WoodenBoat 227 JulAug 2012

227

Why Maine LobsterMen Choose Wood • antigua CLassiCs

THe MAGAZINe FOR WOODeN BOAT OWNeRS, BUILDeRS, AND DeSIGNeRS

Peter Kass
Terrapin Smack
Seaclipper 10
Mumbai
Ranger Class
JULY/AUGUST 2012

BENITO: Maine Builder, Australian Owner
Shop-Built Powerboat Steering
Anchoring Under Sail • A Trainer Trimaran

WB227_C1A.indd 1

www.woodenboat.com

JULY/AUGUST 2012
NUMBeR 227
$6.95
$7.95 in Canada
£3.95 in U.K.

5/23/12 10:50 AM

Wherever great
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Discover a Modern Classic

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48 Rope Steering for Powerboats
Simple and affordable
shop-made solutions

Harry Bryan

Page 48
Page 78

A trimaran for the pure joy
of sailing

Features

Jim Brown

62 BENITO

33 Revisiting the Classics
The terrapin smack

54 The Seaclipper 10

Reuel B. Parker

Discovered on YouTube,
built by Skype

Bruce Stannard

40 Anchoring Under Sail
Sharpen your skills with
the motor off

Bruce Halabisky

44 A Letter from India
Visiting Mumbai’s
Sassoon Dock

Peter Neill

Page 40

69 Catching Up with Peter Kass
Thirty years of wooden
Matthew P. Murphy
lobsterboats

78 The Ranger Class
Page 54

A wholesome sloop from
Sydney

John D. Little

2 • WoodenBoat 227

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Number 227
July/August 2012

ReadeR SeRviceS
116 How to Reach Us
117 Boatbrokers
Page 69

120 Boatbuilders
128 Kits and Plans

depaRTmenTS

132 Classified

5 Editor’s Page
Bonus Content

143 Index to Advertisers

8 Letters
16 Currents
28 Fo’c’s’le
How Not to Anchor

edited by Tom Jackson
David Kasanof

Richard Jagels

92 Launchings…

Robin Jettinghoff

99 The WoodenBoat Review
• G.L. Watson
John Rousmaniere
• VaSa
Tom Jackson
• Metal-cutting blade
Kevin D. Porter
• Books Received
109 Calendar of Events
144 Save a Classic
ONDINE, POCAHONTAS, and
MARION M

Greg Rössel

Cory Silken

87 Designs
Shore Liner and Gunkholer:
Mike O’Brien
Shoal-draft cruisers

and Relaunchings

pages 16/17

Getting Started in Boats:
Tools for Boatbuilding

74 In Focus
Antigua Classic
Yacht Regatta

90 Wood Technology
Why Specific Gravity,
Not Density?

TeaR-ouT SupplemenT

Maynard Bray

Cover: In southern
Australia, the 44' Peter
Kass–built lobsterboat
BENITO cruises her
home waters. Via Skype,
the owner oversaw the
boat’s construction at
the Maine-based
John’s Bay Boat Co.
See page 62.
Photograph by
Peter Champion
WoodenBoat (ISSN 0095–067X) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September,
and November in Brooklin, Maine, by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc., Jonathan A. Wilson,
Chairman. Subscription offices are at P.O. Box 16958, North Hollywood, CA 91615–6958;
1–800–877–5284 for U.S. and Canada. Overseas: 1–818–487–2084.
Subscription rate is $32.00 for one year (6 issues) in the U.S. and its possessions. Canadian
subscription rate is $37.00, U.S. funds. Surface rate overseas is $45.00, U.S. funds per year.
Periodical postage paid at Brooklin, ME 04616 and additional mailing offices. In Canada,
periodical postage paid at Toronto, Ontario (Canadian periodical Agreement No. 40612608,
GST Registration No. R127081008).
U.S. Postmaster: Please send Change of Address (form 3579) to P.O. Box 16958, North
Hollywood, CA 91615–6958
Canada Postmaster: Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2, Canada.

July/August 2012 • 3

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WoodenBoat magazine’s

design challenge iV

Rethinking the Wooden Runabout

the runabout, without a doubt,
is one of the world’s favorite recreational
boats. For fishing, picnicking, water skiing,
or just zipping around on a sunny summer
day, it’s hard to beat the pure fun of this
versatile family boat.
The popularity of the type dates back to the years
between the two World Wars, when builders such as
Gar Wood and Chris Smith popularized these boats
through mass production. The efficiencies they
achieved helped make boat ownership an attainable
dream for the person
of average means.
The booming postWorld War II economy
brought about great
evolution in the
design of these boats,
but these changes
came with the
fiberglass revolution, and there was little fresh thinking
in wood—at least compared with the great variety of
fiberglass runabouts that emerged during that era.
For this new Design Challenge, we ask you to rethink
the wooden runabout, applying design principles,
powering options, layouts, and construction techniques
not available or conceived of during Chris-Craft’s heyday.

Wooden Runabout design challenge
WoodenBoat magazine
P.o. box 78 • brooklin, me 04616 usa

PaRameteRs:
n Conceive a fun, multipurpose day boat, in wood, that could
be built by a dedicated amateur.
n The length of the new boat must fall between 18’ and 25’.
n There is no stated horsepower restriction, but common
sense should prevail.
n There must be a minimum seating capacity for four people.

submissions must be the designer’s original, previously
unpublished, work and must include:

n A narrative description of the design concept (Word
document or PDF).
n Lines, profile, sections, and construction plans, an accurate
weight study, and performance and cost calculations (JPG
or PDF).
The judging of this Challenge will include a “reader favorite”
category, requiring that the materials described above be posted
on the WoodenBoat magazine website, www.woodenboat.com,
for judging.
We will award $1,000 to the first-place design, $500 to the
second-place winner, and $500 to the reader-favorite winner.

Entries must be received by November 1, 2012.
WoodenBoat’s sister publication, Professional BoatBuilder, is currently
sponsoring a similar contest, but for a production-built boat. These two
contests will be judged separately, and so must be entered separately.

Photos courtesy of The Wooden Runabout Company, Holland, Michigan

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Bonus Content
41 WoodenBoat Lane • P.O. Box 78
Brooklin, ME 04616–0078
tel. 207–359–4651 • fax 207–359–8920
e-mail: [email protected]
web site: www.woodenboat.com
PUBLISHER Carl Cramer
EdItORIAL
Editor Matthew P. Murphy
Senior Editor Tom Jackson
Assistant Editor robin Jettinghoff
technical Editor Maynard Bray
Boat design Editor Mike O’Brien
Contributing Editors Harry Bryan, Greg rössel
Copy Editor Jane Crosen
ARt & PROdUCtION
Art director Olga Lange
Advertising Art director Blythe Heepe
Associate Art director Phil Schirmer
CIRCULAtION
director richard Wasowicz
Associates Lorna Grant, Pat Hutchinson
MARkEtINg & SALES
Associate Publisher Anne Dunbar
AdvERtISINg
director Todd richardson
Manager Laura Sherman
Classified Wendy E. Sewall
Sales Associates

E ast Coast & M idwEst:






ray Clark, 401–247–4922; [email protected]
Frank Fitz, 401–245–7424; [email protected]
NEw ENglaNd: John K. Hanson, Jr.,
207–594–8622; [email protected]

wEst Coast aNd wEstErN CaNada:



iNtErNatioNal: 207–359–4651;



Ted Pike, 360–385–2309; [email protected]
[email protected]

woodENBoat M arkEtplaCE:

Tina Dunne, [email protected]
RESEARCH
director Anne Bray
Associates Patricia J. Lown, rosemary Poole
BUSINESS
Office Manager Tina Stephens
Staff Accountant Jackie Fuller
Associate roxanne Sherman
Reception Heidi Gommo
tHE WOOdENBOAt StORE
www.woodenboatstore.com
1–800–273–SHIP (7447); fax 207–359–2058
Catalog Manager Ann Neuhauser
Associates Jody Allen, Elaine Hutchinson,
Chet Staples
WOOdENBOAt BOOkS
www.woodenboatbooks.com
Book Publisher Scot Bell
WOOdENBOAt SCHOOL
director rich Hilsinger
Business Manager Kim Patten
WEBSItE
Manager Greg Summers
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Jonathan A. Wilson
President and general Manager James E. Miller
Copyright 2012 by WoodenBoat Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reprinted without written permission from the publisher.
CONTrIBuTIONS: Address all editorial communications to Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin,
ME 04616–0078. WoodenBoat is a largely reader- written
magazine. Care is taken with unsolicited contributions,
but we are not responsible for damage or loss.
PrINTED
IN u.S.A.
Printed on 10% Recycled Paper

As I write this in mid May, we’re just days away from a long-anticipated
relaunching of our website. An ever-growing wish-list of offerings, and
the numerous technical challenges associated with them, have turned
a seemingly straightforward project into a months-long task for website
manager Greg Summers. But now, the countdown clock is ticking toward
a launch day, so here’s a list of some of the things you’ll encounter at the
new site—if you haven’t already found your way to it:
Video and Photos
You can post or view videos in one of several ways. The “WoodenBoat TV”
button will take you to a collection of videos from other sites. Want to
learn how to build an ultralight, wood-framed, fabric-covered canoe? Or
watch a documentary about Viking ships? Or see Crosby Stills and Nash
performing their classic song “Wooden Ships” live in 1974? WoodenBoat
TV is the place. You can also post your own videos and photographs, and
view those of others, in a section dedicated to community videos. And you
can visit the Bonus Content Section under WoodenBoat magazine to view
our ever-growing library of videos related to the magazine’s content.
Calendar of Events and Schools Listing
This will be the last issue of WoodenBoat to carry the Calendar of Events.
The roster of events has been growing in recent years, and we realize that,
with WoodenBoat’s worldwide reach, most of the events in the calendar are
not relevant to most readers. Therefore, we’ll highlight a few events in
print each issue (beginning in September, this will appear in Currents),
and move the complete Calendar to the website. You’ll be able to manage
your own calendar listings online.
For many years, we’ve also published a six-page listing of boatbuilding
schools. This list will now live online, and may be continually updated by schools.
Launchings
We’ve had an online version of our popular Launchings department for
a few years, but it’s even better now. It has a cleaner layout, with a list
of boats and thumbnail images of each boat on that list. Click on the
thumbnail for a gallery of images, the boat’s technical specifications,
and a short narrative of the boat’s design and construction. The search
function for this section has gotten better, too: It’s easier to use and more
powerful than before.
The Backstory
In this soon-to-be-added blog, we’ll share anecdotes and images related
to articles in the magazine—the stories behind the stories.
Marketplace and Boats for Sale
Do you have a business for which you’re seeking wider exposure, or are
you selling a wooden boat? Our marketplace section allows you to initiate,
update, and pay for your listing online. If you’re selling kits and plans, we
also have a section where you can list your offerings free of charge.
Free Boat Plans
The Alexandria Seaport Foundation in Virginia has generously made
available the plans for their popular Bevins Skiff, along with a manual
describing how to build the boat. At our new website, you can download
these files in PDF format—as long as you agree to involve kids in the
building of your boat.
We hope you find this new website engaging and that it helps you connect
with the wider wooden boat community. Please let us know what you
think of it. You can reach us by email, Facebook, the online comment
form, the WoodenBoat Forum (which will remain unchanged on the new
website), and by good old postal mail.

July/August 2012 • 5

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5/23/12 10:35 AM

JU

12

O JULY 1
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9
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21ST ANNUAL

WOODENBOAT
SHOW
MYSTIC SEAPORT
MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT

PRODUCED & PRESENTED BY

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To order tickets:

800-273-7447

www.TheWoodenBoatShow.com

TM

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5/22/12 11:08 AM

• Exhibitor List as of May 18, 2012 •
Adirondack Guide Boat Inc. 
Air Head Composting Toilets
Airchairs 
American Schooner Association 
Antique Tools and More 
The Apprenticeshop
Arey’s Pond Boatyard 
Artisan Boatworks 
Atkin Boat Plans 
Avesta & Co 
Bad Dog Tools 
Beetle, Inc. 
The Belted Cow Co. 
Benford Design Group 
Berkshire Boat Building School 
Bete-Fleming, Inc. 
The Beveled Edge 
Boats by Thurston
Bonnie Lasse Unlimited, LLC
Boston BoatWorks LLC
Brewer Banner Designs 
Brightworks, Inc. 
Bristol Boat Company 
Brooks Boats Designs 
Bryan Boatbuilding and Topsail Canvas
Cape Cod Maritime Museum 
Cesars World Inc.
Chart Metalworks 
Chesapeake Light Craft 
Coastal Tool
Concordia Company, Inc. 
Connecticut River Books 
Crocker’s Boat Yard 
Crushable Hats Inc. 
Custom Cordage LLC 
D N Hylan & Associates 
Dudley Dix Yacht Design
East Passage Boatwrights 
EasyCare Energy Solutions
M/V Edelweiss, Scott Lanzner
Epifanes NA Inc.
FeatherBow 
Festool
Fein Power Tools
Forman School 
Frayed Knot Arts 
Gannon & Benjamin
Great Lakes Boat Building School 
Grundy Insurance 
Guillemot Kayaks 
Hamilton Marine 
Hansen Marine, Inc. 
Have a Heart Children’s Cancer Society
Heritage Marine Insurance 
Herreshoff Marine Museum 
Hewes & Company 
Pamela Hitchcock, Goldsmith
HMS Enterprises, Inc. 
Hoist Away Bags 

WBShow227.indd 7

Hud-Son Forest Equipment Inc. 
International Yacht Restoration School
(IYRS)
Island Jewelry
J.M. Reineck & Son 
LaBrie Small Craft
The Landing School
Layton’s Loft 
Lee Valley & Veritas Tools
M/V LIBERTY NY - Thomas Harnisher
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 
The Log Cabin Gallery Shop 
Lowell’s Boat Shop 
Luxe-Craft, Inc.
Mack Boring and Parts Co./Yanmar 
M/V Malesh - Arthur T. Lyman
Midwestern Solutions 
MP&G 
Monroe Boat Shop 
M/V Mundoo II 
Ned Murtha Realty
Newport Nautical Timbers 
NOAH Publications/Calendar of
Wooden Boats 
Noah’s 
Oakcliff Sailing 
Ocean Classroom Foundation
OffCenterHarbor.com 
Old Charts of New England 
Onion River Boatworks
Peaceful Places
Pease Boatworks & Marine Railway
Penobscot Bay Porch Swings
Pert Lowell Co., Inc.
Pettit Paint
Pleasant Bay Boat & Spar Company
Points East Magazine
Portland Yacht Services
Prazi USA, Inc.
Prism Polish
Pulsifer Hampton
R&W Traditional Rigging & Outfitting
RBG Cannons, LLC

S/V Rebecca of Vineyard Haven
Brian Malcolm
Reuben Smith’s Tumblehome Boatshop
Rescue Tape
Restorations by Phil Mitchell
Rocking the Boat
Rockport Marine, Inc
Ron Rantilla Rowing Systems
The Rope Dope
Ross Bros
Salt Water Workshop
Scrimshaw - Jane & Lara
Sea Fever Gear
Sea-Legs, Inc.
Shelter Institute
Ships of Glass, Inc.
Sound Marine Diesel LLC
Stonington Boat Works, LLC
Strong Fire Arms Company LLC
Sunglass World
Swanson Boat Company
T & L Tools
Taylor & Snediker Boatbuilding &
Yacht Restoration
Thomas Townsend Custom Marine
Woodworking
Tidal River Clothing Co.
Tiller Publishing
M/V TRUE LOVE - Fred Roffe
Two Daughters Boatworks
UBS Financial Services
U.S. Sportswear
West System Inc.
Wood-Mizer Products, Inc.
Wooden Boat Regatta Series
Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation
WoodenBoat Books 
WoodenBoat Magazine Editorial 
WoodenBoat Magazine Subscriptions
The WoodenBoat School
WoodenBoat Store
World’s Best Dog Harness
YNOT Yachts

Saturday Evening Tribute Dinner

Honoring Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway
Advance tickets required.

800-273-7447

www.woodenboatstore.com

Sponsors:
I Built It Myself
Interlux Yacht Finishes

Demonstrations
Concours d’Elegance
Gorilla Glue
Heritage Marine Insurance

5/22/12 11:16 AM

Memories of Great South Bay
Dear Matt,
The article on the Great South Bay
tong boat in WB No. 226 came over
me like a wave of déjà vu. I am a
product of the time, place, and era
described in that article, and since it
showed only a narrow sliver of those
days, vessels, and boatbuilders, I’d
like to share some additional information based on my experiences.
Dick Brennan, the man who taught
my father how to sail, taught me this
saying from the Great South Bay:
“You can take the boy out of the bay,
but you can’t take the bay out of the
boy.”
I am enclosing a photo of a tong
boat working on Great South Bay
during the 1970s. It was originally
a working-sail vessel, and was converted to power and had just undergone a major refit at the time of the
photo. This is typical of tong boats
of the middle, wider part of Great
South Bay. The garvey-style, decked
tong boats such as the one in your
article were more common in the
western and eastern, more sheltered parts of the bay. The largest
percentage of clammers were “rakers” during the boom of the 1970s.
Tonging in our more exposed area
of the bay off Sayville and West Sayville was generally done in vessels
ranging around 28'–35'. Raking was
generally done in open garveys and
sharpies ranging from 18' to 22',
with garveys by far the most common. I remember watching some of

the original West Sayville “Dutchmen” baymen (all tongers)—some
in their 80s—coming back in the
early afternoon at the same dock
that is shown in the Clamdigger video
on your website. They’d caught
twice as many hard-shell clams as I
did in my early 20s.
The raking garveys and sharpies were almost all built of plywood
(often A–C) on oak or fir frames, and
fiberglassed. There were a few allfiberglass models, but they were in
the minority. The larger tong boats
ranged from original working-sail
oyster catboats or sloops converted
to power (almost all sawn frame and
carvel planked), to later wooden vessels of similar model built for power.
Later, when traditional plank-onframe construction was less common on the bay, some of the tong
boats were built in the Chesapeake
Bay region, deadrise-style, and a few
hulls were even built in Maine and
based on lobsterboats—but with
cut-down freeboards.
The tong boats would anchor
when they were clamming, usually
with a modified kedge anchor with
sharp and narrow bills. They had
a long rode and would drop back
as they worked. Also on board was
generally a light grapnel, so that
they could work the boat sideways,
if needed. Tonging for clams was an
evolution of tonging earlier for oysters; it employed various-length shaft
tongs depending upon the depth of
water. Raking was done with the ves-

COURTESY OF STEVE PAGELS

A former catboat, converted for clamming on Great South Bay in the 1970s.

sel drifting and working a telescoping aluminum pole over the bottom.
The deeper the water, the longer the
pole and number of sections. You
would constantly see a raker adjusting the length of his pole depending upon the tide. A little wind or
tide was good for a raker, but too
much and he needed to slow down
his drift, so various drags were
used ranging from light mushroom
anchors to scrap metal secured to
a rode with the cleat handy to the
raker. A tonger in a larger vessel
with a hold could pull the hatch(es)
back, step into the hold, and cull
the clams on the deck to make it
easier on his back. A raker generally had his cull rack set handy on
the rail. The cull rack was an aluminum grate made from tubes set at 1"
apart—the legal limit for littlenecks.
Clams were culled, sorted, and sold
by size, littlenecks and “top”-necks
bringing the best price. I remember
prices of $18–$20 per bushel for littlenecks ), $8–$12 for cherrystones,
and $2–$4 for “chowders”—the largest size. Clam buyers would set up
box trucks along the creeks, as in
the Clamdigger video, and be paid in
cash—usually with a cooler of soda
and beer handy, so the clammer
could grab one as he was paid.
During those boom years of the
1970s, it was similar to what we have
been experiencing here on the
Maine coast over the past decade
with lobsters: Young, hardworking people, just out of high school,
would be making enough money
to build a new boat with the largest
of engines and be driving a brandnew four-wheel-drive pickup truck.
Obviously these boom times were
not sustainable; historically baymen (as with Maine coast lobstermen) lived a more modest lifestyle
with more blue-collar wages. A true
bayman might scallop in the fall or
run a fyke or pound net, just as in
Maine a fisherman might lobster,
scallop, or work a herring weir.
Sorry, this letter has kind of just
spilled out. I hope you find at least
some of this to be interesting.
Capt. Steven F. Pagels
Bar Harbor, Maine

8 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/23/12 1:55 PM

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5/22/12 8:51 AM

Efficient Cruisers
Dear Editor,
Peace and greetings to you, and the
staff of WoodenBoat. I always look
forward to the arrival of each issue
of WoodenBoat, and once again I
was not disappointed. The variety
and extent of the articles, along
with the photographs, found in
the May/June 2012 issue continues to reflect the high standards
of WoodenBoat. I do wish, however,
to quibble with some of Robert
W. Stephens’s contentions in his
review “The Passagemaker Lite
39: A study in efficiency.” Without going line-by-line through Mr.
Stephens’s commentary, I respectfully disagree with his assessment
that low-powered, fuel-efficient
power cruisers are a recent rediscovery of the boating community.
I will agree that such vessels are
severely under-represented and
unappreciated by the vast majority of the boating media. Sadly, it
is the gas-guzzling “go-fast boats”
of the world that are given more

than their fair share of press coverage. As practical proof of my
contention that safe, fuel-efficient,
low-powered cruising powerboats
have long been part of the modern
fleet of available designs, I suggest
to WoodenBoat readers that they
reread Mr. Stephens’s review, “A
50' Power Sharpie Power Cruiser:
Efficiency in motion” designed by
Reuel Parker, found in the September/October 2004 issue. For those
who wish to read more about the
safe and efficient power cruisers, I
would highly recommend George
Buehler’s book, The Troller Yacht
Book, published in 1999, as a fun
and informative read. Thank you
for putting up with my nit-picking.
Mark R. Harris
New Lisbon, Wisconsin
Bob Stephens replies:
Thanks for your comments about
my review of Tad Roberts’s Passagemaker Lite 39.  I’m glad to
know someone’s paying attention! 
I did not mean to imply that lowpowered, fuel-efficient boats are a

new development, nor to say that
they are “a recent rediscovery of
the boating community.” My point
was, in fact, just the opposite—
that the boating community has
largely ignored the development
in this vein; exactly as you say,
these vessels have been dramatically overshadowed by the mainstream industry’s overwhelming
attention to two specific styles of
powerboat design: planing deep-V
sportfisherman types and heavy,
heavy, long-range trawler types.  I
strongly believe the day of light,
efficient powerboats is coming,
and that advances in materials
technology will continue to make
them lighter, faster, and more
efficient.

A Letter from Morbihan
Dear WoodenBoat,
I had two reasons to really enjoy
your April edition. One was (in
Launchings) seeing my husband
and our friends in BAGOR, the catboat we launched last June, and the

2
enter
C
1
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0
i
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2 ront Mari
Bayf

L
A
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I
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10 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/23/12 1:55 PM

That was then.

This is now.

This is now.

Get out
and boat.

WoodenBoat

PO Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616

www.woodenboat.com

“George Washington Crossing The Delaware” photo courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artist: Emanuel Leutze (1816–1868).

WBCorp12_309Promo226V2.indd 11

5/23/12 1:59 PM

other was the wonderful article on
the Semaine du Morbihan by Peter
Neill.
We took part in the event in 2007
in our Drascombe lugger, CURLEW,
attended as spectators in 2009 and
2011, and shall take part again in
BAGOR next year. The Morbihan
has been our summer home since
1989, first in Port Navalo, where the
Grand Parade leaves from on the last

day of the Semaine, and now north
of Vannes, where the Parade ends.
The coast and gulf of Morbihan
are wonderful cruising grounds,
beautiful and at times challenging.
BAGOR is already part of the Flotille
Traditionnelle de Basse Vilaine (the
Vilaine being an enchanting river
where she is moored) and took part
in the July 14 celebrations there last
year. She will also, if we can get her

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78"
739057 119.99

Type
Brass
Brass
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel

Time Warp

SELL
45.99
50.99
69.99
79.99

Moose Point Laminated Varnished Spruce Oars

These beautifully crafted,
lightweight but strong oars
are made from knot-free
Eastern Canadian spruce. It
looks expensive, but it isn’t.
By far our best selling oar.

Debond
Marine Formula
A specially formulated
mixture that cleans and
removes adhesives and
sealants. 4 oz. aerosol.

1299

List 18.59
$
MFA-4
Order# 167283

Length
5'
5.5'
6'
6.5'

Order#
175572
172614
154040
154049

Each
33.99
35.99
39.99
42.99

Length
7'
7.5'
8'
9'

Order#
154041
156016
154042
175573

Each
44.99
49.99
59.99
64.99

We stock a wide range
of colors, both traditional
and bold and always
tasteful. These enamels,
monourethanes and twopart polyurethanes are
favorites of Maine boatbuilders and owners.

800-639-2715
hamiltonmarine.com

ready in time, be going to the traditional boat meeting in Brest, held
every four years.
Another not-to-be-missed event is
the annual secondhand boat show in
the Port du Crouesty, Arzon, which
is held over All Saints’ weekend
(Halloween).
The problem for sailors in the
Morbihan is finding a permanent
mooring. There are long, long
waiting lists at all ports, which are
owned by the townships. We put
our name down everywhere as
soon as we started building BAGOR
in 2003, and finally got a slip on
the Vilaine in 2010. In Port du
Crouesty, we have crept up to about
700th on the list!
I would be very happy to hear
from anyone who is planning
to go and visit this wonderful
area of Brittany, and to help with
information.
Sylvia Marlow
Punta Gorda, Florida, and
Baud, France

Typographical errors are unintentional
and subject to correction.

Dear Editor,
I was walking around a local bookstore when I saw a copy of WoodenBoat in their magazine rack. I
bought it, took, it home, and proceeded to go through it. It had
been a long time since I’d read the
magazine, and I was overwhelmed
with memories and recollections of
a past passion.
Over 30 years ago, I was determined to pack up and move to one
of the Eastern coastal states, take
a course in boatbuilding, and set
up a new life working on wooden
boats. Alas, I purposely gave up that
desire due to pressing issues that
needed my attention. As I worked
my way through the magazine, I was
surprised to be swept up in a time
warp. Past ambitions and fantasies
flooded in. Things hadn’t changed
through all of the years that had
passed. WoodenBoat brought back
my memories just as fresh and compelling as they were originally. Pouring this out to you may relieve some
of the pressure, but it won’t satisfy
the itch.
Allen Calvin
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

12 • WoodenBoat 227

Letters227_AD_FINAL.indd 12

5/23/12 1:55 PM

NEW!

