boat, Herbert N. Ellis #3; a wide transom attempts to make a more stable outboard version.

Westport Sharpie Firefly, 12’3″x 4’4″. Flat-bottomed and cross planked skiff, centerboard, two planks per side.

Lighthouse Peapod, 14’2 “x 4’8”. Carvel planked.

Matinicus Peapod, Sailing, 15’ x 4’6″. Based on John Gardner’s plans and documented as-built by the Apprenticeshop in Rockland, Maine. Lapstrake with centerboard.

Creole Skiff Gibben Dupre, 17′9″ x 4′9″. Built by Alexander Giroir at Pierre Part, Louisiana, in 1934.

Canoe by J.R. Robertson, 15′ x 30″. Built at Auburndale, Mass. in the early 1900s. Lapstrake construction.

Rushton canoe Ugo, 16′ x 30″. Smooth-skin lapstrake.

Coast Guard Advises Labeling Paddlecraft, Free Labels Are Available

Posted on April 2, 2019April 21, 2020 by Anne Bryant

Orange reflective sticker with space for your information from the US Coast Guard

In the recent Atlantic Coastal Kayaker, they shared a couple of important advisories from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding free labels and what happens if they find a small boat unlabeled and unmanned. Here’s what the USCG says:

The Coast Guard urges paddlecraft owners to properly secure and label their vessels. Coast Guard crews treat every unmanned-adrift vessel as a search and rescue case and immediately launch a search for potential mariners in distress.

“Every unmanned-adrift vessel is treated as a potential distress situation, which takes up valuable time, resources and manpower,” said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Brook Serbu of the 13th District Command Center, Seattle, Washington. “When the craft is properly labeled, the situation can often be quickly resolved with a phone call to the vessel owner, which minimizes personnel fatigue and negative impacts on crew readiness.”

Helicopter and boat crews individually search an average of two hours per response and a similar amount of time is spent by other government agency personnel. Additionally, Coast Guard command center and 911 center personnel spend an additional four hours investigating the incident.

Coast Guard officials encourage all paddlecraft owners to label their vessels using a permanent or waterproof marker covered with clear, waterproof tape for increased durability. You can also check with a local outdoor recreation retailer or Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla to obtain a Paddle Smart Identification Sticker. At the very least, the label should include the name of the vessel’s owner, a number to reach them. and a secondary point of contact. In the event that the vessel is adrift, crews can use that information to contact the owner and avoid launching an unnecessary search. If the owner of a vessel is unable to be located after a reasonable amount of time, Coast Guard crews are forced to destroy the vessel or turn it over to the state for disposal.

Mariners who encounter unmanned-adrift vessels or other hazards to navigation are encouraged to contact their local Coast Guard District Command Center or via VHF-FM Channel 16.

And later in that report: “The Coast Guard offers free ‘If Found’ decals to mark gear or you write directly on it,” said a Coast Guard spokesperson, Sector Honolulu. “The information on the sticker can allow responders to determine if someone is in distress more quickly and help us get your gear back to you.”

The stickers can be obtained for free at local harbormasters, through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and at select marine retail and supply stores. Similarly, if you lose kayaks, surfboard or safety equipment such as lifejackets, please report it to the Coast Guard to help our search and rescue specialists deconflict possible distress reports. The self-adhesive labels are retroreflective and highly visible at night in the light of a flashlight. If someone finds your strayed gear, you might get it back and, by calling the phone numbers you list, the Coast Guard will know not to go looking for you and your boat.

Bushcraft/Canoeist TSCA Dauphin Island Rendezvous

Traditional Small Craft Association (TSCA) Rendezvous on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Specifics for the day sails and overnight camping will be decided based on participants and weather forecasts leading up to the dates. The Dauphin Island Campground near the ferry landing will be home base for the event. A boat ramp with parking is available near the campground.

This is the first rendezvous for our new chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association. RSVP via Facebook, the link is in this listing.

Natalie Warren’s Series About Great Places to Paddle

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Anne Bryant

Canoe & Kayak did a 26-town rundown of places to paddle that they called the Best Paddling Towns of North America. They weren’t done with the sweet suggestions, though.

They continued with a series they call “(Next) Best Paddling Towns,” articles by Natalie Warren , wherein she takes readers to great places for adventures in small boats. Warren doesn’t only tell in pictures and words how these places look, she also gives tips about coffee shops and other local gems to visit, cool towns and trails along the way, and about the passionate organizations that maintain the amenities mentioned.

She’s great about the nuts-and-bolts information about those amenities and the ability levels needed to have a great trip in each place. Warren shares both overnight and day trip possibilities with readers, and has all sorts of boaters in mind when she shares what she’s found. For example, lodging options bridge the spectrum from bed and breakfast stays for your fancier adventure to camping for your humbler excursions.

Where do you go to read about new places to paddle, sail, row, and motor?

Nisqually Tribal Canoe Journey 2017

Posted on July 19, 2017April 21, 2020 by Anne Bryant

Photographer and filmmaker Matika Wilbur is documenting the Nisqually tribe’s annual Tribal Canoe Journey that starts at Squaxin Island. The paddlers are making a demonstration of indigenous sovereignty, and it’s a spiritual journey for those involved. A full schedule of the trip is here. They’ll be traveling to about 15 different stops with only a few layovers, hosted by other tribes until they return to Squaxin August 8. Here’s the first video, which was posted yesterday:

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel for more, and follow Matika on Twitter @matikawilbur.