A DECADE OF WOODEN POWER CRAFT
A newsstand-only special issue
publication from the editors of
WoodenBoat.
MotorBoats is compiled from
the best wooden motor boats
covered in WoodenBoat
magazine since 2001!

t
otorcr af
oat
12 gre at m ages of WoodenB ourself
p
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oats You C 17’ UtILItY LaUnch
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4 outs
Iff
• an effIcI
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an 18' Wee
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explaIne
a 15’ LoBs
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✮ Showcasing 12 power boats
of various sizes and niches
✮ Photo essays
✮ A resource guide to plans
and instructions
✮ And so much more

Your Boa

ON SALE: JULY 31, 2012
Only available on the newsstand and The WoodenBoat Store
for a limited time
Pre-order a copy of MotorBoats at www.woodenboatstore.com
or by calling 1-800-273-7447 and it will be shipped to you!

CircMotorboats227.indd 13

5/23/12 8:51 AM

WoodenBoat School
2012 Schedule at a Glance
*MAY

JUNE

27 – 2

3–9

JULY
10 – 16

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

17 – 23

1–7

8 – 14

15 – 21

22 – 28

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Wade Smith

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Warren Barker

Introduction to Cold
Molded Construction
with Mike Moros

Building the Caledonia Yawl
with Geoff Kerr

Build Your Own
Build Your Own
Greenland-Style Kayak Stand-Up Paddleboard
with Geoff Kerr
with Mark Kaufman

Save A Classic with Eric Blake

Traditional Wood-andCanvas Canoe Construction
with Rollin Thurlow

Making Friends with Your
Marine Diesel Engine
with Jon Bardo

Build Your Own
Northeaster Dory
with David Fawley

Build Your Own
Fox Canoe with
Bill Thomas

Building the
Asa Thomson Skiff
with John Karbott

Introduction to
Boatbuilding with
Bill Thomas

Stitch-and-Glue
Construction with
Sam Devlin

*May 13-19 and

Inspecting Wooden
Boats with
David Wyman

Inspecting Fiberglass
Boats with
Sue Canfield

Lofting with
Greg Rössel

May 20-26
Alumni Work Weeks

24 – 30

Woodcarving
with Reed Hayden

Boat Cabinetry with
Dave Merrifield

Vintage Pond Yachts
Part II with
Thom McLaughlin

Marine Electrics
with Patrick Dole

The Art of Scrimshaw
with Ron Newton

Bronze Casting for
Boatbuilders with
Sam Johnson

Metal Working for the
Boatbuilder & Woodworker
with Erica Moody

Elements of Seamanship II
with Martin Gardner &
Robin Lincoln

Elements of Coastal
Kayaking with
Bill Thomas

Elements of Seamanship
with Martin Gardner &
Sue LaVoie

Elements of Seamanship
with Martin Gardner &
Sue LaVoie

Craft of Sail on
ABIGAIL with
Hans Vierthaler

Blacksmithing and
Modern Welding with
Doug Wilson & Will Dupuis

Island Exploration
& Seamanship with
Andy Oldman

Coastal Cruising
Seamanship on ABIGAIL
with Hans Veirthaler

Sailing Downeast
with Andy Oldman

Coastwise Navigation
with Jane Ahlfeld

Gift certificates
available for all
urses!
WoodenBoat co

Build Your Own Plank
Constructed Pond Yacht
with Thom McLaughlin

Fine Strip-Planked
Boat Construction
with Nick Schade

Build Your Own Bronze
Salute Cannon with Duke
McGuiggan & Michael Caldwell

Elements of
Elements of Seamanship
Seamanship with
with Annie Nixon &
Jane Ahlfeld & Annie Nixon
Steve Stone
WANDERBIRD with
Rick & Karen Miles
(June 23-July 2)

The Skills of Coastal
Seamanship with
Andy Oldman

Coastal Landscapes in
Color with
Susan Vanderlin

Elements of Coastal
Kayaking (camping 2
nights) with Bill Thomas

Can’t make it to Brooklin, Maine? Try our courses at Chesapeake Light Craft Shop,
We’re very excited to be working with John Harris
and the good folks at CHESAPEAKE LIGHT CRAFT
in Annapolis, Maryland, and, once again, to be able
to offer courses at their excellent facility.

APRIL 2-7

BUILD YOUR OWN PASSAGEMAKER DINGHY
OR EASTPORT PRAM
With Geoff Kerr
Materials: $1305 (dinghy) $1005(pram)

Tuition for each of these courses is $750

APRIL 16-21 BUILD YOUR OWN ANNAPOLIS WHERRY
With David Fawley
Materials: $1429

Check our website for our entire 2012 program

MAY 14-19

www.woodenboat.com

WBSchool227.indd 14

BUILD YOUR OWN CHESAPEAKE 17LT SEA KAYAK
With Geoff Kerr
Materials: $1029

5/22/12 9:33 AM

F

La

C
w

Bu
w

L
Jane

Access to experience
The finest instructors available and a beautiful location on the coast of Maine make
WoodenBoat School an exciting learning experience for amateurs and professionals alike.
This season, our 32nd, we are offering over 90 one- and two-week courses in
various facets of boatbuilding, as well as, seamanship and related crafts.

29 – 4

ld
on

FAMILY WEEK

dtion
w

Build Your Own
Lapstrake Canoe with
John Harris

th

aw
n

p II
&

SEPTEMBER

AUGUST
5 – 11

12 – 18

19 – 25

26 – 1

2–8

9 – 15

16 – 22

23 – 29

Build your own
Build Your Own
Greenland-Style Kayak Shearwater Sport Kayak
with Mark Kaufman
with Eric Schade

Wooden Boat Restoration Methods
with Walt Ansel

Building a Dory
with Walt Ansel

Build Your Own
Skipjack Sailing Model
with Alan Suydam

Traditional Lapstrake Construction
with Geoff Burke

Build Your Own
Annapolis Wherry
with Geoff Kerr

Glued-Lapstrake
Plywood Construction
with John Brooks

Finishing Out
Small Boats with
John Brooks

Build Your Own Willow/
Quickbeam Sea Kayak
with Bill Thomas

Build Your Own
Chuckanut Kayak
with David Gentry

The Essentials of
Fine Woodworking
with Janet Collins

Elements of Boat
Design with
Graham Byrnes

Building the Somes Sound 12½
with John Brooks

Building the 12½'
Semi-Dory Skiff with
John Karbott

The Art of Woodcuts
with Gene Shaw

Boatbuilder’s Hand
Tools with
Harry Bryan

Building Half Models
with Eric Dow

Build Your Own Pram
with Bill Thomas

Rigging with
Myles Thurlow

Elements of Seamanship
with Martin Gardner &
Dave Gentry

Strip Composite
Construction with
Clint Chase

Traditional & Modern
Oar Making with
Clint Chase

Coastal Maine in
Watercolor with
Amy Hosa

Introduction to
Sailmaking with
Marti & Jed Siebert

Introduction to
Canvas Work with
Ann Brayton

Inspecting Fiberglass
Boats with
David Wyman

Elements of Seamanship

Beach Cruising & Coastal

Sailmaking for Pond
Yacht Owners with
Alan Suydam

Lofting with
Greg Rössel

Small Boat Voyaging
with Jane Ahlfeld &
Bill Thomas

Marine Photography
with Jon Strout &
Jane Peterson

Craft of Sail II
with David Bill

Seascape/Landscape
in Watercolor
with Phil Steel

Elements of Coastal
Kayaking (over 40)
with Mike O’Brien

Sea Sense Under Sail
with Havilah Hawkins

Learn to Sail with
(women only) with Jane Camping with Ross Beane
Jane Ahlfeld & Annie Nixon Ahlfeld & Gretchen Snyder
& Bill Thomas
Craft of Sail on
BELFORD GRAY
with David Bill

Coastal Cruising
Seamanship on ABIGAIL
with Hans Veirthaler

t
n

Sailing Traditional Daysailers
Craft of Sail on MISTY
& Beach Cruisers with
with Queene Foster
Al Fletcher & Mike O’Brien

Craft of Sail on MISTY
Tallship Sailing and
(women only)
Seamanship with Capt.
with Queene Foster
Barry King & Jane Ahlfeld
Cruising through the
Watches on ABIGAIL
with Hans Vierthaler

l
2
mas

Elements of Coastal
Kayaking II
with Stan Wass

Sea Sense Under Sail
with Havilah Hawkins

Elements of
Seamanship II with
Martin Gardner

Windjamming on
LEWIS R. FRENCH
with Capt. Garth Wells

in Annapolis, Maryland
SEPTEMBER 10-15 BUILD YOUR OWN WOOD DUCK KAYAK
With Eric Schade
Materials: 10’ - $954 12’ - $1029
SEPTEMBER 24-29 BUILD YOUR OWN NORTHEASTER DORY
With David Fawley
Materials: $1425 (rowing) $2524 (sailing)
OCTOBER 22-27

Advanced Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Greg Rössel

BUILD YOUR OWN STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD
With Geoff Kerr
Materials: $915

Fundamentals of Boatbuilding
with Wade Smith

For additional information
Check our website for our entire 2012 program:

www.woodenboat.com
or call Kim or Rich at

207–359–4651

To order a complete course catalog, call toll-free

1-800-273-SHIP (7447)
WoodenBoat SChooL
P.O. Box 78,
Brooklin, Maine 04616-0078
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

WBSchool227.indd 15

5/22/12 9:34 AM

CURRENTS

Edited by
by Tom
Tom Jackson
Jackson
Edited

COLLECTION OF RENO CHEN FAMILY/CHINESE JUNK PRESERVATION

In 1955, a crew of six crossed the Pacific
Ocean in this junk, named FREE CHINA,
from Taiwan to San Francisco.

A junk goes home from San Francisco
by Tom Jackson

F

ifty-seven years ago, a half-dozen
novice sailors set sail from Taiwan
on a most improbable voyage. They
were aboard an aging 80' Chinese junk
with an audacious plan to get to Newport, Rhode Island, to enter a New York
Yacht Club transatlantic race to Sweden.
Although delays made that idea not just
unlikely but impossible, they nevertheless sailed 6,000 miles across the Pacific
Ocean, passing through the Golden
Gate and landing at San Francisco in
August 1955.
Now, their junk, abandoned for years
and falling deep into disrepair, is itself
making an equally improbable voyage—
aboard a freighter this time—back to
Taiwan. As of this writing in May, the
junk was aboard the Chinese container

ship MUTUALITY on her way to the
port of Keelung, where she will open a
new chapter of her life, preserved as an
exhibit at a maritime museum.
It turns out that the junk, which was
a good half-century old by the time
expedition leader Paul Chuan-Chun
Chow and his compatriots bought her
in 1955, is today considered one of the
oldest existing authentic working Chinese junks—an irony of her unusual life
story. Built in Fujien Province sometime
around the turn of the 20th century, she
had a varied career as a coastal trader
and smuggler until the young would-be
racers bought her. By mid-century, the
end was near for working sail throughout China. No sailing junks remain
today, save historical replicas (see

Currents, WB No. 182). Had this junk
not been sailed away, she would likely
have met the same fate as the rest of
them, broken up or abandoned.
Chow and the four other initial
crew—Reno Chia-Lin Chen, Benny
Chia-Cheng Hsu, Marco Yu-Lin Chung,
and “Huloo” Loo-Chi Hu—were all refugees from mainland China who had
been retrained as fishermen under a
United Nations program in Taiwan.
Although all had been to sea, none had
done so under sail. They bought the boat
from a smuggler who was in jail at the
time, aided by some financing approved
by the governor of Taiwan on the condition that they rename the junk FREE
CHINA . Their voyage came at the height
of the Cold War and only six years after

16 • WoodenBoat 227

Currents227_ADFinal.indd 16

5/22/12 1:41 PM

GETTING STARTED IN BOATS
from the Editors of

Volume 35

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 1

Magazine

Tools for
Boatbuilding

5/21/12 5:34 PM

— Tools for

BoaTBuilding —

by Greg Rössel
Illustrations by Jan Adkins

A

fter selecting the plans for your first boat
and finding a suitable location for a shop,
it’s time to round up the tools to build it.
No question about it—having the right tool
for the right job can make a project flow easily
and expeditiously. Most people contemplating
building a boat will probably already have some
basic household tools, and some of these will be
useful in boatbuilding. But setting out to build
a boat will probably mean supplementing your
tool inventory.
Some tools—a few planes and chisels, for example—can be acquired even before choosing a
particular boat to build. But if you’ve settled on
a boat, the place to begin is with a look at the
plans. If your boat is to be built from a quality kit
with just about everything accurately precut, you
will need little more than what might be found
in the kitchen tool drawer. For everything else,
you will likely need to own (or borrow) a small
kit of dedicated woodworking tools.
The trick is to find a balance. The spartan
or minimalist approach is to grab a few tools
from the $4 bin at the local discount store. At
the opposite end of the spectrum, you could
purchase every item in that glossy “investmentgrade quality” woodworkers’ catalog, including
all the bronze-bodied hand planes. If you’ve got
the budget, go for it—quality tools are a wise
investment. But buying quality need not drive
you to the poorhouse. If buying new, look for
reliable, time-tested brands for tools that you absolutely need. Also, consider buying used tools
at tag sales, estate sales, or through eBay. Some
antique stores carry, or even specialize in, old
tools. With a little effort, a reliable old tool can
be brought out of retirement for a fraction of
the cost of a new one.
Interestingly, like their users, tools are
individuals. In a catalog, various brands of a

particular style of wood plane or chisel might
look the same, yet many manufacturers have incorporated subtle differences such as size,
weight, finish, or type of cutting iron that can
affect how the tool works or even how it feels in
your hand. The answer to the question, “Which
tool is best?” is usually, “Builder’s preference.” If
possible, try borrowing a tool first to see how
you like it.
One of the most important tools is the one
that is often forgotten—a good, heavy-duty, long
workbench, which can be homemade, like the
one shown on the cover of this issue of Getting
Started in Boats. Nothing beats a rugged surface
that is stable, resists movement, and has a comfortable working height tailored to you. A bench
that is 36" high, 30" deep, and 8' long is a reasonable size. That’s longer than many workbenches,
but the extra length comes in very handy when
shaping the long pieces of wood that are common in boatbuilding, such as planks, rails,
backbone timbers, and lots more. Add a quality woodworker’s vise (or two), and you’ll have a
workstation to be reckoned with. It will beat any
store-bought bench that is meant to be portable
or is based on a foundation of sawhorses.
Your bench may end up being among the least
expensive of your tools. It can be built from lumberyard materials—4 ×4s for legs, 2 ×4s for framing, and perhaps a 3/4" plywood top. The whole
business can be fastened together with carriage
bolts and deck screws. If you have a wood-floored
shop, it can be fastened down. For a deluxe version, you can install a full-length shelf underneath, on which to store your cache of tools and
fastenings. This will not only provide storage
but also ballast the bench, making it even more
stable. If you want to be able to move the bench
from place to place, just bolt on a set of wheels
and you are on your way.

WOODENBOAT PUBLICATIONS, INC.
P.O. Box 78 (41 WoodenBoat Ln.), Brooklin, ME 04616 • Tel. 207–359–4651
www.GettingStartedinBoats.com • www.WoodenBoat.com
1–800–274–4936 (U.S. and Canada)

Subscribe to WoodenBoat Magazine: 1–800–274–4936
2 • Tools for Boatbuilding

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 2

5/21/12 5:34 PM

— A Plethora of Planes —

F

C

E
B

D

I

A

n these days of digitally laser-guided and
gyroscopically balanced devices, it is sometimes easy to forget the speed and accuracy—
and relatively small cost—of a hand tool that is
well tuned and has a keenly honed cutting edge.
For the boatbuilder, edge tools, especially hand
planes, provide subtle control. Since they avoid
the elaborate setup often required for a power
tool, they are quick to put into use. Best of all,
they are cordless, quiet, and a pleasure to use.
There’s a dazzling array of specialty planes, but
here’s a sampler of those most useful for almost
any kind of boatbuilding:
• Low-angle block plane. The sportscar of wood
planes—think MG or Mazda Miata—these
small planes are extremely versatile and maneuverable. They are especially handy for planking,
finishing compound bevels, and shaping. (A)
• Jack plane (also known as No. 5). This is the
good general-purpose plane that was a mainstay
of school wood shops. These planes are great
for flattening surfaces and joining edges of
moderate-length stock (B).
• Fore plane (No. 6) or jointer plane (No. 7 or
No. 8). These long hand planes are a handy (and
cheaper) alternative to an electric jointer for truing up edges of stock that need to be mated together perfectly, such as the pieces making up a
boat’s transom. Their long length is designed,
like a road grader, to “ride over” the undulations

of an uneven surface, skimming off the peaks and
gradually creating a flat and true surface (C).
• Spokeshave. Looking to sculpt the interior
curves of a thwart knee or breasthook? This
highly maneuverable, two-handled edge tool is
the one for the job (D).
• Rabbet plane. Both the short “bullnose” type
(E) and the larger duplex “78” style are useful.
Unlike most other planes, the cutting iron of a
rabbet plane extends the full width of the rabbet
plane, which has cutouts in each side allowing
the blade edges to be flush with the sides of the
plane body. This allows the tool to make a rightangled cut—called a rabbet—into a piece of
wood. The shorter bullnose is just the ticket for
rabbets shaped along a curve. A good example of
a curved rabbet is at the bow of a boat, where the
rabbet follows the curvature of the stem to receive the plank ends. The larger duplex is great
for straighter rabbets, like those along the keel.
The duplex type is a versatile tool that also has a
fence that allows you to take shavings parallel to
the edge of a piece, as in “shiplap” siding. This
type of cut is often essential in boatbuilding, for
example in forming the “gains” at the end of lapstrake planks so their faces come together flush
at the stem or transom, or for making shiplap
joints for bulkhead staving, which is a bit like
wainscoting. For specialized tasks, wood-bodied
planes (F) can be bought used or made.
Tools for Boatbuilding • 3

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 3

5/21/12 5:46 PM

— More Edge Tools and a Way to Sharpen Them —

A

selection of good chisels is every bit as
important as a selection of hand planes.
Very long and wide chisels, called slicks in boatbuilder’s language, are wonderful tools, but they
are hard to find, expensive, and most useful for
large work. Chisels, on the other hand, are in
constant use on boats of all sizes. For example,
those pesky stem rabbets mentioned in previously (see also WB No. 111) typically begin with
chisel cuts, then are finished with rabbet planes.

each type, then add the other dimensions later
as needed.

• Chisels. Two kinds of chisels, called “bevel”
(A) and “firmer (B),” are commonly used in
boatbuilding. Both are important to have on
hand. Bevel-edged chisels are slightly undercut on their sides, making them easy to push
into the corners of a cut. Firmer chisel blades
are rectangular in cross-section, making this
type stronger, and therefore a better choice for
heavy-duty work. A good selection of both types
can be important. For small boats, sizes ranging
from 1/4" to 1 1/2" wide will do fine. If you’re on
a budget, start off with the 1/2" and 1" width of

• Sharpening stones. These are absolutely necessary to get the most out of edge tools like planes
and chisels. Traditionalists prefer oilstones (D),
which are effective but messy. Modernists like
waterstones (E), which require no oils but can
be destroyed if your shop is subject to freezing weather. The third option is the diamond
“stone,” (F) which makes less mess and remains
flat despite repeated use. Diamond stones, however, are also the most expensive. Whatever type
you choose, get stones with a range of coarseness, or at least medium and fine.

• Wooden mallet. You’ll need a comfortable wooden
mallet to drive those chisels. A popular style is a
flat-sided version that allows you to work more
effectively in confined areas than is possible
with a round-headed mallet of the type woodcarvers prefer. Making a mallet, of course, will
give you a test drive for those firmer chisels and
result in a mallet of just the shape you want (C).

4 • Tools for Boatbuilding

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 4

5/21/12 5:34 PM

— Capturing Information —

B

oatbuilding is all about accurately
transferring information from
plans to wooden stock or from one
location to another. Having proper
tools for measuring dimensions and
angles is indispensable.
• Bevel gauge. Bevels are angles, and
what’s more important than calculating them in degrees is to be able
to measure them physically, as a bevel gauge
does. Whether transferring a desired bevel on
the edge of your planks or checking the rake
of the mast, you will need a bevel gauge. In
fact, you’ll need two, one long (A) and one
short (B). The long type, which looks a bit
like a jackknife with a blade about 6" long,
is commonly available and a good choice.
The smaller one, say about 2" long on each
leg, is used for measuring in tight places
or where the curvature of a piece makes
a longer gauge inaccurate. This gauge is
usually home-made. Many boatbuilders
cut its two arms from an old hacksaw blade,
making their bevel gauges just the length
they need. The pieces are riveted together to be
loose enough to move but tight enough to hold
the measured angle while it’s being transferred.
• Scale rule. There is plenty of information on
a set of boat plans that is not given in numerical
fashion. The only way to get it is to measure it
with an architect’s scale rule (C). This will get
you mighty close to what the designer intended.
Most small-boat plans are drawn to a scale of
between 1" and 2" to the foot, and the scale is
always noted on the plans.
• Combination and framing squares. These (D)
are used constantly to get things, well, square. Boats
are full of curves, but right angles occur more
often than you might think, whether squaringoff plank edges or making sure molds are perpendicular to the centerline during setup.
• Steel measuring tape. This (E) should be long
enough to handle most of your measuring tasks,
from sparmaking to setting up the construction
jig. A tape that’s 25' long and 3/4" wide is a good
compromise. Short steel rulers, usually 6" long,
are also very handy.

• Spirit levels, long (F) and short (G). These common carpenter’s helpers are used constantly
throughout the construction process. You get
what you pay for. Carpenter levels that are made
of machined aluminum or hardwood will usually outperform those made of other materials.
The 2' and 4' versions are the most popular. The
handy torpedo level (6" to 9" long) is sometimes
necessary in tight spots.
• Plumb bob. As ancient as the pyramids, this
tool can be used where your levels might not
f it, as in checking that the stem is dead
vertical or that the mast partner aligns directly
over the maststep. This tool is reliable and
inexpensive.
• Dividers (H) and pencil compass (I). If you
are planning to measure planks by spiling—
which is a method of transferring measurements—you will need these. The most useful of
the two is the pencil compass, which is used to
scribe arcs. Calipers ( J), are useful in measuring plank thickness.
Tools for Boatbuilding • 5

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 5

5/21/12 5:35 PM

— Algebra
— —
— Saws
and Drills
A
B

C

DH
EF
G

W

hether predrilling for screws, rivets, or bolts,
making limber holes for drainage, or a thousand other necessary jobs, you will be making a lot of
holes. (Small holes are “drilled,” large ones are “bored.”)
Although a list of recommended and optional power
tools is on page 7, we’re including a power drill here
because this tool is so versatile that it should be considered essential for boatbuilding, small or large.
Granted, you could use an eggbeater-style hand drill
for everything—and you still might want to use one
from time to time—but for the many holes you will
be boring, you’ll soon learn that a power drill just
can’t be beat.
• Good-quality, variable-speed, 3 ⁄8" hand drill. Either a cordless (A) or a plug-in version (B) can be
used for predrilling for many kinds of screws, and
also (with caution) for driving them. Single-hand
function, speed, ease of use, and light weight argue
in favor of the cordless, especially for small boats.
We’ll address drills again in the power tool section
on page 7.
• Set of twist-drill bits. “High-speed steel” bits (C),
available at most hardware stores, are fine.
• A few long twist-drill bits. For boring deep, straight
holes through stems, keels, and such, these bits (D),
sometimes called “installer” bits, are very useful and
readily available. They’re available in 12" and 18"
lengths; 1/4" and 3⁄8" would be good choices to start.
Auger bits ( E), spade bits (F), and Forstner bits (G),
can also be useful.
• Set of “Fuller”-style tapered drill bits with countersinks, plug cutters, and adjusting wrench. These
tapered bits (H) allow you to drill, in a single operation, a proper-sized tapered hole for a given size of
screw, and at the same time form a shallow countersink for a puttied head or a deeper counterbore to fit
a bung. As a three-step, time-consuming alternative,

you could bore the bung hole first, then drill a pilot
hole for the screw shank, followed by another pilot
hole sized to accommodate the screw’s length and
root diameter, which is the diameter of the threaded section not counting the threads.

D

espite the increasing use of power saws of one
type or another (see page 8), handsaws will always have a place in the boatshop. Often, the best
way to trim off the projecting end of a piece such
as a just-hung plank, when a power saw would be
impossible or dangerous to use, is with a handsaw.
In a practiced hand, a handsaw can cut a compound
angle to very close tolerances quickly, with minimal
setup time. In choosing a saw, there are also some
West-versus-East philosophical decisions to be made.
• Traditional Western saws. Many boatbuilders still
prefer Western-style saws, which cut on the push
stroke. Their blades are comparatively thick, so they
are easy to keep on track, and they have a distinct advantage in that they can be sharpened (relatively) easily. A ten-point crosscut saw (I) and a five-point ripsaw
(J) would be good choices. These saws are also good
for comparatively heavy work.
• Japanese-style saws. Heading East, one encounters the Japanese pull saw (K). Such saws, which
have thin blades and cut on the pull stroke, are
sometimes called “a piranha on a stick” because
of their aggressive sharpness and speed in cutting. They make a thin kerf, can be very accurate, and with their fine teeth make a smooth cut.
Some have blades with crosscut teeth along one
edge and ripsaw teeth on the other. Japanese saw
blades hold their sharpness well, but they can’t be
resharpened effectively. When they dull, bend,
or have teeth broken off, it’s time to replace the
blade. An old friend once told me, “I resisted using them for years, but after using one there is no
turning back.” Take one out for a spin.
• Hacksaw (L). Essential for trimming bolts and
metal rod to length.

6 • Tools for Boatbuilding

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 6

5/21/12 5:35 PM

—
Hand——
—William
Power Tools
A

C

E

B

D

H

aving already mentioned a light power drill
as the first power tool to add to the toolbox,
the next choices are infinite, depending on
the shop space and budget you have available. This
brief listing isn’t meant to be all-inclusive.
Large stationary power tools are expensive, take
up a lot of floor space, may require upgraded electrical wiring, and are difficult to move, whether across
the room or across town. You can buy a lot of hand
tools for the price of a single stationary tool. Plus, in
some cases, a handheld power tool may be versatile
enough—or even more versatile—for the boatbuilding job at hand. For instance, a sabersaw can do some
of the work of a bandsaw, and a circular saw can be
used in less shop space than required for a contractor’s tablesaw, and these can easily be taken where
the work is, even outdoors. That said, if you have the
space and the budget to buy them, stationary power
tools definitely earn their keep. Whether considering
handheld power tools or stationary ones, get the best
you can afford.

Handheld Power Tools
• Sabersaw. With a good-quality sabersaw, fitted with a
sharp blade, you can rough-cut a plank or the curve of
a transom, among many other tasks in fairly light
stock or in plywood. Get blades appropriate to the
task. The heavier-duty cousin, a reciprocating saw (A),
is good for rough work and very useful in removing
old work during restorations.
• Portable circular saw. These saws (B) can do many
of the jobs usually relegated to a tablesaw. A circular
saw can rough-cut long, gentle curves surprisingly
well and can be a preferred tool for a builder who
might otherwise be wrangling a heavy piece of oak
through a tablesaw singlehanded. Many boatbuilders
consider the worm-drive versions the best.
• Sanders. A random-orbit sander (C) can be very
versatile, perfect for the subtle curves of boat hulls.
Disc sanders can also be a good choice, although
they are more aggressive and less forgiving.

• Router. This tool (D) has plenty of uses: shaping
rails, milling bead-and-cove stock for a strip-planked
boat, manufacturing stock for a bird’s-mouth spar,
and lots more.
• Power drills. Although cordless drills, as mentioned on page 6, are light and versatile for boatbuilding, they lack the power for boring large holes.
A larger, corded drill, with a 1/2" chuck and plenty of
power, can be valuable when boring keelbolt holes,
for example, or using a holesaw to bore a large hole
for a mast.
• Power plane. These are versatile planes, commonly
4" wide. They are often used even in large ship work
for fairing sawn frames. For someone on a budget,
such a plane can be an effective substitute for a
stationary thickness planer.

Stationary Power Tools
• Bandsaw. The ubiquitous and highly versatile 14"
version (E) has been a boatshop mainstay for over
half a century. If you can only afford one stationary
power tool, this is the one to get.
• Drill press. For very clean-sided large, flat-bottomed
holes like those made by Forstner bits, or for very
accurate holes in either wood or metal, a drill press
is a worthy partner to the other drills you need.
• Tablesaw. For milling a lot of stock, ranging from
frames to keels to spars, this machine will do the job.
It is also is a machine that demands respect and is
unforgiving of operator inattention. If you get one,
get a good one.
• Thickness planer. For a small shop, a bench-top
planer that can handle widths of 12" to 15" is fine.
This tool allows the builder to purchase rough stock
and quickly transform it into precision components
of exactly the desired thickness.
• Dust collection. Finally, consider a good vacuum
system to capture all the dust these woodworking
marvels will produce. Wood dust can not only be a
nuisance but also present fire hazards and health risks.
Tools for Boatbuilding • 7

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 7

5/21/12 5:41 PM

— Odds and Ends —

S

ome tools, no matter how necessary, don’t fall
into neat categories but are essential neverthe­
less. Here are some of them:
• Clamps. These (A) are always important for grip­
ping stuff together. The old saying, “You can never
have enough clamps,” is true: As soon as you think
you have enough, you’ll find you need more. Start
with ten C­clamps, say, two 4", four 6", and four 8".
If you throw in a half a dozen hand­spring clamps
and a few quick­acting, sliding­bar clamps, 12" to
24", you’ll be glad you did.
• Screwdrivers for both slotted (B) and Phillips (C)
screws. You’ll be using these a lot, so look for drivers
with smooth, oval­sectioned handles. These tend
to fit ergonomically and comfortably in your hand,
and they allow maximum control and torque to be
applied with the tool. Get driver bits, too, for your
power drill or hand brace, in sizes and types that
match the screws you’re using (D). For example,
Frearson (aka Reed & Prince) heads, which are
often used in marine uses, require matching
Frearson bits.
• Hand brace. This old­time tool (E) can’t be beat
for giving you positive torque to set or remove
screws. A brace (see WB No. 225) gives you more
control than a power drill when driving screws,
because you can better feel how tight the screw is
being driven—and when to stop before twisting its
head off, especially with screws made of relatively
soft metal like silicon­bronze. Hand braces with
appropriate bits can also be used for boring large
holes, ones that a handheld cordless drill isn’t
powerful enough to handle.
• Light ball-peen hammer (F). For peening the
ends of rivets, creating heads for drift pins, and
locking the threads on bolts to prevent nuts from
backing off, there is no substitute.

• Chalk line (G). Even in the days of the laser, there
are still plenty of duties for a well­stretched string,
among them lofting, determining centerlines, and
checking station mold alignment.
• A few files. Get a variety of shapes—round, half­
round, flat (H). A “four­in­hand” woodworking
rasp (I) is also a good choice. It gives you four
tools for the price of one, it’s inexpensive, and it
will be used a lot.
• Ice pick or awl (J). This is a simple tool, but it is
very useful for marking, scribing a line, anchoring
a chalkline, indexing holes for drilling, and many
other uses.
Greg Rössel is a contributing editor for WoodenBoat and a regular teacher at WoodenBoat School. He builds boats at his own

shop in Troy, Maine.

Getting Started in Boats is dedicated to those who are new to boats and boatbuilding.
Please tear out and pass along your copy to someone you know who will be interested.
Earlier volumes of Getting Started are available in past issues of WoodenBoat, and as PDF (electronic) files, from
The WoodenBoat Store. Please refer to the web pages, at: www.woodenboat.com/wbmag/getting-started

8 • Tools for Boatbuilding

GS_Vol35_Tools_FINAL.indd 8

5/21/12 5:35 PM

WoodenBoat’s Boatbuilding & Rowing Challenge (BARC) is a grassroots effort to involve communities and,
in our specific case, high school programs, in the team-building aspects of boatbuilding and then
competitively rowing one specific boat: Iain Oughtred's 22', 330 pound St. Ayles Skiff,
with a crew of four rowers and one helmsperson (coxswain).

North American Championship

JuNe 29–July 1, 2012

at the WoodenBoat Show, Mystic , CT
For further information, please see our website: http://BARC.woodenboat.com

chris perkins

peter nisbet

July/August 2012 • 17

WB227_Pg17Fracts.indd 17

5/22/12 2:25 PM

the 1949 Communist revolution in mainland China. When they approached the
U.S. Embassy for visas, they encountered
Calvin Mehlert, a young diplomatic attaché there, who liked the idea so much
that he decided to join the crew himself.
After a rough start, the crossing proved
uneventful, the longest stretch being 54
days from Yokohama, Japan, to San Francisco. Most of the crew ended up settling
in the Bay Area.
And there the junk remained. She
went through a succession of owners,
kept alive by Bay Area volunteer boatbuilders and maritime preservationists, one of whom, Harry Dring, once
bought her for $1. Under a subsequent
owner, she was abandoned in the early
2000s on the hard at the Marine Emporium in Bethel Island in the California
Delta east of Antioch.
It was Dione Chen, a Bay Area resident and American-born daughter of
crewman Reno Chen, who helped bring
about the boat’s chance for salvation.
After her father died in 2007, she set
out to learn about his voyage. “I wanted
to see the junk and know more, so I
visited with my mother, brother, and
two children,” she said. “When I saw
it, and knowing the importance in my

personal history and also that it was the
last junk of its kind, the oldest Chinese
sailing boat of possibly operable condition in the world, I thought this was a
tragedy, that it might be chopped up
and burned.”
The boat was indeed forlorn. One
of her later owners had cut off much
of the characteristic upswept stern.
Originally engineless, she was given a
heavy diesel somewhere along the line.
She was badly hogged. Chen nevertheless formed a nonprofit organization
called Chinese Junk Preservation and
set about searching every angle she
could think of to save the boat. The
first logical choice, the U.S. National
Park Service, didn’t want to accept
the junk into its collections at the San
Francisco National Maritime Historical
Park, as it hadn’t years before, in Harry
Dring’s day. However, John Muir and
Todd Croteau of the NPS advised Chen
to have the boat documented—which
they themselves did, producing a laserscanned record of the boat from which
lines plans and detail drawings could be
made later. (Fundraising continues for
the purpose.)
“John Muir became really important,” Chen said. “He joined my advi-

sory council and helped me all along
the way. The NPS could not provide a
home, but they did provide expertise
and support.” She also found supporters in the National Trust for Historical
Preservation and the Chinese Historical Society of America, and her organization raised enough to support the
nearly $170,000 cost of having the junk
shipped to Taiwan.
“After we got into looking for an
owner, we realized it was not going to
be very easy to find the one organization or person who would really take
care of it permanently,” she said. Even a
caring individual might, as in the past,
fail to find an equally dedicated successor. “You really have to start looking for
a government or an organization. The
sad thing for me was that in America I
couldn’t find a home for it, even though
it’s a part of American history.”
In one audacious outreach, she
asked surviving crewmen Chow and
Mehlert, both living in the Bay Area, to
write about the boat in Chinese, which
she doesn’t speak, to none other than
the president of Taiwan. No one was
more surprised than she when the letter
hit the mark. With government support,
things in Taiwan gained momentum,

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18 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/22/12 1:41 PM

A century-old
junk built in
Fujien Province,
China, and sailed
to San Francisco
by a half-dozen
adventurers in
1955, was loaded
aboard a container
ship in April 2012
for shipment to
Taiwan. The junk,
though much
altered, is believed
to be one of the
oldest surviving
working junks of
China and will be
preserved at a
maritime museum
in Taipei.

more poignant. Her father left Shanghai during the revolution with the
sound of gunfire in his ears, catching
the last boat to Taiwan. He worked hard
as a fisherman there. But, “His dream
was to come to America,” Chen said.
The crew was celebrated in San Fran-

COURTESY RAJ DHINGRA/CHINESE JUNK PRESERVATION

especially when a noted junk historian
and modelmaker launched a grassroots
effort to bring the junk home to be
housed in the new National Museum
of Marine Science and Technology in
Keelung, just outside of Taipei. “I can
say, from what they told me,” during
a reception just before the junk left
California, “that they feel very proud
that this is part of their history and it’s
returning to its home. I suspect that
they have many, many of the same challenges that people in America do. In
our rush to live our lives and make a living, there’s not as much time, resources,
and attention to saving the past as we
might think.” For Chen, the important
thing is that the boat will be preserved.
For her part, she continues to
keep the history of junks alive in the
Bay Area’s consciousness. “There are
amazing stories about each person,
how they persevered and succeeded in
their own ways.”
Her father, she thinks, would have
told her to forget about it, that she was
too busy, that no one would care. “No
one thought that we could do it. This
is the sad thing, and it’s why I hope to
inspire others to preserve history,” she
said. For her, the story could not be

cisco, and a car dealer even gave them
a Buick they used to drive to New York,
where the New York Yacht Club fêted
them. Still, work was hard to come by.
Her father started off washing dishes,
busing tables, pulling weeds. Crewman
Chen could not have predicted when

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For more information, see www.chinesejunk
preservation.com. For further reading, see
Hans Van Tilburg’s book, Chinese Junks on
the Pacific: Views from a Different Deck,
which has a chapter about FREE CHINA.
Tom Jackson is WoodenBoat’s senior editor.

When Reuben Smith
opened Tumblehome
Boatshop in
Warrensburg, New
York, in early 2012,
among his first projects
were the completion of
restoration on a pair of
Sound Interclub sloops
from 1926. His projects
so far have also
included a wood-andcanvas canoe, an 1880s
Matthews launch, and
a 24’ catboat.

Around the yards
■ Reuben Smith has opened Tumblehome Boatshop in upstate New York.
The shop is in a 6,000-sq-ft building in
Warrensburg on Route 28, one of the
principal roads into the Adirondack
Mountains. “We’re designing the shop
to be the kind of friendly place a family would feel comfortable in while they
stop to see how work is progressing on

COURTESY TUMBLEHOME BOATSHOP

setting sail across the wide ocean that
he would have a daughter who would
go on to earn an MBA at Stanford University. “I think my family is a total testimony to the American Dream—living
proof of it,” she said.
“The junk is so lucky, because it has
a story. Many people are not maritime
enthusiasts, but the story they can relate
to. My motivation was to share the story
of the voyage, the importance of historic
preservation, and to know more about
the Chinese maritime achievement and
how it relates to the Chinese diaspora.
The message I try to tell people is that
saving history, saving historical objects,
or boats, or stories, is a privilege and
also a responsibility for each of us as
individuals. You can’t say, ‘Later, when I
have time,’ because the person might be
gone, or the boat might be burned up.
You’ve got to step up and do it yourself,
if you think it’s important.”

their boat,” Managing Partner Cynde
Smith said. “In the shop today are two
1926 Sound Interclub sailboats that are
receiving the final touches after a full
restoration,” she said. The Interclub is
a Charles D. Mower design, 28' 9" LOA.
Smith had worked on the restorations
earlier, while employed at Hall’s Boat
Corp. Smith’s new yard also has a Matthews launch from the 1880s under
restoration, part of which involves
repowering the boat with a new Elco

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20 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/22/12 1:42 PM

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■ Kristin Heinichen writes from Chicago, Illinois, with news that her father,
Walter Heinichen, is—for a second
time—restoring his 1927 Herreshoff
Fishers Island 31 sloop. “In 2003, he
received a phone call that came at 3
a.m. to tell him that his classic wooden
sailboat had caught fire, just three years

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the hard that July, was the only boat
damaged in the blaze.
“Not wanting to focus on the regrets
that memories make, he shrugged and
became resolved to fix his 45' LOA yacht
again. FORTUNA not only has a pedigree but also has remained competitive:
Before her first restoration, even with
68 frames in desperate need of replacement from decades of heavy racing in
Lake Michigan, she never betrayed him,
though she took on her share of water.
“After the fire, she sat in the worst
disrepair to date. Her trunk cabin,
toerail, transom, and mast were damaged, and more than 15 strakes of her
double-planked hull were charred. My
father chose a close-to-home wooden
boat craftsman, Billy McCaffrey of
Waukegan, Illinois, to put things right.
That was nine years ago, and the work
is progressing slowly, with McCaffrey’s
characteristic precision. My father, in
the meantime, purchased a fiberglass
sailboat to keep himself in the running
for the Chicago–Mackinac Island Race,
which this July will mark his 56th year
as a contender. But he has not forsaken
the mothballed FORTUNA . Rather, he
muses that she is named after the goddess of fortune who brings both good

KRISTIN HEINICHEN

electric motor. The shop is also restoring
a vintage Old Town wood-and-canvas
canoe and a Fred Goeller–designed 24'
catboat, plus building a new 12' dinghy
to a Goeller design. “Boatbuilder Sean
O’Neill has joined Reuben at the shop,”
Smith said, “plus Reuben’s brother,
Alex Smith, is apprenticing here this
summer.” Alex previously worked for
his father, Mason Smith, at his boatshop
in Long Lake, New York, and for his
uncle, Everett Smith, at his boatshop
in Canton, New York, just as Reuben
Smith did earlier. “We’ll be conducting regular open-shop events, lectures,
workshops, plus we’ll have a grand
launch on Lake George this summer
of the two restored Sound Interclubs,”
Cynde Smith reported. Reuben Smith’s
Tumblehome Boatshop, 684 State Route 28,
Warrensburg, NY 12885; 518–623–5050;

A Herreshoff Fishers Island 31 is
being rebuilt in Waukegan, Illinois,
after a fire severely damaged the
hull only three years after a previous
restoration.

after he had had FORTUNA completely
restored. An arsonist had taken issue
with that particular Chicago boatyard.
FORTUNA , one of the few boats on

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July/August 2012 • 21

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■ At the Northwest School of Wooden
Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Washington, restoration has begun on
the historic 23' canoe-sterned sloop
FELICITY ANN. The original construction, though interrupted by World War
II, commenced in 1939 at the Mashford Brothers Ltd. boatyard in the
town of Cremyll in Cornwall, England.
Ann Davison, who bought the boat a
few years later, in 1952–53 became the
first woman to achieve the feat of a
solo transatlantic passage, which she
wrote about in her book, My Ship Is So
Small, in 1956. She eventually settled
in Florida and continued to use the
boat for U.S. East Coast voyaging. She
died in 1992. After going through successive owners, the boat finally was
abandoned in New York. An Alaskan
owner found her there and had her
shipped to Haines, Alaska, for restoration but decided instead to donate
the boat to the Northwest School to
see the extensive project through.
“Our chief instructor, Tim Lee, took

her in hand,” a press release
from school director Bill Mahler
states, “and in 2011, Repair and
Restoration Class instructors
Ben Kahn and Sean Kooman led
the class in beginning the restoration of FELICITY ANN.” The
class runs each year from July to
September, focusing on several
projects for well-rounded experience as part of the two-year training program. The project, which
resumes this summer, will therefore last several years. Fittingly,
young women have key roles.
Liz Palmer and Annie Teater,
school graduates who worked
on the boat in 2011, are now
working with the school’s associated Community Boatbuilding
Program, and they, along with
Penelope Partridge, who took a
sailmaking and rigging class that
year, are working to support the
restoration. They hope to bring
at-risk young women into the
process for hands-on learning,
and the boat itself may be ultimately used for sail-training or
as a floating museum. Northwest
School of Wooden Boatbuilding, 42

COURTESY RAJ DHINGRA/CHINESE JUNK PRESERVATION

luck and bad. She stands to represent
life’s capriciousness, and after nearly
four decades of ownership he knows to
love her at his own peril.”

Donated to the Northwest School of
Wooden Boatbuilding, FELICITY ANN is
undergoing a complete restoration. Sailing
her in 1952–53, Ann Davison became the
first woman to complete a solo crossing of
the Atlantic.

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22 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/22/12 1:42 PM

■ GRETEL , the Australian AMERICA’s
Cup contender of 1962, is undergoing a thorough restoration at
Robbe & Berking Classics in Flensburg, Germany. The composite-built
racer (with wood planking over steel
frames) was designed by Alan Payne
and in her debut series won the first
race over an American Cup defender
since 1934. She represented Australia’s first attempt at the AMERICA’s
Cup, in a campaign backed by media
mogul Frank Packer, with Alexander
“Jock” Sturrock at the helm. Although
the American skipper Emil “Bus”
Mosbacher sailed WEATHERLY masterfully to defend the Cup that year,
GRETEL was broadly recognized as a
serious threat, with many innovations,
among them foot-pedal-powered
sheet winches. She never contended
for the Cup again, though she served
as a competitor in trial series in Australia, where she remained until sold
in the late 1990s to an owner in Italy.
Robbe & Berking bought her, according to Oliver Berking, to restore her

COURTESY ROBBE & BERKING CLASSICS

North Water St., Port Hadlock, WA 98339;
360–385–4948; www.nwboatschool.org.
See also felicityann.com.

At Robbe & Berking Classics in Flensburg, Germany, the Australian composite-built
AMERICA’s Cup challenger GRETEL of 1962 is to be restored.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 23

Currents227_ADFinal.indd 23

5/22/12 1:42 PM

EIRIK SK ÅLA

Volunteer boatbuilders
in Rosendal, Norway,
brought the 72’6”
galeas GURINE—a
near-sister of Roald
Amundsen’s famous
Northwest passage
explorer GJØA—home
for restoration. She is
under a purpose-built
cover only a stone’s
throw from where she
was built in 1875.

EIRIK SK ÅLA

Hull planking for
GURINE was milled
at a historic sawmill
in the nearby town
of Herand during the
winter of 2012.

Build Your Own
Scamp Pocket Cruiser
with John Welsford and Howard Rice

at the Northwest Maritime Center
in Port Townsend, WA

Photo Courtesy: Small Craft Advisor Magazine

August 6–17th

■ “GURINE , a 72' 6" galeas, is now
under going major restoration in
Rosendal, Norway,” Eirik Skåla
writes from that town. “GURINE was
built for Jacob T. Bleie in Rosendal
in 1875 by master shipwright Knut J.
Skåle, who built Roald Amundsen’s
GJØA a few years earlier.” Amundsen
is the Norwegian polar explorer who
took GJØA on the first transit of the
Northwest Passage, ending in 1906,
and the boat he made famous is now
on exhibit at the Norwegian Maritime


SULTANA PROJECTS’ 12TH ANNUAL

DOWNRIGGING WEEKEND

TALL SHIP & WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL

Photo by David Biehler

Learn more about John Welsford and the Scamp in the
March/April 2012 issue of WoodenBoat. Howard Rice is the
famed small boat adventurer and Cape Horn solo sailor.
For more information or to register, please contact the School at
360-385-4948 or e-mail us at [email protected]
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is hosting several
short classes this summer. Check out our web site for additional
classes including “Build a Whitehall Pulling Boat” with Rich Kolin

www.nwboatschool.org

to her 1962 specifications. Berking
said in a press release that the yacht’s
ultimate future is not certain, though
museum ownership may be possible.
She is 69' 5" LOA , with a beam of 11' 9"
and a draft of 8' 9". Robbe & Berking, founded in 2008, specializes in
classic yacht restorations and replicas, among them a previously unbuilt
12-Meter designed by Johan Anker
and the restoration of JENETTA , an
Alfred Mylne–designed 12-Meter.
The yard, founded in 2008, has also
built or restored Six-Meters and
motoryachts. Robbe & Berking Classics,
Am Industriehafe 5, 24937 Flensburg,
Germany; www.robbeberking.de.

/NWBoatSchool
/NorthwestMaritimeCenter

OCTOBER 26-28, 2012
CHESTERTOWN•MARYLAND

TALL SHIPS  WOODEN B OATS  MUSIC
FIREWORKS  BOATBUILDING  LECTURES
PUBLIC SAILS  FAMILY DAY  MODELS  RACING

Information & Boat Entry
W W W. S U LTA N A P R O J E C T S . O R G

24 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/22/12 1:42 PM

Museum in Oslo. GURINE had rather
a different fate. “Bleie used GURINE
for ‘nordlandsfart,’ or buying dried
cod in northern Norway for transport
and sale, mostly to southern Norway
but sometimes as far as the Baltic,”
Skåla writes. “She was built as a jakt
with one mast,” like GJØA , “but later
she was rigged as a two-masted galeas.
This was often done because handling
of a mainsail and mizzen was easier
than handling a big mainsail.” In the
course of her hundred years, she has
undergone many transformations
common to workboats. Originally she
was 60' 1" long, but in 1959 she was
lengthened to 72' 6". She is 19' 1" wide.
She had a motor installed and her rig
removed. But in 1985, the enthusiast
Georg Gundersen bought her and
restored her hull and rigging.
“Long-term maintenance of a ship
of this size is not an easy task, and for
the past 10 years, she has been lying
quayside in Bergen, exposed to rain
and bad weather. When the owner of
the quay wanted her out of the way, it
seemed that the end of her story might
be at hand. However, a bunch of enthusiasts in Rosendal wanted it otherwise.
They formed Friends of Galeas GUR-

INE , which bought the boat, which was
towed from Bergen to Rosendal on
May 27, 2011. By September 25, she was
hauled out a few hundred meters from
where she was originally built. A workshop has been readied and a roof built
over the ship to protect her from the
elements. Her bilges have been cleaned
out, and she is now drying so that the
real work may begin. In the meantime,
she has been fully measured digitally,
and the data are being processed in a
computer design application to produce an accurate set of lines. During
the winter, the crew has searched the
woods on a nearby island for compass
timbers for frames and root crooks for
knees. The timber will be milled on
the island at an old sawmill, which is
an attraction in itself, with a vintage
25-hp semi-diesel engine that has a twoton flywheel. About 300 meters (984' )
of hull planking stock and 600 meters
(1,968' ) of deck planking stock are also
ready, having been milled at an old sawmill at Herand. The next step is to start
replacing rotten frames.
“It is a major challenge that the
Friends of Galeas GURINE have taken
up. It will probably take some 20,000
man-hours, at least five years, and lots

of money before GURINE is sailing the
Hardangerfjord once more.”
For more information, see www.gurine.no (in
Norwegian only).

Offcuts

O

ffcuts, as we all should know (and
for which this section of Currents
is named), are prized short pieces of
wood. They await just the right use,
never going to waste. Comes now Grain
Surfboards, the York, Maine, wooden
surfboard company (see WB No. 191),
with a new “Offcuts Initiative,” in which,
among other things, they make wooden
skateboards from wood too short for
their full-sized surfboards. “The Offcuts
Initiative is a recognition of our effort
to waste no waste,” Brad Anderson said
in a press release. In collaboration with
Courtney Strait, the company makes a
model called the Cider Hill Skateboard,
using cedar offcuts over local maple in
laminations that are strong and have
just the right feel, sheathed in bamboo cloth set in a type of epoxy made
from organic waste of the bio fuel and
paper-pulp industries. Check it out at
www.grainsurfboards.com.

July/August 2012 • 25

Currents227_ADFinal.indd 25

5/22/12 1:42 PM

COURTESY AIN TÄHISTE

COURTESY TOOMAS KOKOVKIN,
WWW.FOTOKOGU.COM

Above, left—A locally historic type of
Estonian schooner used for cargoes of
firewood is being built by boatbuilders, with volunteers and apprentices
overcoming unemployment. She is
55’ LOA. Above, right—Several other
interesting projects are also under
way in Estonia’s islands, among them
the restoration of a 1980s wooden
fishing boat.

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We use the expression “family,” but you may form your own
group of friends, 4-H or Boy Scout troop, church group, or other
well-meaning organization.
Family BoatBuilding is produced by WoodenBoat magazine,
online at www.woodenboat.com.

T

he maritime traditions of Estonia
are going through something of
a renaissance, we hear from Teet Laja
of that country. “On the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia’s second-largest island
with 10,000 inhabitants, locals are
trying to restore boatbuilding traditions,” he writes. In Kärdla, a town on
the island, Ain Tähiste is leading two
boatbuilders, together with volunteers
and trainees, in the reconstruction of
a type of schooner used in the Baltic
Sea islands for delivering firewood. By
the end of 2009, engineer Enn Metsar
had completed plans, and soon after
the tree was felled for the keel timber.
“Our island habits and traditions tell us
it must take place in winter, just before
the full moon time,” Tähiste wrote. “No
women can participate and even watch
or see the process of the keel tree. The
tree must fall down to the north. Our
mission was complicated because the
keel tree, a 120-year old Siberian larch,
was felled inside our town, so to fulfill
every rule, we started very early in the
morning. A traditional handsaw was
used.” During 2010 and 2011, materials
were gathered, including compass timbers for oak sawn frames, which are used
in combination with laminated frames.
During the summer of 2012, the oak
floor timbers, keelson, and deckbeams
will be completed, and planking with
Siberian larch is expected to begin. The
boat is 55' LOA , with a beam of 16'6"
and drawing 4'. See halulaev.ee for further
information (one section is in English).
A traditional Estonian motorized
fishing boat is being restored by the
same organization. The type, unique
to Estonia, was in use through the
1980s, and the one in for restoration,

26 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/24/12 3:17 PM

50' LOA with a beam of 11' and drawing
only 3' 6", was built in 1989. Only half a
dozen survive today.
Meanwhile, on the neighboring
island of Muhu, a replica of an Estonian coastal trader of a type that has its
roots in the Middle Ages is under construction. The organization Väinamere
Uisk is building a faithful reproduction
of a “uisk,” or “snake,” a descendant of
Scandinavian types. Such boats were
in use as late as the 19th century, used
for transporting interisland goods.
The last one, MARIA , was broken up
in 1913. Today, a Muhu Water Tourism
Network is in place on the island, which
the website describes as “a place where
time rests.” The network links varied
natural and historic sites, one of which
is the boatyard where the boat is being
built. She is 60' LOA , with a beam of
17', and carrying 1,420 sq ft of sail in a
gaff-headed cutter rig. See www.uisk.ee;
mercifully available in English.
Laja also informs us that each June,
coinciding with the important Jaanipäev holiday, a Wooden Boat Festival
is held at Sõru Harbor on the south end
of Hiiumaa. “In our harbor, there are 10
to 15 wooden boats gathering together
annually, and there are trips on the sea,
and so on,” he said.

A

tip of the hat, if you please, to the
90' LOA Maine schooner MARY DAY,
which this season is marking her 50th
year of charter sailing. When she was
launched in 1962, at the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine,
she was the first schooner designed and
built new specifically for Maine’s charter-schooner trade, as opposed to being
converted from working sail. See www.
sailmainecoast.com.

A

further tip of the hat to John Brady,
executive director of the Independence Seaport Museum of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, whom Rocking the Boat
of Bronx, New York, named its Whitehall Award recipient for commitment to
experiential education.

Across the bar
■ Jack Chippendale, 87, February 24,
2012, Norfolk, England. Mr. Chippendale was a noted builder of wooden racing dinghies, especially in the 1950s and
1960s. He apprenticed as a boatbuilder
at age 14. He went out on his own in
1947 and started his company, Chippendale Boats, in 1954. An early advocate
of glued-plywood boatbuilding, he built
dinghies to the National 12 and Merlin
Rocket designs. In 1962, he built the prototype of Peter Milne’s Fireball design,

which he went on to build in numbers.
He also built 25' Folkboats. After having
to close the business in 1970, he relocated to Norfolk and continued to build
boats until very late in his life.
■ James Harvey Armitage, 91, February 10, 2012, Madison, Connecticut.
A marine hardware design engineer,
Mr. Harvey and associate formed Star
Marine Hardware in 1961 in Madison,
Connecticut (later bought by Kenyon

Marine), to manufacture stainless-steel
hardware for plywood boats made by
a sister company, starting a career in
sailboat gear and aluminum masts that
continued with various companies until
Mr. Harvey’s retirement in 1998. He
also owned a restored 37' Bunker and
Ellis trawler, LIGHTFOOT II.
(The paragraph above repeats an entry in
“Across the bar” in WB No. 226, which contained a significant error.)

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See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 27

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5/22/12 4:23 PM

How Not To Anchor
by David Kasanof

M

y first boat was a squishy
10-footer on which, with
one exception, nothing worked
right. The cotton sail had been
blown out into a shapeless bag
long before I got the boat. The
centerboard trunk did what centerboard trunks do best—leak uncontrollably, and the rudder was so
ineffective that moving the tiller
was an action taken in the hope,
rather than rational expectation,
of a change to the desired course.
Amid all this nautical squalor
one thing stood out as a glorious
example of excellence. Even now I
remember it fondly. It consisted of
30' of 1/4" manila line tied to one half
of a cinderblock. I speak, of course,
of my little yacht’s anchor.
Go ahead and scoff if you must
at my crude device, but note that it
never fouled its line and never got
snagged under a ledge. It was always
easy to recover. Come to think of
it, how can half of a cinderblock
become fouled or snagged? Furthermore, rocks with holes in them,
which archaeologists believe to be
ancient anchors, have been found
all over the eastern Mediterranean
and Aegean. If rocks with holes were
good enough to anchor the ships
of Odysseus and all those guys, it
seems that I was in good company in
regard to anchor technology.
A major advantage of the ancient
Greek-style anchor is that it’s so
simple that nothing much can go
wrong with it. The modern anchor
has parts. A rock with a hole in it
is just made up of…well…a rock
with a hole in it. No parts, no problems. Your line can’t become fouled
around a fluke if your anchor ain’t
got no flukes.
This foolproof property permitted me to abuse one of the fundamental rules of seamanship: Never
throw an anchor. Well, never say
never. My anchoring technique was
to throw the damn thing just as hard
as I could. The 1/4" line would billow
out after it like a trout fisherman’s

PETE GOrSKI

monofilament line. When the
anchor hit the water, it had pulled
out sufficient scope. I was already
where I wanted to be without having to drift back to bring the line
reasonably taut.
If I didn’t like where I was, it
was easy to kedge repeatedly to the
desired spot. In a flat calm, I could get
up to 2 or 3 knots with this method.
Try that with your Danforth.
Naturally I don’t recommend
the ancient Greek anchor for larger
modern boats. I did, however, sail
CONTENT with a keen eye on the
past. My reading taught me that the
old times had a lot to teach us about
using anchors to help maneuver a
boat under challenging conditions.
They used their anchors to help
bring a ship about when wind and
waves were making that difficult.
They also used anchors to get the
ship away from a wharf when tugs
weren’t available. I have read somewhere that under certain conditions,
clipper captains could bring their vessels alongside a wharf without the aid
of tugs by using the ship’s anchor and
an incredibly keen judgment. After
striking or luffing all sail, old Captain Stormalong would head for the
wharf at an acute angle, then drop
anchor when the ship was several

ship-lengths off the wharf, letting
the anchor chain rattle out as the
ship’s momentum carried it closer
and closer to the wharf. Then, at
just the right moment, he would order
the chain to be snubbed around the
bitts. This would jerk the ship into a
sharp turn away from the wharf, just
enough to bring it parallel to the
wharf and to stop it a few feet away—
close enough for docking lines to be
thrown ashore.
Naturally, when I read this
many years ago, I was young
and, consequently, stupid.
That’s why I wanted to try
something like this maneuver with CONTENT. I might
have been foolish enough
to try that stunt as described
above, but CONTENT did not lie
against a wharf but in her own narrow slip between two piers. So I had
to modify my plans. Good judgment
had nothing to do with it.
My simplified version was to
hang an anchor over the stern with
lots of chain laid out on deck. After
dropping my main, I dropped my
stern anchor and headed straight
for my slip. A few boat-lengths
from it I snubbed the line on the
mainsheet cleat.
Nothing happened. This was
the moment when I realized that
the bottom of the harbor had the
consistency of chocolate pudding.
Astutely surmising that CONTENT
was not going to slow down, much
less stop, I sprang into action. This
action took the form of waving my
arms in the air and shouting vulgar
unpleasantries. A crowd of helpful
onlookers gathered and assisted
me by telling me to apply the
emergency brake. We were finally
stopped by the end of the pier itself
amid much thudding, crunching,
and whoops of sadistic amusement
by those helpful onlookers. The
moral of this tale is, I suppose,
unless you have the skill and judgment of old Captain Stormalong,
you’d better take what you read
with a grain of salt.

28 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/17/12 10:32 AM

MaritiMe MuseuMs
I

f you want to learn more about wooden
boats, particularly about their origins and
history, visit a maritime museum. Each of
the museums listed here has something to
offer the wooden boat aficionado — from
half models and historical photographs to

full-sized watercraft. Boatbuilding skills are
sometimes taught under the auspices of maritime museums and there are often gatherings where people can rendezvous with their
boats. Plan a summer visit to a maritime
museum — call today for more information!

Columbia River Maritime Museum
Astoria, Oregon • www.crmm.org

July/August 2012 • 29

MuseumSection227GrayBlueInnerGlow.indd 29

5/24/12 11:17 AM

MaritiMe MuseuMs

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

(802) 475-2022
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Since 1982

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Over 400 years of
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Open Daily —1-5
Open July & August—10-5
West 1st Street Pier, Oswego, NY
315-342-0480
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30 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/24/12 3:24 PM

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5/23/12 3:43 PM

WBFestival227.indd 32

5/23/12 2:44 PM

ReUel PARKeR

Revisiting the Classics
The terrapin smack

A

long time ago, while still a youngish
man, I came across a pair of marvelous
books on wooden boatbuilding by Harry
Sucher, Simplified Boatbuilding—The Flat-Bottom
Boat, and Simplified Boatbuilding—The V-Bottom
Boat, both published in 1973 by W.W. Norton &
Co. Browsing through the second book I came across
the “33' Modified Sharpie Terrapin Schooner.” Sucher’s plan shows a flat-bottomed hull with increasing
deadrise in the quarters carrying on back to the transom. The little schooner has low freeboard, twin houses
(very low), and a self-tending gaff-schooner rig. The
bottom is cross-planked forward, and file-planked aft.
Sucher claimed that his design was based on the
“terrapin schooners” of the 1880s, used in the turtle

by Reuel B. Parker
fisheries in Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico. I believed him, of
course, and for many
years I thought that’s
where they originated.
Two decades or so later, when I started my research
for The Sharpie Book, I turned up information (and a
sketch) in Howard I. Chapelle’s The National Watercraft
Collection (1960, U.S. National Museum Bulletin 219),
that he’d garnered in turn from Small Yachts: Their Design
and Construction, Exemplified by the Ruling Types of Modern
Practice by C.P. Kunhardt (1886). It turns out that the
terrapin schooners were actually sharpie fishing smacks
used on Chesapeake Bay and waters south.

Above—The Terrapin 34, TOMFOOLERY, designed and built by the author and launched in 1989. Inset—This drawing of a
terrapin smack by C.P. Kunhardt was published in Forest and Stream in 1885.
July/August 2012 • 33

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5/23/12 10:27 AM

Chapelle’s lines drawing of a Maryland Terrapin Smack was based on  a wreck, sketches and photographs, as well as
dimensions recorded by C.P. Kunhardt. The lines were published by the Library of Congress in 1961.

The one factor that defines a “smack” is a wet well,
or fish hold, created by isolating the middle portion of
a vessel’s hull with watertight bulkheads, and boring
small holes in the bottom of that portion to flood the
hold. This flooded section then provides a healthy environment in which any caught fish can live until they can
be taken to market; no ice required. This would work
as well for turtles as for fish, but I have never found any

reference (other than Sucher’s) to suggest that the terrapin smacks were so used. Nevertheless, it seems plausible
that they were. I can envision these boats sailing along
the southeast Florida coast, harvesting the turtles as they
swam off the beach after laying their eggs.
Chapelle also described the terrapin smacks, in
more detail, in Paper 25: The Migrations of an American
Boat Type (1961, Library of Congress), and he included

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34 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/23/12 10:27 AM

The author’s lines for his arc-bottomed
Terrapin 34, designed in the mid-1980s.

a lines drawing of one measuring 37'10½", 9' in the
beam, and 1' 7¼" draft. Her wet well is divided in half
lengthwise by the centerboard trunk.
It is of note that Chapelle’s drawing shows no deadrise aft, which made me speculate that Sucher may
have added this common modification on his own.

However, if you look closely at Kunhardt’s sketch, you
can just see deadrise at the transom. It is also of note
that a similar type, called the Hampton Flattie, existed
on Chesapeake Bay, and did have a flat bottom forward
and deadrise aft. These so-called “flatties” were smaller
than the “terrapin” models, according to Kunhardt,

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July/August 2012 • 35

TerrapinSmack_AD_FINAL.indd 35

5/23/12 10:27 AM

The first Terrapin 34 in frame
in Islamorada, Florida, in 1989

I

n the mid-1980s, two friends approached me
with a request for an extreme-shoal-draft,
low-cost, charter bareboat for the Indian River area
of Florida’s east coast. In response I designed my own
version of a terrapin schooner. My first hull lines were
for a modified arc-bottomed sharpie, 34' between perpendiculars, 10' in the beam and with a 2' 3" draft. I
later designed a second version of the same dimensions
but with deadrise forward (V-shaped bow sections),
which I felt would be more seaworthy and would not
pound—always the nemesis of sharpie hulls.
I designed it to be a simple cruising sailboat, hoping
that several would be built and rented as “bare boats”
out of Fort Pierce on the Indian River—a long, narrow,
shallow estuarine lagoon, protected by barrier islands,
and teeming with wildlife of great diversity. There is

For Sale

SALTWATER
FARM

Deer Isle, Maine

REUEl PaRKER

who wrote about them for Forest and Stream; they
varied in size from 16' to 30', and were rigged
as gaff sloops. Chapelle found a flattie hulk near
Elliot, Maryland, in about 1940, and drew plans
based on it. Flatties were used for oystering and
crabbing, while the terrapins seem to have all
been wet-well smacks.

excellent fishing there, clams and oysters can be collected in season, and the bird life alone is fantastic.
Wildlife enthusiasts could easily spend a week cruising
the Indian River from Stuart to Cape Canaveral, stopping to anchor each night in protected coves. There are
numerous parks and wildlife refuges right on the water.
My Terrapin 34 would be equally at home in Florida
Bay, the Keys, or the Bahamas, and she would be an
excellent choice for Georgia, the Carolinas, Chesapeake Bay, and the shallow inland waters of New Jersey.
Unfortunately, the bareboat enterprise never materialized (I still believe it was a great idea), and I relegated my design to the status of “stock plan.” But in
1989 I received a phone call from a retired colonel in

T

his salt water farm is an unspoiled 8+ acres of
rolling fields and sunny orchard. It is surrounded
by world famous sailing lanes and walking distance
to downtown in a historic, well-managed year round
Maine community. The property includes a rare sandy
beach on protected Northwest Harbor with sailing,
kayaking and fishing. The antique cape is move-in
ready and is surrounded by mature apple orchards and
hay fields and provides all year access to community,
cultural and outdoor activities. $710,000.
Contact: Allison Fox Glover, Megunticook Real Estate
Phone: 207 542 4410
E-mail: [email protected]
Photos at www.saltwaterfarmdowneast.com

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36 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/23/12 11:32 AM

The first layer of planking is fitted over the bottom
frames; the planking is 5⁄8” yellow-pine plywood,
commonly used in concrete forms.

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Texas; he was driving to my Islamorada boatyard in the
Florida Keys to meet me. I tried to discourage him, and
then he mentioned that he was bringing money.
Even though it was very late in our “building season”—neither I nor epoxy can tolerate the Florida heat
between May and November—we started construction
on the first Terrapin 34 schooner in April 1989, and
launched the finished TOMFOOLERY 16 weeks later, in
July.
While designing the Terrapin 34 I had decided
upon a simplified version of my usual method for coldmolded hull construction. I dubbed it “quick-molding.”
It involved double-diagonal planking for the hull bottom using the thickest plywood planks that could take

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REuEL PARKER

the curves (5 ⁄ 8"), and nominal 5 ⁄ 8" (actually 19 ⁄ 32")
plywood for the topsides, joined by butt blocks. For
the first Terrapin hull I specified 5 ⁄ 8" BBOES plywood, normally used in making concrete forms.
This yellow-pine plywood seemed to be of very
good quality, with thick surface veneers, almost no
core-laps or voids, and very few “footballs” (knotplugs). The slightly oily surfaces bonded thoroughly
to epoxy during my tests. I am always looking for
good-quality, inexpensive plywood as an alternative to
marine plywood, but now advise my clients to use the
best material they can afford.
Construction progressed rapidly with a crew of six.
I divided my workforce into two and sometimes three
crews, each with separate projects. Thus, we were simultaneously building the hull, centerboard, rudder, and
spars, and making custom stainless-steel hardware.
The hull went together easily and quickly, although
we broke a couple of planks on the curvaceous stern.
Decks consisted of the same 5 ⁄ 8" plywood as the hull,
laid over sawn Douglas-fir beams. Masts were got out
of solid, full-dimension, 6×6 air-dried Douglas-fir timbers, and booms and gaffs from smaller fir timbers.

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July/August 2012 • 37

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5/23/12 10:46 AM

TOMFOOLERY being lifted up for her launching in July 1989.

The interior consisted of painted plywood trimmed
with varnished mahogany—simple but elegant. The
colonel specified that no through-hulls be fitted, so I
gave him a removable basin whose contents he could
toss overboard. The head consisted of a similar arrangement. There was also a large ice hold, and a two-burner
stove. Total materials cost, including outboard motor,
sails, upholstery, and rigging, was $24,000. Labor was
about twice that figure.
The outboard was a four-stroke 9.9-hp Yamaha
mounted in a well in the cockpit. Sails and running
rigging were Dacron; anchor rodes and docklines were
nylon (spliced to 5/16" chain); standing rigging was 5/16"
stainless steel, with galvanized rigging screws and stainless-steel chainplates. All exterior surfaces were covered with epoxy-saturated Xynole-polyester cloth—two
layers on the bottom. All exterior paint was linear polyurethane over epoxy primers. Bulwarks were Douglasfir finished bright. When launched, TOMFOOLERY was
a pretty sight.
The colonel and his wife came for sailing trials and
then to take TOMFOOLERY home to Texas with a hired

AuThOR’S cOLLEcTIOn

Her shoal draft makes her ideal for the Texas waters
for which she was built. The author can be seen
to the right of the centerboard.

captain. The little schooner sailed fast, was stiff, balanced, pointed well, and was quick in stays—she never
missed a tack. I also thought she motored well, but the
colonel thought she should do better, and tried putting the outboard on a transom bracket. I recommend
against transom brackets as they tend to be fragile,
inconvenient, unprotected, and cause the propeller to
lift out of the water when the boat pitches.

T

o the best of my knowledge, there has never been
a revival of terrapin smack schooners. It seems
that these beautiful, pragmatic workboats have

Marine ply

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303-530-0435 - phone - 303-530-3742 - fax
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38 • WoodenBoat 227

TerrapinSmack_AD_FINAL.indd 38

5/23/12 10:46 AM

been lost in the corridors of time. In all the years I have
offered plans for my Terrapin 34, although some have
been purchased I don’t know for certain of another
ever being built. I eventually designed a Terrapin 42,
of which at least two were built (the first being OYSTER , built by my partner Bill Smith in Fort Pierce in
1993–94); a Terrapin 25 (SKIMMER , built in 1991, also
by Bill); a Terrapin 21, a Terrapin 30, and a Terrapin
16 (all of which have been built, except the 16). The
four smaller Terrapins are gaff-rigged sloops, like the
Hampton Flatties.
Every once in a while someone from Texas will tell
me that TOMFOOLERY is alive and well—although
under different owners—and that she still turns heads
wherever she sails. Long may she live!

REuEL PaRKER

Reuel Parker—profiled in WB No. 224—is a writer, designer, and
builder of boats. He divides his time between Florida, Maine, and the
Bahamas. A full range of his work can be seen at www.parker-marine.
com. His series “Revisiting the Classics” began in WB No. 225.
Plans for Reuel Parker’s Terrapin series of designs are available
from Parker Marine Enterprises, PO Box 651429, Vero Beach, FL
32965; www.parker-marine.com. They may also be found in Parker’s
Catalogue of Cruising Sail.

TOMFOOLERY under sail in the Florida Keys during trials.

July/august 2012 • 39

TerrapinSmack_AD_FINAL.indd 39

5/23/12 10:27 AM

Anchoring Under Sail
Sharpen your skills with
the motor off

T

here is something about a boat maneuvering
into an anchorage under sail that makes people
stop and stare. Conversations taper off, drinks
are lowered, and all eyes trace the boat’s course. Unfortunately, it is a rare event to see a sailing vessel of any
size come to rest without starting her engine.
There are, however, two strong arguments for anchoring under sail. First, anchoring under sail demands a
level of ability you might have to draw upon in earnest
should the auxiliary ever let you down. The skills of
anchoring under sail may, in fact, someday save the
boat.
Second, anchoring under sail is a lot of fun. On
VIXEN, my 34' gaff cutter, anchoring under sail is the

BRUCE HALABISKY

by Bruce Halabisky
Illustrations by Jan Adkins

first choice, the default option, unless I have good reasons to start the engine.
Sometimes this philosophy results in more of
an education than anything that could be called
“fun.” Once, my wife, Tiffany, and I were approaching an anchorage off the small island of Nosy Komba
on Madagascar’s west coast. We had been into the
anchorage before, it had plenty of room, and there
was a brisk, reliable breeze to propel us. There seemed
no reason to disrupt a nice afternoon sail by starting
the engine. I took in VIXEN’s jib to reduce speed as
we approached the entrance. We cleared an outlying
reef that was marked on the chart and could be seen
through the clear water. Tiffany picked a spot behind

Above—Once well anchored, VIXEN rides comfortably off Madagascar, but getting there under sail involved negotiating
a tricky current running contrary to the wind. Here, the rode’s tension is taken by a nylon snubbing line made off to the
bowsprit fitting, leaving the chain slack at the stemhead fitting. The author uses this system to eliminate shock-loads on the
windlass, prevent chafe on the bobstay, and minimize the boat’s movement while at anchor.

40 • WoodenBoat 227

AnchoringUnderSail_FINAL.indd 40

5/18/12 3:03 PM

Most often, anchoring under sail involves pinpointing the desired place to drop anchor, then coming head-to-wind with the
right amount of “carry” to reach the target just as the boat comes to a stop. At that point, the anchor can be lowered and the
chain payed out as the wind gives the boat sternway.

a French catamaran, and I went forward to drop the
staysail and ready the anchor. A few boat lengths to
leeward of the chosen spot, Tiffany turned into the
wind and let the mainsail luff. I dropped the anchor
with a satisfying splash in 20' of water.
Normally the wind would then set us back until the
anchor grabbed and that would be that. What I failed to
notice was a strong current of 3 or 4 knots setting contrary to the 15- to 20-knot wind. This current grabbed
hold of VIXEN’s long keel and thrust her stern right up
into the wind. Simultaneously, the mainsail filled with
wind and hit the shrouds. Suddenly, we were pinned
in the awkward position of sailing full downwind over
a bar-taut anchor chain with the hull refusing to turn
into the wind because of the aggressive current.
Then the “fun” really began.
A law of physics—I’m still not certain which one—
took over, and VIXEN went into a jibe. Her boom
crashed over, she turned upwind, tacked herself, and
then set off again downwind. Despite my efforts to get
up the anchor and Tiffany’s pushing and pulling at the
helm, VIXEN kept doing pirouettes. Once, twice, three
times we went around in this crazy manner. The anchor
would not come up and the mainsail would not come
down.
At one point during the chaos, I glanced up to see a
young woman aboard the French catamaran. She was

in a bikini, sitting down to an aperitif, a canapé poised
halfway to her mouth, which was opened in slack-jawed
amazement as she watched the gyrations of this unusual
anchoring technique. Was it perhaps some unknown
Canadian method of corkscrewing the anchor into the
sand?
Finally, during one of VIXEN’s impromptu tacks, I got
the anchor up and Tiffany wrestled the mainsail down.
Full of shame, we started the engine, moved as far from
any witnesses as possible, and anchored properly.
The lesson learned? Never ignore the current, especially in a long-keeled, heavy-displacement boat. Look
at any harbor with a cross-current and a dozen boats of
different displacements and hull shapes lying at anchor.
The multihulls will all point into the wind, swinging
back and forth with every shift. Fin-keeled sloops of
moderate displacement will heed the current and wind
about equally. The heavy-displacement, traditional timber and steel boats will point into the current, often
disregarding the wind altogether. I have had VIXEN
anchored in 50 knots of wind and seen a current push
her stern into what I had thought to be an omnipotent
force. One can imagine the excitement of a catamaran
and a traditional gaffer anchoring next to each other
on a river with strong tidal race.
Here are some suggestions for anchoring under sail
and avoiding our blunder at Nosy Komba:
July/August 2012 • 41

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5/18/12 3:03 PM

1. Carefully observe the anchorage. Pay particular
attention to wind and current. A perfectly seamanlike approach is to take a tack through the harbor
just to see how things lie without any thought of
anchoring on that first pass.
2. Make a plan with your crew. Decide on an escape
route if things don’t go according to plan.
3. Have everything possible prepared ahead of
time. Find the handle to the windlass. Check that
the chain is free to run. Have your halyards ready to
release. Take a final look at the chart and note the
hazards. We’ve learned to leave our VHF radio on
Channel 16, since a few times friends in the anchorage have warned us of uncharted rocks upon our
approach.
4. Reduce speed as necessary. This can be a challenge in gusty conditions. Consider striking the
headsails, but be ready to raise them in case you have
to bail out on the opposite tack. Luff the mainsail.
With a gaff rig, consider scandalizing the mainsail
by dropping the peak halyard.
5. Pick a spot to drop anchor and head to leeward
of it. The amount of toom to leave depends on how
much time your boat needs in the given conditions
to come to a stop after she is put head-to-wind.
Ignore the looks of concern from other boaters.
6. Put the tiller down and turn into the wind. On
small boats or in light winds, speed can be reduced
by pushing out the boom to windward and backing
the main so it will act as a brake.

7. Take a sighting on shore. When you’ve stopped
moving forward, let loose the anchor. Pay out chain
as the wind sets you back.
8. Once the anchor has been snubbed, you can
go through the motions of backing the mainsail again to sail backward so that the anchor
sets firmly. I’ve never found this to be very effective, because in heavy winds the anchor sets itself
from the boat’s windage and in light winds there is
not enough power to back the boat down. The real
solution to making sure you don’t budge is to have
heavy-duty anchoring gear that will set on its own
every time.
The weight of anchoring gear is one area where a
traditional heavy-displacement boat need not skimp.
A couple of hundred extra pounds have little effect
on the sailing ability of a 13-ton boat like VIXEN. Our
primary anchor is a 45-lb CQR on 260' of 3 ∕ 8" chain
spliced to 100' feet of 3/4"-diameter nylon rode, and we
also have a 35-lb CQR on the bow. We keep a 25-lb
Danforth stowed on the afterdeck, and deep in the
lazarette is a monstrous 65-lb fisherman anchor. Every
couple of years I consider getting rid of the fisherman,
but Tiffany won’t hear of it.
Once on the Hawaiian island of Molokai we maneuvered VIXEN through a very tight break in the reef. I
dropped the 45-lb CQR and then realized I’d better
row out the Danforth to keep us from swinging onto
the reef. As I sat back to relax and enjoy the evening, I
noticed a coral head off to port which we would surely

A full-keeled displacement hull like VIXEN will be more affected by current than by wind, while light boats—such as a dinghy
at a mooring—will be more affected by wind. Observing how various boats lie in an anchorage provides clues about how to
handle anchoring under sail.

42 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/18/12 3:03 PM

Anchoring Downwind

A

nother more cavalier approach to anchoring
under sail, which you won’t read about in books,
is to sail into an anchorage and drop the hook
while barreling along at full speed. Let the chain run.
Just before you hit the beach, snub it off and you’re
done. The main drawbacks here are that if the anchor
doesn’t grab, there isn’t much of a back-up plan, and
there is a good chance of raking the paint from your
boat’s topsides and bottom as the chain runs out. This
can be minimized by turning toward the side of the

boat on which the anchor was released.
We use this “drop it on the run” anchoring technique
often because it allows for more precise placement of
the hook. Sometimes with the traditional approach it is
difficult to judge how much room it will take the boat to
stop once pointed head-to-wind; inevitably after turning into the wind VIXEN will stop 10 or 20 yards short
or go shooting past the mark. Anchoring on the run is
like dropping a dart on a board and not so dependent
on boat speed.
—BH

be upon when the tide changed. Out went the 35-lb CQR,
and with that VIXEN was quite stationary lying to three
anchors inside a ring of coral. I will admit, however,
that that was one anchorage we didn’t sail into.

headway, I sailed VIXEN into the cove in the lee of the
headland. Seth went forward and readied the anchor.
For a moment it hung over the side, the tip raising a
ripple on the still water, then he backed off the brake
and let 15' of chain rattle off. I could see the anchor hit
the seafloor with a puff of sand. Slowly VIXEN continued on her trajectory as Seth let loose an additional 80'
of chain. Then he snubbed it, and VIXEN spun around
to face what little remained of the dying breeze.
As I went forward to drop the mainsail, I looked up
to see a couple standing on the beach. They were gazing
out at VIXEN, her sails silhouetted by the setting sun. I
wasn’t sure what had caught their attention, but I’d seen
that look before. They seemed mesmerized by the sight
of a boat maneuvering into an anchorage without an
engine, the beauty of a boat anchoring under sail.

T

he calamity of anchoring under sail at Nosy
Komba was an exception. More typical was a
clear summer evening on New Zealand’s east
coast. Aboard VIXEN were my sister Meghan and her
husband Seth. We had left Whangamumu under blustery conditions that morning, but the wind had died off
in the afternoon. With the current in our favor and just
enough of an easterly breeze to ghost along, we sailed
the last mile toward Whangaruru Harbor and the
anchorage off Raukoura Point. Although the sun would
soon be going down and there wasn’t much wind, I kept
the motor shut down to preserve the peaceful stillness
of the evening.
Under full sail, VIXEN cleared a rocky headland covered with thick grass and gnarled Pohutukawa trees.
Inside the harbor a sandy beach stretched north, the
shore aglow in the low-angled light. Barely making

Bruce Halabisky is a freelance writer and traditional wooden boat
builder. Six years ago he left Victoria, British Columbia, with his
wife, Tiffany, for Hawaii on the first leg of a circumnavigation.
They—now with two daughters—expect to resume their voyage this
spring from Rockland, Maine, where the boat wintered while they
visited the West Coast. See www.VIXENvoyage.com.
July/August 2012 • 43

AnchoringUnderSail_FINAL.indd 43

5/18/12 3:03 PM

A Letter from India
by Peter Neill

Photographs by Mary Barnes

I

ndia, a nation of one billion people, is
a surfeit of color, enterprise, language,
spirituality, and politics, all suffused
into a daily life that is tumultuous, not
always comprehensible, and frequently
overwhelming. To gain perspective on
a reality that is so vast in its length and
breadth, and so different from one’s own,

requires a frame, a manageable context
around which to order sensual stimulus,
observation, and glimpses of understanding of a society so challenging and complex. To that end, let me show you the fish
market at Sassoon Dock, Mumbai, where
boats, fishmongers, sorters, and sellers
offer a microcosm of Indian society.

SmALL VeSSeLS And SkILLed mArInerS

O

ne does not necessarily think of India as a
maritime nation. And yet it has a coastline
4,671 miles around, bounded by the Arabian
Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. It has
had a long tradition of seafaring, exploration, and
maritime trade, of near-shore artisanal fishing, and
of water transport along a vast network of inland rivers, both sacred and profane. It has a navy. It is better
known today for ship-breaking than ship construction,
and one does not look for yards per se, but rather for

impromptu launching ways on mud banks and breaks
in the shoreline where fishing boats and other small
craft are simply built and repaired. These little vessels make voyages that demand true offshore skill in
navigation and seamanship without modern aids and
with ultimate faith in crew, boat, and any number of
India’s myriad deities and saints. Like all such utilitarian vessels, the design has been determined and
refined through experience with resultant low cost,
demonstrated seaworthiness, and undeniable beauty.

44 • WoodenBoat 227

MumbaiFishMkt_FINAL.indd 44

5/21/12 1:40 PM

Visiting Mumbai’s Sassoon Dock

OfflOAding
These vessels make overnight and longterm voyages, constantly, in all weathers, in
water where they compete against vessels
from other countries and industrialized
fleets for rapidly diminishing supplies of
fish. On return, pressing up against the
stone quay, pushing against each other for
a place to offload, their planks bend and
groan, seemingly held together by leftover
paint, ratty line, nailed patches, flags, and
prayers. Their exhausted diesels belch and
smoke the last gallons of cheap fuel. The
men, surely without much sleep, offload
the meager catch in woven baskets tossed
up to buyers shouting and bargaining from
above. They are making do, much from
little, transforming what is to hand into
livelihood.

Squid—
A THree-dAy HAul
Six men sort and shift it ashore—
everything by hand—before refueling from rusty drums, taking on
water, filling the hold with crushed
ice through a canvas slide, and setting again out to sea. India’s strength
and weakness are evident here:
infinite labor for subsistence wage,
no need for more modern mechanization, no opportunity to change
to a better occupation, no aspiration
to look beyond this catch, this
day. But also evident are resilience,
perseverance, and equanimity.

July/August 2012 • 45

MumbaiFishMkt_FINAL.indd 45

5/21/12 1:40 PM

Cleaning and sorting the CatCh

I

f men provide the catch, then women
control the rest of the process from
sea to table. The stone floor is awash
with fish, here mostly shrimp, but other
species elsewhere. Every piece is cleaned
by hand, sorted by size and quality, and
allocated to yet another group of women
who assemble small amounts of different
varieties and depart the market on foot,
to distribute on daily routes inside Mumbai’s vast slum communities. Hotel and

restaurant chefs come early for the best
examples of this or that, but they constitute a tiny minority of purchasers. There
is little evidence of record-keeping or
money changing hands; payment is made
by a small commission of product retained
by each woman, sorter or distributor, for
herself and her family. The system is
astonishing: simple, cheap, efficient,
fair, and effective as a means to provide
protein to a city of 12 million.

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A MeAger HAul

T

he state of the world’s fisheries is in crisis, and the catch
evident from this voyage provides pathetic evidence. These men
live aboard, the boat their workplace,
house, and home; many rarely come
ashore. There is no supportive infrastructure, association, union, auction,
or regulation; Sassoon Dock appears to
be an example of a pure free market,
responsive only to the harsh reality of
daily supply and demand.

A Quiet sense of order

B

eneath the chaos, nevertheless,
there is an order here that defines
a community of the sea. The colors, the flags, the ubiquitous blue tarpaulins reveal the visual animation of a
society that, despite its challenges, is on
the move, as dynamic as the ocean itself.
The hardships are met with collective
labor. The resources are never adequate.
The goal is survival. Success provides
food for another day. Failure renews the
cycle of hardship. The next voyage will
be better.
One feels value at Sassoon Dock: of
work, frugality, honesty, utility, humility,
unity, and shared purpose. India teaches
these things and one wants to bring them
home as souvenirs to keep and gifts to
pass along.
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Rope Steering for Powerboats
Simple and affordable shop-made solutions

BRyAn GAGneR

by Harry Bryan

I

n recent years, the choice of a steering system for a
small powerboat has consisted of either a push-pull
cable or hydraulics. Rope and wire-rope steering,
which were found almost everywhere in the past, have
almost disappeared.
The reasons for this shift are not hard to find.
Older readers of this magazine will remember wire
steering rope with cracked plastic coatings that
allowed salt water into the core, where it would corrode the wire. The clamps that held the wire rope
tight often slipped. The rudimentary pulleys—it
doesn’t seem right to give them the proper nautical
name of turning blocks—were barely strong enough
to do their jobs. Steering for inboard motor installations tended to be built with stronger components,
but these could be expensive to buy and to install.
A newer push-pull cable system can be installed

without blocks or sheaves. The helm unit comes ready
to mount with a shaft machined to accept the steering
wheel. Outboard motor manufacturers provide easy
connection for cables. Hydraulic steering systems are
also designed to be easy to install and service.
Why, then, should we consider rope as a means of
transmitting steering control from the helm to the outboard motor or rudder? There are at least three good
characteristics of this older technology that recommend it over the newer systems. The first is the elimination of “play” in the steering. Second, rope steering
uses simple components. And third, it is adaptable for
a variety of steering setups.

Steering play—I have compared the slack in dozens of push-pull and hydraulic systems by measuring
how far the rim of the steering wheel travels before the

Above—One advantage of a rope-steering system is that it can be used with a variety of steering devices. By running the rope
around a drum on a shaft, as shown on page 50, standard wheel steering can be used. In this garvey designed by the author,
however, a stick-steering system uses inexpensive shop-built components and keeps the after cockpit clear.

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BryAN GAGNer

Top right—A shop-made quadrant (also shown in
drawings on page 52) attached to an outboard motor’s
carrying handle keeps steering rope angles steady and
tension constant at all steering angles, mimimizing
“play.” Middle right—A steering rope wound around
a drum on a steering wheel shaft, properly tensioned,
has little “play.” Bottom right—The taller of the garvey’s
two control sticks is for rope steering, and the tiller
rope spring mounted under the coaming at left tensions
the line. The garvey’s shorter, inner stick connects by
rod to the shift and throttle.

HArry BryAN

motor or tiller begins to move. All of them had 1" or
more of play in the steering wheel, most had 11/2", and
some more than 2". No one would accept this amount
of play in their automobile steering, yet it seems to be
almost universal in powerboats.
In push-pull cable systems, play is mostly caused by
the bends that the cable must make on its way from the
helm to the motor or tiller. Cables are constructed with
an outside casing covering a movable wire core. To
reduce friction, the core can’t fit too tightly within its
outer case. The core presses against the outside of
bends in the push mode, then moves to the inside
of bends when it is pulled. The more bends the cable
must make, the more slack there is in the system.
Hydraulic systems are also subject to slack steering,
although with less play than in cable systems, usually
about 1/2" to 1" for a 16"-diameter wheel. In these systems, expansion of the hoses under pressure is the culprit. The longer the hose, the more slack is felt. Using
Kevlar-wrapped hoses can minimize the problem,
although at greater expense.
In contrast to these systems, carefully designed
steering using low-stretch yacht rope can have almost
no slack at all.

Simplicity—The second reason to consider rope
steering is to simplify the technology. This is not to say
that the scheme will have fewer components, but like a
gaff rig compared to a marconi rig, the parts are easier
for the boat owner to construct or repair. If you are the
type of person who is prepared to do your own maintenance, rope steering can be less expensive as well as
longer lasting than the alternatives.

BryAN GAGNer

Adaptability—A third motive for considering
rope steering is to increase design options. Both pushpull cables and hydraulic hoses are engineered for
use with a rotary helm—a wheel. It is therefore difficult to adapt them to alternatives such as stick steering. In this system, a vertical stick, or whipstaff, usually
extends above the coaming and works with a fore-andaft motion. Stick steering can free up valuable cockpit
space. This directional control was once common on
both yacht club launches and workboats, but its use
need not be limited to these types. I have found that
stick steering is easier to build and has less expensive
components than rotary helms.
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Drawing 1—Components of a rotary helm

HArry BryAN

1. Steering wheel
2. Oil-impregnated bronze bearing
3. Rope drum
4. Cable tie to secure rope
5. Shaft

Constructing a Rope Steering System
Wheel Steering —The usual arrangement for
wheel steering relies on a shaft set in bearings and
turned by a wheel fitted to one end of the shaft. The
steering rope is wrapped around a drum mounted in
the middle of the shaft. Sometimes, a sprocket takes the
place of the drum, and a short length of chain engages
the sprocket while the rope attaches to the ends of the
chain. These units, called bulkhead steerers, can be
purchased, but they are expensive, often more than
$500. Wilcox Crittenden used to make a simple unit
with a galvanized wheel, a wood drum, and bearings,
and it may be possible to find one second-hand. This
article, however, is directed to those who wish to build
their own systems at a considerable saving in cost.
Drawing No. 1 shows a 3/4" shaft with one end
tapered to have a keyway and also threaded for a nut
to secure the steering wheel. For freshwater use, a
steel shaft will do. If the boat is intended for use in
salt water, then stainless steel, bronze, or brass would
be better. Good, inexpensive bearings can be made
of wood blocks bored out to accommodate sleeve
bearings. Such bearings are made of a porous, oilimpregnated bronze. They will last for years without
lubrication and are easily replaced.
The drum, which in this case is made of aluminum
turned on a lathe, must be fixed to the shaft, which
I’ve done here using two large set-screws. The steering
rope, in turn, must be fixed to the drum, in this case
using a common plastic cable tie run through a hole
bored through both the drum and the shaft.
The diameter of the drum and the length of the tiller’s swing at the rudder or outboard motor determine
the minimum number of turns that the line must take
around the drum, and also the number of rotations,

lock to lock, that the wheel will make. The range for
today’s push-pull cable and hydraulic units is from two
to four rotations of the wheel. For boats under 30' long,
I find that between two and two-and-a-half rotations is
about right. If the drum is too small in diameter, with
many turns of the line round it, the wheel will have to
be spun around a lot when docking or maneuvering
through a crowded anchorage. If the drum is too large
in diamter, with too few turns of the line, making slight
course adjustments is difficult.
To calculate the diameter of the working part of the
drum—not counting the lips worked into each end to
keep the rope from sliding off—you will first need to
know the distance the rope will move in turning the
rudder or outboard from full right to full left. For a
two-rotation, lock-to-lock system, the drum diameter
will equal the distance of rope travel divided by 6.28
(which is 2 × π). The diameter of the rope chosen will
change the effective diameter of the drum, and since
I recommend 1/4" rope for this system, you will need to
subtract 1/4" from this calculated diameter to get the
final dimension of the drum.
If you wish to avoid the math, you can estimate that
for a common tiller length or quadrant radius of about
8" to 10", the drum diameter can be 11/2". The old Wilcox
Crittenden drum was 3" in diameter in order to accommodate wire rope. If you use a drum this large, you will
need to lead the steering rope through single turning
blocks attached to the outboard or tiller in order to
reduce the too-quick “action” a larger drum will give.

Stick Steering—A helm for stick steering is usu-

ally easier to design and construct than a wheel-steering
system. To steer while standing up, the top of the stick
should be 30" to 36" above the cockpit sole. If you will
often steer while sitting, you can simply grip the stick

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lower down on its shaft, or, as an alternative, you could
make the stick shorter and devise a grip extension for
use when standing. The steering stick’s pivot will be on
the cockpit sole, or perhaps on the chine log if the boat
has one. A guide, usually made of wood, will be needed
alongside the coaming to support the stick in moving
fore and aft for steering but prevent it from moving side
to side.
The distance the top of the stick (the grip) will move
while steering must be decided. A short “throw” may
make the helm too stiff and too sensitive. Too much
throw will be uncomfortable, especially if the helmsman will be sitting most of the time. I have found that
30" is about right.
With the movement of the top of the stick decided
upon, it should be apparent that any other point on
the stick will have less movement. Find the point on the
stick that has the same length of movement required
by the tiller or outboard (see drawing No. 2). This will
be the point where the rope will be attached. I attach
the rope to the stick with a simple clamp made of brass
half-oval, as shown, for minimum stretch and so that it
can be adjusted if need be.

Rope and Turning Blocks—Regardless of whether

you plan to use wheel or stick steering, there is no
need to use wire rope. The large-diameter sheaves—3"
minimum—that would be required for using wire would
assure an expensive installation, as would sheathed
stainless-steel or bronze cables. Those materials used to
be a good alternative to natural-fiber rope, which
stretched and shrank significantly with changes in moisture content. Today, however, more stable synthetic yacht

rope has changed the equation, and I have come to
prefer it over any other choice.
For a boat up to 25' long and up to 30 hp, 1/4"-diameter braided rope will have more than enough strength
and will work with much-smaller-diameter steering
drums and sheaves than those required for use with
wire rope. A double-braid polyester, such as New England Rope’s Sta-Set, has just enough “give” to keep slack
out of the system without feeling spongy.
It is still possible to buy pulleys meant for plasticcovered, wire-cored cables. Their sheaves are large in
diameter and accommodate rope up to 1/4" in diameter. Even though such pulleys are inexpensive, I prefer using sailboat blocks because they are stronger and
the rope cannot slip off the sheave. Sheaves should
have a minimum diameter of 11/2". I used to think that
blocks swinging on a pad-eye or shackle would introduce play into the system, so I went to the extra trouble and expense of using solid-mounted blocks. I have
since observed that this is not so, and now I use flexibly
mounted blocks, which align themselves.
If an off-center wheel-steering console is used, both
parts of the steering rope usually run as a pair to the
nearest side of the boat. Here, two turning blocks
change the ropes’ direction so that they lead aft under
the side deck or coaming. At the transom, two more
turning blocks redirect the ropes toward the center of
the boat. One part runs directly to the motor or tiller,
and the other passes to the opposite quarter, where
it reeves through another turning block before being
made off to the motor or tiller. Be sure that the lines are
led properly so that a right turn on the wheel translates
to a right turn for the boat.

Drawing 2—Whipstaff or stick steering helm

HARRy BRyAN

1. Steering stick—3/4" hardwood:
11/4" at bottom, 13/4" at rope connection, 1" at top
2. Spring
3. Rope clamp—made from half-oval brass
(also shown in detail at top right)
4. Guide
5. Pivot (also shown in detail at bottom right)
6. Rope

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Drawing 4—Tiller with “T” as alternative to quadrant

If the wheel-steering console is mounted on the
centerline, the ropes can lead down to two turning blocks
directing them aft beneath the cockpit sole through holes
bored in the floor timbers. Two more turning blocks near
the transom will redirect the ropes outboard to turning
blocks at either quarter, thence to the motor or tiller.
For stick steering, one part of the rope will go
straight aft to a turning block, then directly to the tiller
or motor, while the other will go forward a short distance to a turning block before running aft to go past
the stick, through another turning block at the quarter, then across the boat and through another turning
block at the opposite quarter before ending at the tiller
or motor. Usually, with a starboard-mounted stick the
lines are led so that pushing the stick forward turns the
boat to port, and pulling back turns to starboard.

Connecting to a Tiller—Powerboat rudders

usually have a short metal tiller if the rudderstock is
inboard of the transom. Outboard-hung rudders
often have a short tiller extending through a cutout in
the transom. If the steering rope runs directly from
the quarter turning blocks to the end of the tiller, the
rope’s tension will not be constant throughout its
range of motion. In most cases, the quarter blocks will
be aft of the tiller’s forward end. When the helm is
hard over, the distance from a quarter block to the tiller then on to the other quarter block is shorter than
when the tiller is amidships. The usual method for
eliminating this problem with an inboard rudder is to
use a quadrant mounted on the rudderstock instead
of a tiller (see drawing No. 3).
If you have an outboard rudder, you may find it difficult to install a quadrant that clamps or bolts to the
tiller. An alternative, shown in drawing No. 4, can be
constructed to accomplish the same result. Attaching a
crosspiece to the tiller’s inboard end makes a T-shape
that allows the steering ropes to be connected some distance from either side of the tiller’s centerline. As the
tiller swings to port or starboard, the T introduces a
jog in the steering rope, thus taking up the slack that
would otherwise occur. The length that the crosspiece
needs to be—that is, the distance the rope is connected
out from the centerline—can be found by making a
mockup on the shop floor.

Connecting to an Outboard —The old wire-

rope-and-pulley system made its connection to an outboard motor at the center of the carrying handle a
few inches forward of the transom clamps. This point
acts as if it were the end of a short tiller arm pivoting
at the outboard’s center of rotation. Large outboards
were made with fittings on the handle to accommodate
turning blocks on each side, thus giving a two-to-one
mechanical advantage.
This system is subject to the same variable tension as
a tiller without a quadrant on a rudder-steered boat.
Play in the steering of such an arrangement can be minimized by placing the quarter blocks carefully. They
should be directly abeam of the motor attachment point
when the motor is midway between straight ahead and
hard over. It is a good idea to add a spring to the steering rope to take up slack when steering and to allow for
stretch when tilting the motor clear of the water (see
drawing No. 5). Springs called “tiller rope springs,”
which have the proper tension for this purpose, are
available from marine supply stores. These springs
change the tension in the rope to compression in
the spring, making them much less likely to fail
than tension springs.
A quadrant can also be made to fit an outboard
motor, allowing more latitude when placing the quarter
blocks. This will be particularly useful if the outboard is
mounted in a well, since a quadrant allows the steering
rope to come from the quarter turning blocks at a constant angle, so that the well only needs small holes for
the steering ropes to pass through. The photo on page
49 shows a quadrant fitted to a 20-hp Honda outboard.

Drawing 5—Tiller rope spring

HArry BryAN

Drawing 3—Quadrant on rudderstock

HArry BryAN

1. Rudderstock
2. Steering rope A
3. Steering rope B
4. Quadrant

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BRyAN GAGNER

Stick Steering for a 23' garvey

For a garvey that needs ample carrying capacity for passengers and goods, stick steering keeps the cockpit as clear as can be.

T

ROUT was designed to be used as a general util-

Steering lines connect to the engine through a quadrant. Because nothing “modern” was to be seen, the
shift and throttle are controlled by a second, shorter
stick that operates a single-lever engine control located
under the after starboard hatch.
The hull’s V-bottom below the chine is laminated
of two layers of Northern white cedar, laid on opposing diagonals, while the topsides are traditional riveted
lapstrake. The V-sections forward allow for dry, reasonably soft progress upwind against a chop while the rockered keel gives good maneuverability at low speed and
assures easy powering when loaded.
We had ample time for sea trials before delivery. This
included carrying (in a calm anchorage) 18 adults and
children. Even with this load, TROUT felt stable and
had a good reserve of freeboard. The ramp, although
kept short in order to mate with the dock, also worked
well on a steep beach. A longer ramp should give easy
access to almost any shore. Though designed as a working vessel, she also fits my definition of a good picnic
boat.
—HB

The quadrant itself is made from two layers of 1/2" MDO
plywood and has provision for adjusting the length of
the ropes, as well as a release lever to give the system
the slack necessary when tilting up the outboard. The
motor’s tilt lock is located directly under this release
lever, so it is unlikely that the operator will forget to add
slack before tilting. If the outboard has a remote power
tilt, it would be wise to add a spring in the rope. In any
case, the slight stretch in the braided polyester line will
prevent damage to the system if the slack-lever is not
deployed.
Although the availability and ease of installation of

push-pull cables and hydraulics will undoubtedly assure
their continued market dominance, a safe, reliable, lowtech steering system that has no play can be custombuilt in the boatshop. In a world where fewer and fewer
things are designed to be repaired by the consumer, at
least some people will find rope steering an appealing
concept.

ity boat for a large freshwater fishing camp that
is inaccessible by road. In frequent communications with the architect designing the camp for the client, I came up with a design that would meet a wide
variety of needs. The boat had to be capable of carrying 10 to 12 adults when used as a ferry, but it also
had to be capable of carrying a 55-gallon drum of fuel
or an all-terrain vehicle. Wheelchair access was also a
priority. To accommodate these loads, I settled on the
traditional garvey hull, with a wide foredeck. A hinged
ramp at the bow mates with a purpose-built dock, while
removable secondary ramps lead from the foredeck to
the cockpit sole.
A workboat feel was wanted, and to that end the
hull is painted a semigloss brown, while surfaces to be
walked on are unpainted Northern white cedar. Galvanized pipe stanchions support cargo restraining lines
and synthetic manila line serves as a sheer guard.
For this boat, stick steering was the most practical
way of maximizing the working area of the cockpit.

Contributing editor Harry Bryan lives and works off the
grid in Letete, New Brunswick. For more information, contact Bryan Boatbuilding, 329 Mascarene Rd., Letete, NB,
E5C 2P6, Canada; 506–755–2486.
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The Seaclipper 10

All smiles, Stephanie Evans of Oakland, California, puts a Seaclipper 10 through its paces. The 10’ LOA, epoxy-plywood
trimaran is designed by John Marples.
ABNER KINGMAN

by Jim Brown

W

hat is it about the Seaclipper 10 trimaran, the
wooden-hulled 10-footer that John Marples
first developed while living in the Puget Sound
area, that makes even seasoned sailors laugh with joy?
Well, maybe it’s the whimsy of the thing, the proverbial
one-horse open sleigh, o’er the waves we go, laughing
all the way. More likely, it’s because they’re sailing in
tiny boats that they literally put on like a body sock,
settle into like a reclining chair, and command with all
fours from the very pit of their pituitaries. When thus
kicked back, with just their heads above the deck, their
vantage point on the hydrosphere is so low down that
it seems to them that they’re driving a 90-footer in a
North Sea gale. But they know they’re not, and so they

laugh. And when half a dozen of these whimseymarans
get together, it’s a regular Soap Box Regatta and an
intuitive laughing gas for big kids.
Marples, who lives in California these days, conceived
his Three-Meter Class in 1979 as a trainer. He had
noticed that many of his clients for bigger cruising boat
designs were beginning sailors, and he realized that
they needed something small to build first—something
that could kick-start their building skills and their
sailing confidence. Something that could be built in
maybe just a hundred hours and for just a thousand
dollars (see “Building the Seaclipper 10,” page 58).
“This was a tall order,” Marples says. “I wanted students to be totally free of sailing’s usual gymnastics so

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A trimaran for the pure joy of sailing
that they could really learn the elements of playing all
the angles between wind, water, and machine. So, to
let the poor kid—big or little—really concentrate on
sheeting and steering, it had to be a boat that did not
require hiking out. That meant going multihull, but I
couldn’t ask the oldsters to be squatting on a trampoline. It had to have a sit-in cockpit like a kayak, and that
meant a trimaran.”

S

ailing, in and of itself, is not exactly intuitive.
Beginners of any age are asked to manage a vehicle that gains its mobility from the movements of
two cosmic fluids, one at least 600 times denser than
the other, both of them in motion at widely varying
speeds and directions relative to one another as they
slide across their common interface.
Now, put a gas-breathing, terra-firma biped squatting
in the bilge of half a cockleshell that is buoyed up by the
dense liquid to hold it largely in the gas. Then, to this
cockleshell affix a large supple airfoil upward into the
gas and two small rigid hydrofoils downward into the
liquid and allow the relative motion of the two fluids on

these foils to generate their inherent propulsive force
upon the cockle and its cargo.
Off they go! All at once the biped is required to
crane its vision forward, reach behind, steer counterintuitively, duck beneath a swinging boom, and kneejump side-to-side to keep the liquid from slopping in
the cockle to displace the gas therein. Simultaneously,
the greenhorn sailor must keep track of how the relative motions of gas, fluid, and cockle are responding
directionally to said propulsive force.
For steering, Marples relied on feet, which are
inherent to bipeds but often underutilized by sailors.
Foot-pedal steering (see “Armchair Sailing,” page 56),
as used in aircraft and many kayaks, could free the
student from both the gymnastics of hiking out and
the tyranny of the tiller, leaving both hands free for
trimming sheets.

B

ecause racing several boats together greatly
speeds learning, the Three-Meter trainers were
intended to race. So Marples started an open
class with a tight rule: Boats could be no longer than

ABNER KINGMAN

With no tiller to tend and no need to hike out, the pilot can give full attention to the set of the sails.

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Armchair
Sailing

W

ith foot-pedal steering, gone is the
tyranny of the tiller, which permits
only one-handed hauling on the
sheets, occasionally assisted by the helmsman’s teeth and accompanied by a snake wake.
Moreover, the hands are free for many other
tasks, like using binoculars, folding the chart,
taking pictures, donning foulies, spreading
peanut butter—all while guiding the craft
with the toes.
Armchair sailing also seats the pilot comfortably, mostly down out of the wind and with
the head well below the boom. The eyes are
forward, and no calisthenics are required to tack,
jibe, or simply stay aboard. In this position, the pilot
can relax—even snooze—while sailing far with minimal fatigue. With the resulting comfort, security,
and relaxation, the armchair sailor is free to kick
back and allow the boat to take him on its trip.
There are trade-offs: When steering by foot pedal,
the pilot is confined to a central location and prevented from using body weight for stability, so the
boat itself must be inherently stable. Even then, it
cannot be driven as hard as, say, a trapeze-equipped
dinghy or full-blown beach cat, both of which depend
largely on a scampering crew to prevent capsize. Of
course, the armchair sailor also can hot-dog his boat
in a blow—although not quite so hot—and there is
some loss of the thrills of hiking out with foot straps,
showing off one’s abs, and balancing the boat in that
ride-’em-cowboy mode. On the other hand, the armchair sailor is down so close to the water, often able
to drag both elbows, that the sensation of speed can
be even more extreme than when cantilevered from
a flying hull.
The armchair sailor can maneuver the craft
adroitly. By hauling sheets overhand with both arms
at full extension or retraction, tacking and jibing
can be performed easily and repeated very rapidly.
Downwind sailing in particular permits full boom
haul-ins and payouts, using both arms as giant shock
absorbers at the “ jibe-ho!” moment, all while retaining complete control of the boat’s course with the
toes. This capability suggests developing racecourses
for downwind “giant slalom” legs.
The boat has to be adjusted to the individual.
The seat height should be at least slightly above feet
height. Adjustable seat height can allow one’s elbows
to swing behind the seat back for long-arm hauling
on the sheets, this while retaining proper armrest
height for minimal neck and shoulder stress.
The sheet leads should be arranged with the

All of the rigging is led to a cockpit console to be within
easy reach of the pilot, who has both hands free for line
handling. The daggerboard, too—the top of which is just
visible between the console and the forward crossbeam,
or aka—is also within easy reach.
ABNER KINGMAN

main on center, lodged in a cam cleat right above
the pilot’s thighs, where it can be quickly released
by yanking upwards. Headsail sheets, if the boat has
them, also should be arranged to permit hauling
hard on each with both hands.
The foot pedals—complete with heel braces—
should adjust for a wide range of leg lengths. The
pedals should suspend vertically down from overhead or up from the cockpit sole. Heel braces should
be distinct enough to permit the pilot to relax his
upper legs with bent knees while steering from the
ankles most of the time. For hard-over helming, the
pedals should allow full leg extension or retraction.
Heel braces also are used to jam one’s back against
good lumbar support when hauling sheets. The
cables should be taut and friction free, allowing the
toes to feel the steering with the same sensitivity as a
hand on a tiller.
For the physically challenged, either a mechanical lift or some muscular assistance is necessary for
boarding, but once ensconced in the cockpit, where
one cannot fall out, even paraplegics can sail these
boats, steering by hand. Steering ropes that pass the
pilot’s sides on their way to the pedals can simply be
grasped, or optional whipstaffs could be rigged on
each side (see “Rope Steering for Powerboats,” page
48). Steering and trimming by hand are almost as
easy as when using the foot pedals. With the sheet
stop-knotted at a close reach, rank beginners—and
even quadriplegics rigged with a harness to steer by
the shoulders—can be turned loose to zip around
and get back by themselves.
—JB

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ABNER KINGMAN

ABNER KINGMAN

JOHN MARPLES

Left top—Rigging can be as simple as just a single sheet for
the mainsail, but an outhaul, boom vang, and downhaul can
be added for finer control. The trimaran can also fly a simple
spinnaker, which requires only a halyard, plus one sheet
and one foreguy per side. This is the “dashboard” for MICRO
MOXIE , the original prototype Three-Meter, built in 1979 in
Port Orchard, Washington. Left to right, jam cleats control
the spinnaker port sheet, spinnaker port foreguy, spinnaker
halyard, outhaul, mainsheet, boom vang, downhaul,
spinnaker starboard foreguy, and spinnaker starboard
sheet. Middle left—The rudder is hung on a false transom.
Freeing its downhaul and pushing on both foot pedals lifts
it clear of the water. The rudderhead line holds the rudder
up when launching or retrieving. Left bottom—Foot pedals
hinged to the underside of the foredeck provide strong and
simple steering control via ropes connected to a yoke at the
rudderhead.

10', no wider than 8', but of any depth. Monohulls are
allowed, but hiking out is not. The Marples boats are
designed for solo sailing, with a crew weight of roughly
200 lbs, but the cockpits have handled some really big
guys, like 6' 6" and 280 lbs. Boat weight is not specified
but ranges from about 150 to 200 lbs. To ensure that big
kids can compete on an equal footing with the lighter
little kids, the class has a minimum gross racing weight
of 385 lbs for the boat and crew combined. So, to compete, some small sailors are obliged to carry ballast.
Sail area is limited to 60 sq ft, with no headsail except
an optional spinnaker. The ’chute is normally set from
a bag in the cockpit, and because the mast is unstayed,
setting and dousing the ’chute is not obstructed by
standing rigging. Because of the trimaran’s wide beam,
no spinnaker pole is necessary or allowed.
With hulls of this capacity, the blazing speeds of
longer multihulls cannot be expected, but again, top
speed is not intended here. Rather, the objective is ease
of learning. For absolute neophytes, handling can be
reduced to a single-string mainsheet. With intuitive
foot-pedal steering—push the right pedal to go right
and left to go left—the student has both hands free to
trim the sail. As experience is gained, the rig can be
developed to have as many as nine strings to pull: five
for the spinnaker (a halyard and two guys each side)
plus four for the main (sheet, outhaul, downhaul, and
vang). All these lines emerge from fairlead holes in the
full-width dashboard right in front of the pilot. There
they engage in labeled cam cleats, and their tails drape
into the pilot’s lap, where nothing can foul them. In
addition, all controls are hidden from view below the
level of the cockpit sides, so one competitor cannot crib
the tweakings of another.
The rudders in these boats are mounted on a false
transom that is hinged laterally at the top of the
true transom. In this way, the rudder can kick up without exposing any vulnerable pieces. A rudder downhaul is led through the transom via a conduit to
emerge on the stern deck just aft of the pilot’s shoulder. To completely retract the rudder, the downhaul is
released and both foot pedals are pushed forward at
once. The blade is easily removed for trailering.
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JOHN MARPLES

The Seaclipper 10 is an outgrowth of the Three-Meter Class that designer John Marples initiated for simple and
inexpensive sail training.

JOHN MARPLES

Building the Seaclipper 10:

Working in his small shop, Marples developed the Seaclipper 10 to be easily built using 1/4” plywood, which fit in the tight
space because the outer hulls, called amas, and the crossbeams, called akas, were designed to be easy to remove.

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JOHN MARPLES

The Three-Meters have an unstayed “bendy”
mast with a luff-sleeve mainsail, which has no
halyard. Ideally, the mast is made from three
segments of aluminum tube, which can be
disassembled to fit inside the boat, but for
economy a single 16' length will serve just as
well, if not quite as conveniently.
Because these 8'-wide boats do not have
to be folded or disassembled for trailering,
their crossbeams are normally made of
1 1/2"-diameter aluminum pipe. If compact
trailering or shipping becomes necessary,
the boat can be quickly disassembled by
removing bolts from bonded-in T-nuts.

The daggerboard trunk is robustly mounted between
the hull’s bottom and deck, between the pilot’s legs.
The daggerboard itself emerges through the deck just
forward of the dashboard, easily within reach. When
removed from the trunk, the board is long enough to
span the distance between the crossbeams, where it
may be stowed when the craft is nosing into a beach.

T

he boats sail well, tacking dependably
and steering crisply even downwind
in waves, and they readily achieve 7
or 8 knots, roughly half again the speed of
non-planing dinghies of their size. A rank
beginner can go out alone with no more
instruction than “don’t try to sail directly into
the wind.” Anyone can get back to the beach without
the neophyte’s usual yelling, rescues, and embarrassment. Even blown tacks and wild jibes in strong winds
are of little consequence, and this absence of intimidation gives positive reinforcement to learning more.
Frostbiting—that venturesome sailing on fine but
cold winter days—is encouraged by the minimal risk

Racing, a great way to learn, proved not only instructive but an awful
lot of fun for the early owners of Marples’s 10’ trimarans, built using the
Constant Camber construction method. The first fleet took root in the
Puget Sound area.

A study in simplicity

JOHN MARPLES

J

ohn Marples originally designed the Three-Meter
trimarans to be built using the Constant Camber
method, using vacuum-bagging to streamline the
cold-molded method of construction (see “Bagging the
Gull,” WB Nos. 64–65). The early boats were built this
way in the mid-1980s, but vacuum-bagging seemed to
impose a steep learning curve on the owner-builder,
and as a result the class found little traction at first.
In the early ’90s, Marples developed a simplified sheetplywood version, called it the Seaclipper 10, and plans
for that version have been selling worldwide. One concentration of boats was in Marples’s then-home region
in Puget Sound, where in the mid-’90s roughly half a
dozen boats regularly arrived at laid-back gatherings.
For economy and availability, the Seaclipper version
of this 10-footer is built entirely of 1/4" plywood—an
extremely rugged thickness for so small a boat. Ramming docks and channel markers, and even minor collisions with other boats of the class, are usually survived
with no more than a big surprise. Framing lumber is
from the local lumberyard, and the narrow, dory-like
hull forms have easy bends.
Assembly is by the stitch-and-glue method, which is
as simple as boatbuilding gets. The boats are epoxycoated inside and out, making them rugged and
durable.
—JB

Constructed using taped-seam epoxy-plywood construction,
the trimaran hulls are light and strong. The glued-in amidships trunk accommodates the foil-shaped daggerboard.
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ABNER KINGMAN

Not only is the Seaclipper 10
easy to sail, it’s also easy to
live with. Here, designer John
Marples drags the boat via a
purpose-made cart onto a trailer
for transport. Because the boat
is 8’ wide overall, it doesn’t need
to be dismantled for trailering

of capsize, and by the ’biter’s body being down out of
the wind. Of course, for that type of sailing adequate
gear is assumed, perhaps complete with a motorcycle
helmet and full faceplate, and with a piston bilge
pump fastened to the trunk and plumbed to discharge
overboard. Now you can take on the North Sea.

A

lthough the Three-Meters are easy to sail, it has
become evident that these trimarans are not
easy to sail well. “Most boats that are easy to sail
are rather ho-hum for anything else,” Marples says.
“They don’t show a distinct response to tweaking, and
so don’t encourage learning. And most boats that sail
really well are not easy. They make rather drastic physical demands and so can be discouraging especially to
beginners and the not-young.”
Nevertheless, as the Three-Meter class developed
momentum, some of the sailors became competitive.
Because trailering was so easy, they raced on lakes,
bays, sounds, and on more challenging courses to keep
the interest up. “We thought we were getting pretty
good,” Marples says, “until Jack Christiansen, our local
sailmaker, showed up for a regatta and blew us all away.

Suddenly, the laughter was mixed with more attention to finesse, which is what the boat was meant for,
and in time several of our crowd would make significant cruises or become successful racers in the intense
F-boat regattas,” in larger trimarans. (Marples also
designed a larger version of the 10-footer; see “The Seaclipper 20,” below.)
“I’m satisfied that these Three-Meters really do perform as trainers, but they train you in the truth about
sailing: There’s a whole lot to learn, and if you want to
get good, it takes lots of patience and practice.”
Well, practice is easy when it’s fun, and the best evidence of fun is laughter. Oftentimes, the grandest giggles heard from the practicing Three-Meter fleet are
surprised remarks made by floating passers-by. Like, for
instance, “Hey, those are adults in those boats.”
Jim Brown, a longtime contributor to WoodenBoat, is the designer
of the Searunner series of ocean cruising trimarans, the inventor of
the Constant Camber construction method, and the co-founder of
OutRig! The Modern Multihull History Project (www.outrig.org), a
private initiative that collects, preserves, and disseminates the history
and lore of modern seafaring multihulls, their creators, and their
crews. He lives in Foster, Virginia.

The Seaclipper 20

T

he Seaclipper 20 (reviewed in WB No. 217) is
the latest of a series of eight simple, inexpensive trimarans that John Marples designed to be
owner-built. At WoodenBoat School in 2011, Marples
and I worked with seven highly motivated (some said
frenzied) students to build one, and she was about 85
percent complete when we launched her nine working
days later.
Purchased by student Val Cox for the price of materials to that date—$2,400—she was hauled off to Key
Largo, Florida, where Cox has a canal-side home. He
completed her just in time for the whole class, save one,

to arrive in March to “break her in.” During a week of
sailing and celebrating, some wordy wag exclaimed,
“This is not just ésprit de corps, this is joie de vivre!”
As with the 10-footer, the Seaclipper 20 is a sheetplywood, get-it-done special, but it has some unusual
features:
• Simple and economical “swing-wing” crossbeams
allow easy folding for trailering, motoring in narrow
waters, berthing, camping aboard, and storage. The mast
can be up or down, since folding does not affect the rig.
• “Combo Steering” uses a standard tiller but also
allows foot-pedal steering from either of two cockpits.

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VAL COX

ANNE BRAY

JOHN MARPLES

Left—With the Seaclipper 20 design, Marples translated
the concepts of the 10-footer into a boat capable of more
adventuresome cruising, even accommodating a dome tent
set up on deck. Left top—In 2011, Marples and the author
led a course at WoodenBoat School to build and launch the
trimaran in two weeks. Above—Val Cox, one of the course
students, bought the boat, took it home to Florida to finish it
out, and reunited most of the class for a maiden sail in early
2012.

• All specified plywood, framing, and crossbeam
lumber is available at any lumberyard.
• All fastenings and hardware for the crossbeams,
rig attachments, and sheet leads are of inexpensive
galvanized steel.
• Any of several “beach cat” rigs (or other readily
available rigs) can be fitted. Spars, sails, and standing
and running rigging for these rigs are commonly
available second hand. A Hobie 16 rig is recommended.

• A standard 7' dome tent can be erected on the Seaclipper 20’s platform, secured with its rain fly to resist
high winds, hot sun, cold snaps, and biting bugs. Customizing the tent by cutting out its floor in way of the
footwell allows the crew to sit comfortably, and a 2' × 3'
table can even be secured to the raised daggerboard.
• The thick, flat bottom of the main hull, sheathed
in polypropylene cloth set in epoxy, not only endures
repeated beachings but also accommodates the use of
skids, rollers, trailer bunks, flatbed trailers, and direct
on-the-hard storage.
Depending on the owner-builder’s focus and willingness to scrounge, costs and building times can vary
widely. Based on early evidence, the Seaclipper 20 materials cost about $6,000 and it takes about 1,200 hours to
build.
—JB
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BENITO

PETER ChAMPION (BOTh)

Discovered on YouTube,
built by Skype
by Bruce Stannard

T

he idea of building a custom cruising boat for
an owner living far from the building site is a
tough assignment, since such a project requires
myriad small details to be discussed and fussed over
between the owner and builder. But Peter Kass and his
team at the John’s Bay Boat Company in South Bristol,
Maine, recently completed the magnificent 44' cruising lobsterboat BENITO in just that way. Owner Will
Baillieu, you see, lives at Cape Schanck on Australia’s
Mornington Peninsula, but thanks to the wonders of
the Internet, he was able to keep a hand in the building
of his dream boat—a project that had taken root in his
childhood—from the other side of the world.
As a small boy growing up at seaside Sorrento on the
southeastern approaches to Port Phillip in southern
Victoria, Baillieu amused himself with a tiny fleet of

carved and painted toy fishing boats sent to him from
faraway Denmark by his godmother. With their sweeping
sheerlines and sturdy wheelhouses, the traditional style
and proportions of the miniature North Sea trawlers
embodied the handsome good looks that were to
encourage his lifelong passion for honest working
vessels. In his 20s he restored, designed, and built
several of the shapely 26' gunter-rigged Couta Boats
that had been the mainstay of Victoria’s fishing fleet
throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries (see
WB No.137). And although he kept a weather eye open
for an opportunity to acquire a traditional Tasmanian
fishing smack or ketch still working the waters of Bass
Strait, a suitable boat never hove into view.
After a distinguished sporting career as an Olympic
oarsman and as a member of AUSTRALIA II’s AMERICA’s

Above—When Australian Will Baillieu decided he wanted a Maine lobsterboat, he came to Maine to have one built. Tracking
the details of the project via Skype, Baillieu worked closely with builder Peter Kass while living on the opposite side of the
planet. Inset—While BENITO, as the new boat is called, is built to the tough standards of a Maine lobsterboat, her interior
layout is for cruising for a family of four.

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like finding a genuine Maine lobsterboat and import­
ing it to Australia. I asked Sally, ‘Are you up for a trip to
Maine?’ ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘when do we leave?’”

“Sometimes you just have to go with
your gut feeling and take a step into the
unknown, otherwise nothing interesting
happens. It’s called trust, and it has to
go both ways.”
—Owner Will Baillieu

WILL BAILLIEU

BENITO in her home waters
of Port Phillip in southern
Victoria, Australia. Here,
BENITO runs near Point
Nepean, the entrance to
Port Philip. Beyond lies
Bass Strait and 200 miles
B
tto the south, Tasmania.
Inset—
Inset—The
boat was set
up with serious cruising in
mind. The smoke head seen
here is plumbed to a cozy
wood stove in the saloon
(see photo, page 67).

PETER CHAMPION

Cup–winning crew, his focus shifted to wooden motor­
boats. He bought ROUGH UP, a Cheviot 32 launch
designed and built at Tim Phillips’s Wooden Boat Shop
at Sorrento on lines inspired by the Downeast Maine
lobsterboats. But, with two small children in tow, it
soon became clear that a bigger boat was needed if the
Baillieu family were to pursue its shared interest in
offshore cruising among the islands of Bass Strait.
In the winter of 2009 while he was browsing online
for Maine lobsterboats, Baillieu came across a video
clip showing the 2008 launching of AGAMENTICUS,
the 42­footer designed and built by Kass for lobster­
man Ed Grant of York Harbor, Maine. Will called to his
wife, Sally: “Quick, come and look at this….” It was like
watching a dream sequence suddenly flicker into life on
the screen. Set to an up­tempo guitar track, the video
showed precisely the kind of boat he had in his mind’s
eye. But more than that, the clip also showed the pride
in craftsmanship shining in the eyes of the smiling men
who had built the boat as well as the shared delight evi­
dent among the lobstermen who had gathered to wish
her well. “I was enthralled by the boat,” he says, “and
by the tiny window it opened on life in Maine. I gradu­
ally embraced the idea of doing something really crazy,

B

aillieu had read about Peter Kass in WoodenBoat
some 20 years before (No. 115). “I contacted him
through his website,” he said, “and asked about
AGAMENTICUS. He was quick to respond with informa­
tion about the boat and suggested the best way to find
out more about her was to speak directly with her owner,
Ed Grant, the lobsterman who works her in the unshel­
tered waters off Boon Island, Maine. Ed and I spoke by
email. He could not have been friendlier or more infor­
mative, and he clearly loves AGAMENTICUS. She is his
second big Kass boat, and he was happy to share infor­
mation with a stranger from the other side of the world.”
In April 2010 Sally and Will Baillieu flew from
Melbourne to Boston, a 12,000­mile journey via Los
Angeles and New York that took them an exhausting
36 hours. They rented a car and began a two­week trip

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WILL BAILLIEU (BOTH)

Will Baillieu
was researching
lobsterboats online
when he came
across a video clip
of the launching of
AGAMENTICUS, a
Kass boat built in
2008 for Ed and Rosie
Grant (inset, flanking
Sally Baillieu).
The boat was, for
Baillieu, a distillation
of everything he’d
been wanting in a
new boat.

up the winding coast roads that were to take them all
the way north to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The idea was to
meet boatbuilders and look at lobsterboats along the
way. “The northeast coast of America is spectacularly
beautiful and very romantic,” he said, “and to our Australian eyes, Maine is pure magic. The places we saw
were so beautiful and the people so wonderful. We saw
it as wooden boat heaven. We looked at all the boats
and boatyards and tiny lobster towns, and we took hundreds of photos, but in the back of my mind I was thinking that I would probably never find a good wooden
boat, and if I did it would be way too expensive. Then
there would be all the problems importing one into
Australia with our strict quarantine laws.
“On the other hand, I was determined not to go up
the Maine coast without seeing the beautiful AGAMENTICUS. Ed Grant’s wife, Rosie, agreed to meet us in the
Stonewall Kitchen in York, and after coffee she took us
down to meet Ed on the boat at York Harbor. We hit
it off with the Grants right away. They are a wonderful couple, so friendly and informative and so happy in

each other’s company. AGAMENTICUS was pretty wonderful too. Although it was a gray afternoon with occasional drizzle, the Grants took us out for a trip up the
coast to Nubble Light at Cape Neddick. Ed keeps AGAMENTICUS in absolutely immaculate condition. She
may be a working lobsterboat, but she is scrubbed spotlessly clean and fitted up forward in luxurious fashion
for cruising. The moment I saw this beautiful boat and
stepped aboard, I was immediately hooked. The feel,
sound, smell of a wooden boat is unlike anything else. I
knew from that moment on that I would never be happy
with a fiberglass boat. I looked at Sally, and she could
tell what I was thinking. After that wonderful, unforgettable afternoon cruise with those two beautiful people,
the next logical step was to meet Pete Kass.”

T

he Baillieus found the John’s Bay Boat Company—with its small, shingled shop and marine
railway at the water’s edge and the Kass family
home behind it—hidden among the trees near the midcoast Maine town of South Bristol. There, Will Baillieu
found he had an immediate rapport with Pete Kass.
“Pete is a strongly built man with a ready smile and a
deep but soft voice,” Will said. “He showed us the 24'
gunkholer he was building for himself. Wooden boat
shops are always irresistible for me, and Peter’s shop was
fascinating. There were lots of big old machines with
photos and calendars tacked up, a big old woodstove
for heat, and plenty of lumber racked out to dry.”
In their discussions, Peter Kass was candid enough
to admit that for the first time in 30 years he did not
have an order for another boat. The global financial
crisis had spread gloom and doom across America, and
money had simply dried up. Nobody was ordering new
boats, and once he finished the 24-footer, Kass told
him, he faced shutting up the shop.
Out on the slipway Baillieu found another beautiful Peter Kass creation, the 42' lobsterboat SALLY
ROCHELLE , which was hauled out for a paint job. He

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was drawn to this boat, just as he had been to AGAMENTICUS. “When it was time to leave,” he said, “Pete sent
us north to Camden, where he arranged for us to see
another of his boats, Chris Page’s ABIGAIL & CARTER .
Once again, here was a boat that took my eye.” From
Camden, the Baillieus drove to Nova Scotia, visiting
numerous builders of both fiberglass and wooden boats
along the way. On that leg of their journey, they met a
young lobsterman, Chris Eager, who made them fresh
lobster rolls from his morning’s catch. “He owned a
medium-sized boat,” Will said, “which was the second
boat Pete Kass had ever built. He told me all he ever
wanted to do was be successful enough from lobstering
to get himself a full-sized Kass lobsterboat. We didn’t
mention that we knew Peter Kass, but simply listened
while this young man spoke admiringly of Pete and
described his boats as ‘the Cadillacs of the Sea.’”
It was a description they would hear again and again.
Things were beginning to gel in Baillieu’s mind. “I’m
almost 60,” he said, “and sometimes it takes a bit of old
age and experience to recognize when you have an
opportunity staring you in the face. Many would miss
it, but I couldn’t help feeling that if I didn’t take this
chance, I might regret it for the rest of my life.”
SALLY ROCHELLE

P

eter Kass lifts the lines of his lobsterboats from
his own half models. He agreed to stretch one
of his 42-footers to 44' for the Baillieus and later
arranged for naval architect Spencer Lincoln to do
some scale drawings from the half model to help plan
the layout. Early on, Pete had suggested that they could

WILL BAILLIEU (BOTH)

helped to seal
Will Baillieu’s
faith in Pete
Kass’s work.
Chris Eager
(inset) did, too;
he told the
Baillieus that
Kass’s boats
were “the
Cadillacs of
the sea.”

W

ill and Sally flew back to Australia with their
minds pretty well made up. Even so, they were
both well aware of the downside. “There was
so much potential for this thing to run off the rails,”
Will said. “How could we manage it from 12,000 miles
away? How well did we actually know Pete Kass, and
what if everything went wrong? What about the logistics
and costs of getting the boat back home to Australia?
What if the overall cost blew out beyond our means?
What if the exchange rate moved against us? There are
always lots of reasons for not doing something, but in
the end I was not looking for excuses. I was looking
for positives. Sometimes you just have to go with your
gut feeling and take a step into the unknown, otherwise
nothing interesting happens. It’s called trust, and it has
to go both ways.”
Baillieu felt good about Kass. His personal and professional reputation seemed unblemished. Atlantic lobstermen raved about his boats. Will had fallen hard for
all the Kass boats he had seen. Pete didn’t have a boat
on order, so the timing was right. The exchange rate
for the Australian dollar was great. There were lots of
things saying “yes.” At that point Will says he reminded
himself of his own motto: Nothing Happens Unless You
Make It Happen! “And so,” he said, “we decided to go
ahead. I rang Pete and said we wanted him to build us a
boat. He replied, ‘Well, you sure will make a few people
happy around here.’ I asked how he wanted to formalize our agreement, and he said he normally did that
with a handshake. I suggested we shake hands over the
phone. That was good enough for Pete, and the deal
was done. We could sort out the details later.”

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SAM MurfITT

communicate via Skype and discuss things face-to-face
as construction progressed. Although Pete is not particularly computer savvy, his teenage daughter, Annie,
showed him how to go about it. “Our Skype sessions
were pretty regular,” Will recalls. “One of us would
email the other and suggest a time. It was nearly always
five in the morning in Maine, which was eight in the
evening at our home on Cape Schanck. Pete is an early
riser, and he liked to get the sessions done so he could
walk across to the shop before his crew arrived.
“At first we would spend up to two hours at a time
going over the details. I usually wrote a list of items to
be discussed, and Pete did the same. We became better at it, and soon the sessions were more like an hour
each time. We covered everything, and lots of decisions
were made via the Skype camera. I lost track of the
hours that were put into following up every decision.
There was an enormous amount to be done to keep
pace with Pete’s building schedule. I seemed to be forever parked at the computer, searching suppliers and
prices, writing emails, and making orders. Pete’s wife,
Nina, took lots of digital photographs, and these were
emailed to me. If I needed to see something in particular, I requested it and Nina photographed and sent it.
I really wanted to be there, and indeed, if I had been a
single man I couldn’t have stayed away. But the Skype
sessions were a pretty good compromise given that I
was needed at home with my family.”

WIll BAIllIeu

In September 2011, BENITO slid down the railway at
John’s Bay Boat Co. She was subsequently delivered on
her own bottom to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was
loaded onto a ship for transport to Australia. Inset—The
John’s Bay crew admires BENITO, pre-launch.

Will says he was even able to watch the seasons come
and go through the Skype camera, which was upstairs
in the Kass family’s home. “I could see a window behind
Pete when he sat at his desk,” he said, “and except for the
dead of winter when it was dark and they were covered in
snow, I could see something of what it was like outside.
The face-to-face contact made an enormous difference.
I could see if Pete was tired or worried or happy. I felt a
very important physical contact with him and the boat. I
don’t think I could have done the project without it.”
Will received by email scanned, handwritten invoices
for each fortnight’s work, with details of every purchase
and all hours worked. “I think Nina was the one doing
all the accounting,” Will said, “and it certainly made it
easy to keep track of the progressive cost. Pete always
gave me warning if there were larger items coming up
so I wouldn’t get too much of a shock. Along the way
there were some hiccups and changes of plan, but I
always felt that Pete was in there batting for us. Some
things we asked for he said he could not buy because
the price was just too high. He spent a lot of time finding alternatives that would be better or less expensive.”
The next time Baillieu saw Kass was in April 2011,
about halfway through the project. “I had followed
everything closely up until then through Nina’s photographs,” he said. “I thought I knew it pretty well, but
nothing prepared me for what I saw when I walked
through the shop door. The boat looked enormous, far

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T

he Baillieus returned to Maine for the launching in late September 2011 and stayed for two
weeks. “There was an absolute hive of activity
around Pete’s yard,” Will recalls. “The boat filled the
entire shop, so much so that I had to squeeze past. It
wasn’t until the day that we actually lowered her out of
the shed that I saw her for the first time in her entirety.
As I watched the boat slowly emerging from the shop
into the drizzling rain, I could feel my heart pounding.
My eyes went immediately to her sheerline to see if
she was a looker, and then that wonderful warm feeling of happiness rose up inside me when I saw that
Peter had indeed got it exactly right. I should never
have wondered. She was stunning.”
At the very beginning Kass gave Will Baillieu an
estimate of the projected cost and the time of construction. “The boat came in on time, on budget, and
way beyond expectations,” Will said. “No one can ask
for more than that. I have never had any reason to
regret the trust I placed in Pete Kass, and I hope he
can say the same about me.”
Over 100 people, mostly Kass boat owners and
their families and nearly all lobstermen, came for the
launching five days later at high tide. Will Baillieu
was up on the bow when his wife christened the boat
with champagne, and he only just managed to scramble back to the helm as the boat hit the water. “My
mind went blank at that point,” he said. “I thought,
‘What do I do now?’ Then one of Peter’s guys said very
calmly, ‘Let’s get her started!’ I gave a long blast on
the twin air horns and fired her up. It was so exciting
to be driving the new boat. She felt just great.”

BENITO’s helm station, and a glimpse below. While Kass primarily builds workboats, his shop is no stranger to this level of finish. In

fact, many of his lobsterboat customers use their boats for pleasure, too, and finish them to a high standard.

PeTeR CHAMPION

SAM MuRfITT

bigger than I had imagined. But I know from experience that boats seem to shrink after you have owned
them for a while, so I just walked around, awestruck by
this beautiful wooden vessel. At that stage I did wonder
whether I had bitten off more than I could chew.”
Will’s ten-day visit was spent going over details with
Pete. “We marked out the wheelhouse arrangement,”
he said. “I chose equipment. I made decisions on everything from paint to upholstery and deck hardware.
Pete and I drove to Rockport to look at equipment. We
visited Alex Martin, who would make the mast, galley
benches, and bow rails. We mocked up the wheelhouse
seating and ended up basing it on the measurements of
the booths at the tiny Harborside Café in South Bristol,
where we enjoyed many a grilled haddock sandwich.
“The Grants came up to South Bristol from York
one day, and Pete Kass produced a half-bushel of fresh
clams that he and his foreman, Sam Jones, steamed in
a pot over the huge woodstove. We sat around in the
shop that afternoon with great friends, a trestle table
full of food, and the fresh clams. Sally and I felt as
if we had been adopted as family members. I looked
around and thought, Life does not get much better
than this. It was so much more than a boatbuilding
exercise. We ate lobsters and clams together and went
walking to look at the bird life. We learned about the
history of the place. We met many of the other Kass
boat owners, and we received generous hospitality.
The whole experience was life-changing. We both
feel we have left a piece of our hearts in South Bristol.
There is certainly a large piece of Maine gracing the
waters off Sorrento.”

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BENITO BONITO

The shrinkwrapped BENITO shortly after being unloaded
from the ship that carried her to Australia.

Peter Kass now has five years of orders lined up for new
boats (see accompanying article). “Maybe the chance we
took with our decision to build BENITO at John’s Bay had
some bearing on this,” Will Baillieu says. “I like to think
we helped, because high-quality wooden boat building
businesses are fast disappearing everywhere, and lifetime experience like Pete’s can never be replaced.”

A

week after the Baillieus returned home to
Australia, Pete Kass and two of his crew, Andy
Dickens and Andy Angelico, took the boat 600
miles south to Baltimore in a window of good weather.
There they prepared the boat for shipping, overseeing
a lift to the dock and then cleaning and shrink-wrapping
her after she was secured in a custom-built steel cradle.
The boat was then loaded inside a roll-on, roll-off cargo
ship and taken through the Panama Canal and across
the Pacific, a six-week trip that ended in Appleton
Dock, Melbourne. There she was lowered into the Yarra
River still in her white shrink-wrap and towed to
Hobson’s Bay, where she was unwrapped and her engine
started. “That,” said Will Baillieu, “was a truly amazing
feeling. A great day to remember.”
Bruce Stannard is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat.
The Baillieu family aboard. Will is behind the camera.

WIll BAIllIEu

W

hen the Portuguese pirate Benito Bonito
successfully plundered shipping off the
Pacific coast of South America in the
early 19th century, he was not alone. British privateers also preyed upon Spanish treasure ships
homeward-bound with their plunder from Peruvian temples. Bonito is said to have seized an
English ship that had previously taken a Spanish prize whose treasures included an enormous
golden cross encrusted with precious gems. The
booty was eventually brought to Port Phillip, the
vast bay in southern Australia where the City of
Melbourne now stands.
Queenscliff is a small town at the entrance to
Port Phillip Bay. In Benito Bonito’s time, the area
around Queenscliff was a wild landscape inhabited only by Aboriginal tribesmen. An escaped
convict, the Englishman William Buckley, who
had lived with the Aborigines for some 30 years,
watched and listened as the foreign-speaking
pirates brought boxes ashore and buried them.
Bonito sailed on to continue his piracy but was
killed soon after in an action with a British manof-war. Buckley told his story to the first white
settlers at Queenscliff, and since that time there
have been countless unsuccessful searches for the
treasure. The searches are still going on.
The Baillieu family started life in Australia as
humble fishermen in 1854, when Will Baillieu’s
great-grandfather James, a seaman, jumped ship
in Port Phillip. Sixteen children were born in the
tiny family cottage at Queenscliff. One of them
was Baillieu’s great-uncle Willy, a prize fighter
and government boatman who left home to seek
his fortune in Melbourne. Years later when Willy
returned a wealthy man, the suspicious local
fishermen began to speculate that he must have
found Bonito’s treasure. The rumors were given
credence by Willy’s friendship with a strange old
man, Giovanni Carrosini, known locally as Kerosine Jack, who was said to have been left ashore as
a boy to guard Bonito’s treasure. It was believed
that one of Jack’s many tattoos held the key to the
secret location of the buried treasure.  
Years ago, when Baillieu was building a Couta
Boat at Newhaven on Phillip Island, a couple of
local fishermen came into his shed uninvited
and proceeded to look the boat over in silence.
As they were leaving, one of them turned to Will
and asked, “What are you going to call her, Benito
Bonito?” The name of his beautiful new boat is a
sardonic wink and a nod in the direction of that
hoary old chestnut.
—BS

WIll BAIllIEu

What’s in a name?

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Catching Up with Peter K ass
Thirty years of wooden lobsterboats

T

hree years ago, for the first winter since opening its doors for business in 1983, John’s Bay Boat
Co. didn’t have a new-boat customer. “In the
winter of 2009–10, we basically closed,” says Peter Kass,
the company’s founder. “I had to lay everyone off.” The
recession had hit the South Bristol, Maine, shop, and
hit it hard.
I visited Peter Kass at his shop in April this year, just
days after the launch of his 63rd boat—a beautifully
proportioned 38-footer called DELUSIONAL . I hadn’t
spoken with Peter since the autumn of ’09, when he
called me with the grim forecast for the coming winter.
During our recent visit, Peter seemed undaunted, in
retrospect, by his shop’s uncharacteristically slow pace
three years previous, recalling that “We had a nice winter. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.” While

by Matthew P. Murphy
Photographs by Sam Murfitt

the shop had had only a few repair jobs, Kass and his
wife, Nina, spent the bulk of that season building their
own 24' lobsterboat of Kass’s design, and by springtime, as that boat neared completion, “we had people
knocking on the door for repair.” And then Will Baillieu came calling from Australia with an order for a 44'
yacht (see article, page 62), and the company’s fortunes
suddenly reversed. Kass hired back his crew, Sam Jones
and Andy Dickens, launched his own boat, and put his
shoulder to the wheel on new orders. He also hired two
more crew: Andy Angelico and David Severance. Today,
John’s Bay Boat Co. is again thriving, with orders for
seven boats to build—six of them working lobsterboats
of at least 42' LOA , and the other a yacht in the 36'–38'
range. And there’s an inquiry for another yacht from a
potential customer in Austria.

Above—Peter Kass, proprietor of John’s Bay Boat Co. in South Bristol, Maine, recently received his 70th lobsterboat order.
The Company has been in business for 30 years.
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Which means that, when this current run of orders
is complete, Kass will have launched 70 wooden boats
in just over 30 years, and most of them will have been
ordered by famously discriminating users of working
wooden boats. This raises several questions: How did a
kid from landlocked Arlington, Massachusetts, come to
be one of the premier builders of wooden lobsterboats
on the Maine coast? Why do some experienced fishermen favor wooden hulls over fiberglass ones? And what
is it about a Kass lobsterboat that makes it so...so right
from every angle?

P

eter Kass finished high school in 1977. He was
good with his hands, but didn’t care for the classroom, and was considering enrolling in a boatbuilding school when he found work in the Urbanna,
Virginia, shop of Joe Conboy. “Joe offered us work
experience instead of us having to pay for school,” Kass
says of the gang of young “apprentices” in that shop.
“We were such cheap labor that he had us straightening
nails when things were slow.” But this youthful group—
“cons,” they called themselves in deference to their
employer’s surname—also built and repaired boats,
and learned the ways of a working boatyard.
Armed with these months of experience and itching
to be an “ex-con”—to try something else—Kass spent
that year’s Christmas holiday driving the Maine coast

seeking work. In his travels, he visited the Harvey Gamage shipyard in South Bristol, which was soon to begin
construction of the schooner APPLEDORE II. The keel
would be laid on January 1, and Kass was offered a job
on the building crew, which he accepted without hesitation. “That was a good opportunity,” Kass says. The
pace of the work was fast, and the vessel was launched
in August that year. “It was going to be all steel draggers
after that,” Kass said of Gamage’s future work, “and I
didn’t have any interest in those.” So he went to Goudy
and Stevens in East Boothbay.
In its 80-odd years of business, Goudy and Stevens
(see WB No. 166) built everything from Alden yachts to
Navy minesweepers, and specialized in sawn-frame vessels. In Kass’s short time there, he learned invaluable
lessons by repairing “a lot of big ol’ wooden draggers.”
From Goudy and Stevens, Kass went to work in the
Round Pond, Maine, shop of Bruce Cunningham,
building a 31' Atkin cutter that would circumnavigate
the globe. He did a lot of repairwork on the side, and
built three peapods. With his skills honed, his confidence boosted, and his nascent customer base established, he one day declared: “I could do this myself.”
“Prime shorefront was already pretty expensive,”
Kass says of the Maine real-estate market in the early
1980s. Looking out over the small, spruce-fringed bay
that his 5 acres abut, he smiles the smile of a contented

Peter Kass in the shop. John’s Bay lobsterboats are framed in white oak and planked in Maine cedar.

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Peter Kass lobsterboats have become so popular with Stonington, Maine, fishermen that they rate their own division in the
town’s annual lobsterboat races. Here, three Kass boats vie for the finish line.

man and says, “But you could buy this backwater stuff
pretty cheap. Best deal of my life.” Up went a shop,
and down went a set of inexpensive skids leading into
shallows of John’s Bay.

“W

e built a lot of little boats,” Kass says of his
first three years in business. These ranged
from a Whitehall pulling boat to a 24'
cruiser. “Our first big break was a 42' Carroll Lowell
lobsterboat in 1986.” Carroll Lowell was the grandson
of Will “Pappy” Frost, roundly considered to be the
dean of Maine lobsterboat builders—a mantle Carroll assumed with the establishment of his Even Keel
Marine in Yarmouth, Maine, in 1963, where he built
to the designs of his brother, Royal—and later, in the
1980s and ’90s, to his own designs. Like Kass, Lowell
had been born in Massachusetts—in Medford, just 3
miles from Kass’s hometown. In 1986, Lowell had an
inquiry for a 42-footer, but didn’t want to take on so
large a project. He nominated Kass for the job, because
Kass’s work had impressed him over the past several
years. That boat, SHARON ROSEANN, was launched
on a railway Kass built at his shop in 1984, and is still
working from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with the
original owner’s son.
On the heels of that first boat came a 38-footer,
DESERET, for John Karbott in Massachusetts. It wouldn’t
be long before Kass began designing boats himself. Did
Carroll critique his early designs? I wondered. “No,”

Kass says. In fact, Kass’s design aspirations caused a rift
between the two men, though the division was healed
by the time Lowell died in 1997.
How did he learn, then? Was it purely by observation?
By books? “Observation,” Kass said. “That’s the key to
it. If you see a nice boat, study it. See why it’s nice.” Kass
has clearly studied a lot of boats, and seen why they’re
nice. His designs are beautifully proportioned, and are
finely detailed without being overwrought. During our
visit, I asked him if he could distill the elements of a
Kass boat, but soon realized that I was asking him for
a formula that doesn’t exist. A typical Kass boat has a
carefully eyed sheerline, a perfectly proportioned “eyebrow” overhang protruding forward of the pilothouse,
a flared bow, a gentle tumblehome aft, and a low-slung
trunk cabin that fits so well it looks as if it grew there. It
has custom metalwork, including bow chocks cast to a
pattern Kass developed when he couldn’t find aesthetically and functionally appropriate stock hardware. It
also has a Kass-designed rudderport, designed to not
loosen under load and start leaking. But a Kass boat is
something more than the sum of these things. There’s
a transcendent whole here, a look and style developed
by an intuitive grasp of proportion, detail, and function that wasn’t absorbed in a classroom, but rather was
learned though experience, through the hands.
Kass struggled with my question about the elements
of his boats for a moment, and then we let it go. Perhaps a better way to determine what draws a person
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to a custom wooden lobsterboat designed and built by
John’s Bay Boat Co. is to ask the customer.

N

athan Jones, Kass tells me, says he’d be out of
business if it weren’t for his move from a fiberglass hull to a Kass-built wooden boat. It’s a
common sentiment for Kass’s working fishermen customers, who outnumber his pleasure-boat customers
considerably. The reason is simple: A wooden boat,
these fishermen say, is easier on the body than a fiberglass one.
Bob Williams of Stonington, Maine, had always
had wooden boats before buying a fiberglass 35-footer
about two decades ago. “I thought, less maintenance...,”
he recalls of that decision to transition to ’glass. But,
“it bothered my legs. You get a lot of vibration [from
the engine], and wood absorbs the vibration. Fiberglass transmits the vibration. You get a hum at different
rpms of the engine. It bothers many guys’ legs,” he said,
observing that he’s seen this often in fishermen as they
reach age 50.
“I was desperate for a wooden boat. I hunted around
for secondhand ones. I was going to have a fellow on
the island [Deer Isle] build a boat, and I got the cedar
and oak together. Then I learned about Kass. I hauled
my material down there in 1989, and he built mine that
winter.” That boat, JAMIE K , was the first Kass boat to
fish out of Stonington. “‘I was reborn,’” Kass recalls
Williams saying of the boat’s effect on his health. Now

there are seven Kass boats in the robust Stonington
fleet, including that of Bob Williams’s son, John Williams—a 41-footer called KRISTY MICHELLE built in
1994. And soon there will be several more, including a
44-footer for John Williams, which will be the next boat
built at John’s Bay.
Although we didn’t get into actual numbers, given
the custom nature of his work, Kass was frank about
his position in the lobsterboat market: “We cannot
compete with a fiberglass boat with stock molded
parts. But for a high-end custom-finished ’glass boat,
we’re about the same.” Naturally, thoughts then turn
to the differences in maintenance between the fiberglass boat and the wooden one. Kass maintains a number of the boats he’s built—as well as lobsterboats
built elsewhere. He dismisses concerns over the cost
of this being excessive. “It’s $5,000 for a shave and a
haircut in the spring,” he says. He also notes that the
seakeeping abilities of his wooden boats allow extra
fishing days in conditions that might jar the bones of
a person working a fiberglass hull, and this offsets the
cost of maintenance.
The planking in a John’s Bay lobsterboat is of cedar,
and it’s Maine grown. Despite anecdotal reports of
diminished quality of timber over the years, Kass says
that it’s actually been consistently good over all the
years he’s been building, and it remains so now. The
same appears to be true for the white oak, of which
Kass has enough stockpiled for the keels, frames, stems,

MY DIVA , built by Peter Kass in 2004, is run by Joel Billings of Stonington, Maine. Here, with spectators aboard, she’s
attending the 2011 Stonington lobsterboat races.

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MATTHEW P. MUrPHY

Peter Kass’s latest launching, the 38’ DELUSIONAL , lying at the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine; she’s
receiving her finishing touches from the John’s Bay crew.

and other timbers of two more 42-footers. This he gets
from a sawmill in Connecticut. Some of his boats are
given shaftlogs of angelique, rather than of white oak,
if they’re to be run in areas where marine borers—the
dreaded teredo and gribble—wreak their havoc. “We
used to line the shaftlogs of the boats,” says Kass, “but
it’s easier to just use a resistant species.”
The decks of Kass’s boats vary with their intended
use and the tastes of the owners. For many, Kass
rips vertical-grain Douglas-fir dimensional lumber
into planks for stable and durable laid and caulked
decks. Other decks are built of plywood and epoxy.
And still others—including his own—are built of laid
iroko, a species that he says “would fool a lot of people
that it’s teak”—while costing about one quarter the
board foot price of the better-known species. Kass is
resourceful—but he is so in the name of quality, and
not at the expense of it.

K

ass’s resourcefulness became most evident when
we visited aboard the newly launched DELUSIONAL , which was floating at the docks of the
Harvey Gamage Shipyard, just steps from the shed that
housed the job that brought Kass to Maine all those years
ago. Kass is an even-keeled man, but his tempo increased
as we approached the boat. We visited below, where I was
surprised and delighted at the level of fit and finish—
varnished mahogany deckbeams, shower, bolted-down

Keurig coffeemaker. “We don’t usually do Corian countertops,” said Kass as he pointed out galley details.
We poked our heads into the engine space, which
was operating-room clean. Later, while standing on the
float as we regarded the boat’s shape, Kass directed my
attention to the exhaust port in the transom. “You can
buy one off the shelf,” he said, “but with the transom
rake it’s going to be the wrong angle. Why not weld a
flange onto a piece of pipe and get just the right angle?”
That’s what he’d done here, not because he had to, but
because it’s just a little bit better this way.
That, it seems, is Peter Kass’s point of difference:
People buy his boats because he takes the time to build
them a little bit better than they have to be. Some
fishermen buy them because they’re easy on the body.
And other owners buy them because they’re a good
value and rewarding to maintain. But I think Peter was
on to a deeper truth when he looked at the new boat,
smiled, excused himself for sounding boastful, and
said, “They’re good looking.”
“It’s an emotional response, isn’t it,” I asked rhetorically.
And he said, “I think that’s a big part of the reason
people buy them.”
Matthew P. Murphy is editor of WoodenBoat.
An earlier article on John’s Bay Boat Co. appeared in WB No. 115.
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IN FOCUS

The 88' ketch SINCERITY was designed by Vincenzo Baglietto and built by the Baglietto yard in Italy in 1928.
Refurbished in 1998 (see WB No. 188) and sailed for years from Oslo, Norway, she now hails from Camden, Maine.

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The 72' ketch EILEAN was designed an built by Fife in 1936, and relaunched in 2009 after a two-and-a-half-year restoration.
She’s owned by the watch company Panerei, sponsor of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. “It’s such a commitment to
classic yachting,” says Cory Silken, “for a sponsor to find a boat and have it restored.”

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Photographs by Cory Silken
Text by Matthew P. Murphy

C

ory Silken began shooting classic yachts professionally in 2001 but had discovered cameras
years earlier when he was in the eighth grade.
“I came to photography through the Boy Scouts,” he
says. “It was a great way to show family and friends
where I was going and what I was doing. I blame my
parents for the sailing. I’ve been sailing since I was
less than nine months old—first on the southern Massachusetts coast, and later in Newport, Rhode Island.”
During his college years, Cory drove a launch in
Newport, and later worked on the vintage 12-meter
sloops INTREPID and HERITAGE. Those sailing jobs
were his entree into the world of classic yachts, and
he’s never looked back: He was graduating college
with a degree in economics just as the dot-com bubble
was bursting, so realized he “wasn’t missing any opportunities there.” He opened his photography business
right out of college and shot his first regatta, the 2002

Opera House Cup in Nantucket, the following year.
Editorial and advertising commissions followed.
In the spring of 2003, he attended and photographed his first Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, and
hasn’t missed the annual event since then. Antigua
Classics,” says Cory, “is certainly a special event. A lot
of the people down there are liveaboards...and there
are more larger yachts than at other classic yachting
events.”
Antigua, a former British colony, is a sort of crossroads, for it attracts sailors and classic yachts from
both Europe and North America. “It seems to be the
event,” says Cory, “that classic yachts look to as the
debut for a restoration or new construction.” On the
following pages are just a few of the hundreds of
images Cory made at the 2012 Antigua Classic Yacht
Regatta—and a small sample of the 55 boats that
sailed in the event.

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IN FOCUS

Above—DORADE, Olin Stephens’s
breakthrough 52' yawl, debuted
her new spars and fresh
refurbishing at this year’s Antigua
Classics. At press time, she’ll
have just finished the Bermuda
Race, and will be preparing for the
Transpac.

Above—LONE FOX, a 65' teak-hulled ketch,
was designed by Robert Clark and built
in 1957 by the Scottish yard Alexander
Robertson & Sons. Her original owner was
Col. Bill Whitbread, original sponsor of the
eponymous around-the-world race (now the
Volvo Ocean Race).
Right—Alexis Andrews had the Carriacou
sloop GENESIS built in 2005 (see WB
No. 221), and has helped to lead a
resurgence of interest in the type with
his books Vanishing Ways and Genesis.
A photographer in his own right, he was
also one of Cory Silken’s first customers.
Andrews is at work on an arresting film
on the history and legacy of these boats, a
trailer for which may be viewed
at woodenboat.com.

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IN FOCUS

Above—The Fife cutter TUIGA was shipped to Antigua for this year’s Classics regatta—her first.
“Obviously,” says Cory Silken, “this is not a boat you could take out for an afternoon cruise with
a couple of friends.” She finished second in class, bested by the Fife yawl MARIELLA and, in a
true act of sportsmanship, her crew stood and saluted MARIELLA’s during the prizegiving.

Above—The Gannon & Benjamin–built, Nat Benjamin–designed schooner JUNO sails to leeward of the first-rule 12-Meter
yawl KATE. JUNO was launched in 2003. KATE was launched in 2006 as a yellow sloop, and profiled in WB No.197.

Cory Silken recently opened a gallery in Newport, Rhode Island. For details, visit www.corysilken.com.

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A wholesome sloop from Sydney

T

he soaring sails of Sydney’s Opera House and
the distinctive “coathanger” bridge are icons of
this Australian city’s harbor. A yachtsman who
appreciates wooden boats might well add a third item
to that list: the Ranger-class sloop. Everyone who sails
on the harbor knows the Rangers. Generally around
24' long, with signature raised decks, large cockpits,
generous beam, heavy displacement, gaff rig, and virtually no overhangs, they are not exactly greyhounds
of the sea. In fact, I have heard them described, affectionately, as “tubby.” Yet there is a mystique surrounding them that you normally associate with far more
glamorous yachts.
RANGER , the boat for which the class was named,
was launched in 1933 off the beach in front of Billy
Fisher’s yard at Botany Bay, and rigged with a standing
lug mainsail and a non-overlapping jib. In the years to
come, her racing success begat new constructions, and

by John D. Little

ELISA KREY

The Ranger
Class

designer Cliff Gale was happy to give a set of plans to
anyone who asked for them. At least twelve Rangers have
been built—one of them fairly recently—and there are
rumors (hard to pin down) of one or two more that
may have been built without acknowledgment.
This isn’t a strict one-design class; no two of these
boats are exactly alike. RANGER , for example, was
launched with a centerboard, as was VAGRANT, built in
1935. They were the only two centerboarders, and both
were later converted to have fixed keels, in side-by-side
projects in Vic Hoyle’s boatshed at Drummoyne, on
Sydney Harbour. In the early 1950s, Cliff Gale changed
RANGER’s lug rig to gaff.
RANGER bears sail number A1, and has raced with
the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club (aka the Amateurs;
see sidebar) for 78 years. She has always been cited as
the first of the line, but that, as we shall see, is a subject
of some argument.

Above—The Ranger-class sloop CheRub (A4) in her element on Sydney harbour, Australia. The class debuted in 1933 with the
launch of the eponymous RANGeR.

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PETER GROuT COLLECTION (BOTH)

Cliff Gale designed RANGER (A1) for cruising, motoring,
fishing, and exploring. Here, he motors the boat on Cowan
Water, 17 miles north of Sydney. Little did he know that this
boat, launched with a lug rig (left), would give rise to an
iconic racing fleet in Sydney.

R

acing was the last thing on Cliff Gale’s mind
when he designed RANGER . He wanted an allround boat—one that would be good for fishing, motoring, picnicking, short hops, and exploring
the east coast river systems.
Although he had no competitive ambitions for
RANGER , Cliff did love his racing, and he was very
good at it. He was born in 1886 at the harborside suburb of Balmain. The first boats he built were sailing

canoes made of unbleached calico stretched over light
wooden frames. Their centerboards were fashioned
from purloined metal display boards. The signs advertising FRY’S COCOA were highly prized, being closest to
the right shape and size.
Cliff took part in his first canoe race when he was eight.
At ten he was crewing in 6' skiffs, tiny versions of the famous
Australian 18' skiffs (see WB No. 222). He graduated from
those boats to 8- and 10-footers—the latter being freakish
and notoriously difficult to handle. Their masts were over
20' high, and they carried 16' bowsprits and 18' booms.
Their spinnaker poles were as long as 22', and it took five
highly skilled sailors to keep them from capsizing.
As Cliff grew up he spent long hours rowing around
the harbor, tracking pieces of wood to see how the
tides behaved. Local knowledge gained this way would
become a big factor in his later success as a racing skipper. When he was 14 he started making model sailboats
in order to teach himself yacht design. He told his son
Bill that he’d made 150 of them, and after five years of
it, he knew all he needed to know. At age 21 Cliff bought
his first boat, the 17' LORELEI. Two years later he joined
the Amateurs and began his long and successful racing
career with that club.
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RANGER, under her present-day gaff rig, on
Sydney Harbour with Bill Gale at the helm.
She’s raced with the Sydney Amateurs for
78 years.

Roger, took over. Roger died in 1994. Bill
is now 85. RANGER has not missed a season to this day. Even now, she still does
very well in her traditional division.

S

ELISA KREY

imon Sadubin, a respected Sydneybased wooden boat builder (see
WB No. 197), owns a later Ranger
named ETRENNE, built in 1946. He has
done extensive research into RANGER’s
genesis, and points out that if you look
at WANDERER and KAROO, you can
trace the evolution that culminated in
RANGER in 1933. WANDERER was a 26'
raised-decker that Cliff sold soon after
launching because she did not perform
as well as he wanted. His next boat,
KAROO, was a 20' centerboarder, created
because Cliff wanted a boat that he could
nose up onto the beach instead of having
to anchor and row the family back and
forth in the dinghy. “She’s a classic Gale
shape,” says Sadubin, “a lovely, dishy, Sydney Harbour shape, with more of a skiff
influence than RANGER .”
KAROO still survives as a raised-deck
launch. In her day she had a reputation as
a nimble sailer, but her flush deck limited
her accommodation. Sadubin speculates
that Cliff used her as a starting point,
keeping the shallow-draft centerboard
configuration, and adding the raised
deck that had been such a success on
WANDERER . Sadubin says that “RANGER
is a bigger, deeper version of KAROO. The deeper ’midship section has more deadrise than KAROO and is a
more powerful shape. This gives the hull more internal accommodation. This easy ’midship section blends

Cliff owned 27 boats in his lifetime. Four of them—

VAGABOND II (ca. 1915), WANDERER (1921), KAROO
(1930), and RANGER (1933)—he designed himself. For
other sailors, he designed MALUKA , a larger version
of RANGER , and MATHANA , a RANGER derivative, for

ocean cruising. Bill Gale also remembers a steel boat,
a little smaller than the 35' MATHANA , that his father
designed just after World War II. None of Cliff’s boats
satisfied him, however, until he launched RANGER in
1933. She incorporated all of the ideas he had been
forming over nearly half a century. “This one really is
A1,” Cliff famously declared.
When RANGER was launched, Cliff was skippering
the Fife Eight-Meter JOSEPHINE in Royal Sydney Yacht
Squadron races. In his three years with that boat, he
never lost his scratch position (see sidebar). When his
stint with JOSEPHINE ended he had no other boat to
race, so he turned to RANGER. For a humble cruising
boat, RANGER turned out to be remarkably successful in
competition. Cliff raced her continuously with the Amateurs from 1937 to 1966, with a break during the war.
When Cliff retired, Bill, and occasionally his brother,

What Is a Scratch Boat?

W

hen dissimilar boats race against each other,
the slower boats are given a time allowance
to compensate for differences in potential speed.
The elapsed times of these boats on the racecourse are “corrected” at race’s end, in order to
determine the winner. Any of a number of rules
may be applied to calculate this time difference,
but every fleet, no matter what rule it sails under,
has a so-called “scratch boat.” The scratch boat is
the fastest boat in the fleet, and thus has no time
allowance; its elapsed time on the course is equal
to its corrected time.
—Eds.

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SIMON SAdUBIN

Ranger lines show a combination
of elements that make the class
both seaworthy and fast: A fine
entry, firm midship sections
for stability, and steeply rising
buttock lines for clean water
flow aft. She was designed by
instinct and eye using a carved
half model.

JOHN JEREMy

with buttock lines which rise up well to the transom to
release water easily. KAROO was full-bodied up forward,
which is very much the basis for RANGER.”
As was common practice in the 1930s, Cliff built his

boats from half models, which he shaped by eye. Bill
Gale has the half model of RANGER and also a set of
plans that he believes were drawn by a friend of Cliff’s,
the naval architect Archie Barber. Simon Sadubin and
fellow shipwright Ian Smith lifted the lines off the half
model and off RANGER herself. By comparing these two
sets of lines with the plans reputedly drawn by Archie
Barber, Sadubin has been able to speculate on how
the design further evolved during RANGER’s construction, for the actual boat differed slightly from the half
model. The model shows a flush-decked hull. The plans
show the actual raised-deck profile. The shape was then
further refined during construction as Billy Fisher set
up her molds, as it was common in those days for owner,
designer, and builder each to put in their ideas during
construction.
RANGER is typically credited with being the first of
the line. However, according to records in the Australian National Maritime Museum, a near sister, MALUKA ,
was launched in late 1932. RANGER was launched the
following year. If you define a Ranger as the standard
24-footer, then you could argue that RANGER was the
prototype for the boats to follow. On the other hand,
there’s no denying that the quite-similar MALUKA
was the first boat of the series to be launched. It’s a

While RANGER is roundly credited with being the first boat
of the class, MALUKA, seen here, was launched first, in 1932,
and is 4’ longer than the standard Ranger. Her voyaging
adventures in the 1930s are legendary.
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The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club
The fleet of Rangers lined up at
the docks of the Sydney Amateur
Sailing Club.

jOHN jErEMy

It was described by the Sydney
Morning Herald as “a most commodious 60' × 40' and well
appointed building, certainly
the best boatshed in Sydney.
It is of two stories, being constructed of wood and iron and
has two splendid balconies…
the two larger balconies will
be found of great convenience
for the hanging and drying of
sails.”
Bennelong Point was too
valuable to remain long in
the hands of a humble sailing club. Soon after the clubhouse was completed, a letter
from the Colonial Secretary
informed them that the land was required for the
development of Circular Quay, the site of today’s
ferry terminus. The club unhappily accepted £650
compensation and began looking for another site. It
turned out to be a very long search. It was not until
1962 that the club purchased The Cremorne Club
and an adjoining boatshed at Mosman Bay, opposite
Bennelong Point.
As clubhouses go, the Amateurs’ is not fancy; it
could easily be mistaken for a private home. There
are no slips, and boats are hauled on an old-fashioned
slipway whose days are numbered due to today’s strict
anti-pollution laws—though the club has approval for
a modern hardstand to replace this feature. There
are only a few paid staff, and much of the maintenance is carried out by volunteers. Nowadays, nobody
cares what members do for a living.
The membership has remained steady for decades
at around 400. Cliff Gale, who was an honorary life
member, is often held up as an exemplar of the
club’s spirit. In one notable incident, he and another
member, Stanley Spain, leading the rest of the fleet,
were beating to the finish in a howling westerly when
Cliff’s tiller broke. Stan immediately luffed up and
threw him a spare tiller, shouting, “See if this fits.”
It did, and they raced on neck-and-neck. Cliff just
beat Stan to the finish, but instead of crossing the
line, he sailed on the wrong side of the committee
boat, allowing MISCHIEF to get the gun. Telling the
story in 1950 on the occasion of Cliff’s retirement
as Commodore, Stan Spain commented, “Nothing
more need be said.”

I

f you want to race a traditional boat in Sydney,
the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club is the one to
join. A strong fleet of classics exists happily here
alongside their modern counterparts. The clubhouse is an unremarkable structure at Mosman Bay,
one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs. The origin
of the Amateurs, however, was strictly blue collar.
The club was founded in 1872 by a bunch of recreational fishermen who would sail to a renowned
bream and snapper ground in Middle Harbour,
known as The Blackwall. To make life interesting,
the “Blackwall Boys,” as they were called, would race
home, often wagering a few shillings on the outcome. They eventually began calling themselves the
Blackwall Sailing Club.
These open-boat enthusiasts, along with a sprinkling of yacht owners, eventually began holding
dedicated races, and in October 1872 they formed
The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club. There were other
more elaborate yacht clubs in Sydney, but almost all
the open-boat racing in the late 1800s was carried
out by the Amateurs. Eight years after the club’s
founding, in an effort to limit the expense of having paid professionals aboard racing boats, the rules
were amended to exclude “all fishermen, oystermen,
boatbuilders, sailmakers and persons gaining or
having gained their living on the water…”
The club’s early meetings were held at various
hotels around the city, but in 1879 the Amateurs were
granted land at Bennelong Point, where the Sydney
Opera House now stands. Four years later a clubhouse financed by members’ donations was built.
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liff Gale spent all of his 81 years around salt
water. He left school at 11 and eventually
became a dental mechanic—a dental technician in modern parlance. He had a poor grasp of
mathematics and no formal training in yacht design,
yet he had an uncanny ability to look at a boat’s lines
and sail plan and alter them to improve performance.
A celebrated case was the 32' yacht HOANA . In
the staggered starts of the Amateurs A-class races,
in which slower boats are sent off ahead of faster
ones, she was so slow that her rating had her starting
14 minutes ahead of the scratch boat. Owner Lex
Buckle asked Cliff if he could make her go faster.
Bill Gale remembers that whenever his father went
to look at a boat he would take a sheet of cardboard
and a stick of chalk with him. “He’d get someone to
hold up the cardboard and he’d draw an outline on
it and say, add this, or else he’d draw on the hull and
say, cut away here.”
The club handicapper, Walter Dendy, warned
Cliff not to take on HOANA . “We’ve all tried, and
the boat just won’t go,” he said, but Cliff went ahead
anyway. After some tweaking below the waterline,
he told her owner she must have a new suit of sails.
The sailmaker strongly disagreed with Cliff’s ideas,
but Cliff quietly insisted that they be cut his way.

discussion that generates some heat among Ranger
owners.
At 28', MALUKA is bigger than a standard Ranger.
Cliff Gale designed her for the Clark brothers, a couple of ex-graziers, as ranchers are called in Australia,
who had moved to Sydney and wanted to do some
ocean cruising. Which they did: 3,400 nautical miles
to Cooktown in northern Queensland and return, followed by a cruise to Lord Howe Island, 370 miles east
of the Australian mainland. On the return leg they
recorded in their journal that “the wind became exceptionally strong.” The jib shredded, and they were forced
to heave-to under storm sail and sea anchor. Despite
having green water filling the cockpit, the boat came
through unscathed.
Next the Clarks attempted to sail to Tasmania. In
Bass Strait they were battered by another storm, and
MALUKA was driven ashore. They cut off the keel,
patched the hull, refloated her, and limped round to
the Snowy River where they patched her back together.
After a refit in Sydney, they tried again a year later and
made it to Hobart and back.

S

ean Langman is a world-class helmsman best
known for skippering state-of-the art maxi-yachts.
When he was growing up, the family boat was a
Ranger named VAGRANT. In the winter of 1973 Sean,
then aged eleven, and his brother Rory, nine, set off
with their father, Peter, to sail from Pittwater down the
coast to Sydney, a 17-mile passage. As they rounded the

PETER GROUT COLLECTION

C

The Intuition of Cliff Gale

Cliff Gale at the helm of RanGeR.

Within a month, HOANA , with Cliff skippering,
went from a handicap of 14 minutes to scratch. “It
was all intuitive,” says his proud son, Bill. “It was by
the seat of his pants.”
—JL

northern headland of Sydney Harbour, they noticed a
boat that had been driven hard against the rocks and
was sinking. While attempting to rescue the two men on
board, VAGRANT also struck bottom. The three Langmans had to abandon ship but were quickly rescued by
a passing naval vessel. Although VAGRANT was badly
damaged, the insurers elected to rebuild her. Shortly
after she was relaunched, Langman’s father was posted
to far northern Queensland. So the boat was sold.
“I remember the day she sailed away,” he recalls. “I
started crying then, and I think I cried for a month.”
About 20 years later, in 1993, Langman woke up one
night after having a vivid dream about VAGRANT.
He supposes he must have caught a glimpse of her
on the harbor recently. He tracked down the owner.
When Langman told VAGRANT’s owner who he was,
the owner replied, “I knew you’d get in touch with me
one day.”
VAGRANT was in a sorry state. She had rot, broken
frames, and maladies that readers of this magazine
have heard many times. These days Sean Langman
owns a thriving group of boatyards and shipyards operating in three states. Back then he was struggling to
build the business. He was sailing Olympic classes,
skiffs, and ocean racers, but he’d never lost his emotional attachment to VAGRANT, and getting her back
held deep significance for him. “It was a real turning
point in my life. I’d had my business then for 10 years.
I knew about hard work. I just had this belief that I was
working toward doing what I’d always wanted to do. For
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joHN jEREMY

CHERUB (A4) was launched with a lug rig, but this was converted to Bermudan in the 1960s, and then to gaff in 2007. Under
the latest rig, she is faster around the course than she was in earlier years.

The Virtues of Gaff Rig

C

HERUB was built by Billy Fisher in 1948 for

a well-known yachting writer, Lou d’Alpuget.
At first she had a lug-rigged mainsail, just
as Cliff Gale had originally designed for RANGER .
D’Alpuget soon replaced it with gaff rig. In the early
1960s he asked the naval architect Alan Payne to
design a Bermudan rig. Under the new rig, CHERUB
was beaten by RANGER more often than not. After
a few more years, d’Alpuget asked Ben Lexcen (see
WB No. 205) for help. Lexcen cut away a big section of deadwood aft to reduce wetted surface and
make the boat come about faster. He made the rig
taller and added lead bulbs to either side of the existing keel to counter the increased heeling moment.
The alterations made CHERUB the faster of the two
boats, in all but strong winds.
Bill Gale maintains, as did his father, that a fullbodied heavy boat like R ANGER needs a gaff rig,
with its low center of effort, to drive her. “You can
carry full main in R ANGER with a number three

jib up to 20 knots. With a Bermudan rig, with its
high center of effort, it will just heel over and dig
a hole.”
In 2007 CHERUB’s latest owners, Peter Scott and
Mark Pearse, converted her back to gaff. Before settling on the exact dimensions of the rig they consulted Payne’s nephew, David Payne, to make sure
the boat would balance, bearing in mind Lexcen’s
underwater modifications. David gave the rig his
okay but suggested they lengthen the bowsprit. Says
Scott: “The boat always had quite a bit of weather
helm. The first time out with the gaff rig she balanced beautifully. You could take your hands off the
tiller going to windward.”
Under her new rig (or should we say her old
one?) the boat is minutes faster around the buoys.
Formerly, they would have to think about reefing at
15 knots, as the boat would start to heel over and
slip sideways. Now they regularly sail in 30 knots
without a reef.
—JL

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ELISA KREy

This interior view of KILKIE shows the spartan though spacious accommodations of the Ranger-class sloop—as well as the
heavy scantlings. Built in 1940, KILKIE is perhaps the most original of today’s Rangers.

me it was a pivotal time. VAGRANT gave my life a lot of
meaning, so I worked extra hard.”
Langman’s shipwrights restored VAGRANT to pristine condition. He raced her now and then with the
Amateurs, having some close tussles with Bill Gale and
RANGER. After ocean racing at the highest level, this was
good fun. He was already in love with Rangers when Bill
informed him that the legendary MALUKA was for sale.
Sean Langman bought MALUKA in 2005. The bilge
was full of oil, the engine had had it, the hull needed
refastening. MALUKA was, in Langman’s words, “a basket case.” He’d read the Clark brothers’ journals about
their trip to Hobart 10 years before the first Sydney to
Hobart race, and thought it was a great story of human
endeavour. “I thought, I wonder if we could do that,
take a 28' boat in the actual race? Let’s get this thing in
the 2006 Sydney to Hobart.”
With the race deadline nine months away, the shipwrights set to work. They reframed the entire hull and
installed two extra stringers. They put in an extra-large
maststep and ran laminated ring frames under it. They
added a full bulkhead and sheathed the hull in triaxial
fiberglass. The cockpit was reduced in size for safety
at sea. The boat’s draft was increased by 6" and the
rig made taller with a roached gaff mainsail set on a
carbon-fiber mast. The gaff was of carbon fiber as

well. The rig was converted to cutter, and since the
minimum length for the race was 30', they tacked a
removable “knee” onto the bow.
On race day a heavy southerly wind opposing a strong
south-setting current was stacking up big, steep waves.
The first night out, two maxis broke their masts. The
following day, another competitor sank. MALUKA finished eighth on handicap and beat half a dozen modern boats home. It was an amazing result, and the boat
had given them not a moment’s concern. At the dock
in Hobart, Langman pumped out only half a bucket of
water from the bilge.
Since then, MALUKA has emulated the Clark brothers’ trip to Lord Howe Island, complete with a horrible
gale where she was thrown onto her beam ends. Langman is unrepentant about the contemporary methods
he used in the boat’s refit. He doubts if she would have
survived the sea voyages, especially the one to Lord
Howe Island, without them.

T

he Sydney-based architect John Crawford is also
a Ranger fanatic. In 1991 he bought VALIANT,
built in 1939 by Hoyle Brothers. When Crawford
purchased her, she had spent her later years gently
pottering about Sydney Harbour and Pittwater. When
Crawford started racing her with the Amateurs, the
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JOHN JEREMY

VANITY, launched in 2001, is the latest addition to the Ranger fleet. Here, while reaching in 45 knots, her crew seems

unconcerned about foulweather gear.

other Rangers were all being upgraded with contemporary gear to make them more competitive. “Everyone
was moving ahead, he recalls. “There were lightweight
rudders, aluminum gaffs, folding propellers…. After
our first foray with bigger sails and winches and modern
gear, she started to crack up. That’s when we wheeled
her into the shed.”
The shed was in Langman’s boatyard. VALIANT was
rebuilt and emerged good for another half a century.
By now Crawford had decided that Rangers had everything he wanted in a boat. It wasn’t too hard for Langman to persuade him to build a new one.
VANITY was the result of the persuasion, and she
is yet another evolution of the Ranger concept. Langman first took the lines off the original half model of
RANGER . He then pulled four boats out of the water:
RANGER , KILKIE , VAGRANT, and CHERUB. When he
compared their shapes, he discovered that none of
them matched the half model, although VAGRANT and
KILKIE were identical to Archie Barber’s plans. “Out of
all the boats, RANGER actually sits apart,” says Langman. “ VANITY has what I saw as the best features of all
the boats.”
VANITY, launched in 2001, is 24' on deck and not as
full underwater as RANGER . She’s a bit slimmer forward. She was strip-planked and sheathed with fiberglass. She’s deeper than RANGER , and the weight saved
through wood-composite construction meant they
could place half a ton more ballast in the keel. Her gaff
rig is controlled with modern winches and jammers.
Not surprisingly, she is about five minutes faster than
RANGER around the Amateurs’ courses.
In 2008 VANITY sailed to Hobart and back for the

Wooden Boat Festival, without incident. Crawford reckons that she has everything he wants in a boat. He especially enjoys the simplicity. The forward third of the
boat is for sail storage and a head; the next third contains two bunks, a few shelves, and not much else; and
the after third is a commodious cockpit with two quarter berths tucked under its seats. True to the original
concept, Crawford has kept things simple; although he
installed some essential electronics for the Hobart trip,
he took them out as soon as he returned home.
John Crawford’s obsession with the class continues:
He recently bought PENGUIN, a Ranger in poor condition. He didn’t need another boat, but wanted to make
sure that this one doesn’t die through neglect, and is
actively seeking an owner prepared to restore her.
Langman entered MALUKA in the 2012 Sydney-toHobart contest with his 18-year-old son skippering and
the elder Langman navigating. They had hoped to set
a new record—the youngest skipper sailing the oldest boat—but Jessica Watson of solo-circumnavigation
fame also competed, and she was younger. MALUKA
finished last, but her performance in that race against
her modern rivals is of little consequence to the legacy
of Cliff Gale’s inspired design. Rangers have become
much sought after, but they rarely change hands. They
are an ideal boat for their intended purpose, which is
not to race or make epic voyages. No, Gale’s intent with
RANGER was simply to spend time in quiet pursuit of
enjoyment on Pittwater or Sydney Harbour. And by that
measure, it’s hard to beat a Ranger.
John D. Little is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. He wrote
about the fleet of Halvorsen motor cruisers for WB No. 218

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DESIGNS

Shore
Liner48
and
The ICW
Gunkholer
A Dick Newick
monohull cruisers
Shoal-draft
Commentary
by by
Commentary
Mike
O’Brien
Robert
W. Stephens
Designs by the Atkins
and Jay Benford

H

ere we have two, or we might
say several, easily built shoaldraft cruising boats.
Fifty years ago, Jay Benford, then
a young boat designer, apprenticed himself to John Atkin. While
employed at Anchordown, he became
quite taken with Shore Liner, a 24'
flat-bottomed sailing skiff that Atkin
and his father, William, had drawn
years earlier. When Benford later
struck off on his own, this memory
“provided inspiration” for a new
design: the 22' Gunkholer.
Shore Liner came to life after Commander Ed Hanks had approached
the Atkins with ideas and sketches
for a shoal-draft cruising sloop.
Although the designers and client
apparently chose a flat-bottomed
hull for reasons of simplicity and
low cost, few other hull types can
match its performance in extremely
shallow water. Great initial form stability lets Shore Liner stand up to
plenty of sail as she makes her way
across the flats.
The Atkins drew a hull with
considerable rocker (convex longitudinal curvature) to its bottom.
This helps minimize turbulent
cross-flow at the chines, and allows
more docile steering in calm and
rough conditions. Back aft, rocker
serves to clear the run, which
reduces hydrodynamic drag to the
benefit of speed and control. As
builders of the Chesapeake bateau
learned long ago, a hint of deadrise (V-shape) to the after bottom
might prove yet more effective, but
that configuration would increase
structural complexity.

Shore Liner

Gunkholer
Shore Liner’s compact sloop rig,
with its mainsail of extraordinarily
low aspect ratio (the foot measures
nearly as long as the luff), provides
plenty of power with relatively little
heeling force. This arrangement
allows for a short, simply stayed mast
that will be easily made. For best
performance and safety, this boat
wants to carry just the right amount

of sail at all times. We should consider the three sets of reefpoints,
specified for both the mainsail and
headsail, as more than affectations.
For lateral resistance, the Atkins
drew a pivoting centerboard.
The trunk that houses this board
bisects the main cabin, but it
seems just the right height to support the dropleaf table. Of course,
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DESIGNS

Shore Liner
Particulars
LOA
LWL
Beam
Draft
Sail area
Displacement

24'
22'
9'
1'
363 sq ft
3,000 lbs

William and John Atkin’s 24’ Shore Liner, with a draft of only 12”, sails easily across the flats. She stands up well to her
low and powerful sloop rig. Broad decks provide lots of sprawling space, and the raised deck amidships lets us lean back
comfortably in the cabin.

the skeg, rudder, and hard-chined
hull also help to keep Shore Liner
from sliding off to leeward.
This hull’s ample 9' breadth
allows for a comfortable double
berth way forward. The centerboard trunk partly divides the berth
at its head. Whether this separation proves desirable would seem
to depend upon the situation. Two
sumptuous chairs sit on either side
of the main cabin, and we’ll find
the galley and head amidships hard
against the main bulkhead… about
as far as can be from the berth.
That’s good.
The “flush deck seats” at the
cockpit offer comfortable platforms
for afternoon naps and all-night
sleep in pleasant weather.

I

f we come across a sloop-rigged
Gunkholer from Jay Benford’s

drawing table, the family ties to
her slightly larger cousin from the
Atkin office will seem apparent. Of
course we’ll notice the gaff-headed
mainsail in place of Shore Liner’s
jibheaded main, and that doghouse certainly stands apart from
the older boat’s raised-deck amidships. But these cruisers share common intent, and they sail on similar
hulls: flat-bottomed, beamy, and
shoal-draft.
If, for some reason, you don’t
want to build a gaff-rigged sloop,
please read on. Designer Benford
offers us a choice of six different rigs, three lateral-resistance
arrangements, and two hull shapes.
In general, the ketches provide
greater control but with higher
materials cost. These split rigs let
us easily back out of slips downwind
without the aid of an engine, and

they provide ample opportunity for
showing off in the harbor…particularly if we fit our Gunkholer with
tandem centerboards.
Judging by the relative size of
these tandem boards and their
extreme separation, we might suspect that Benford drew them so as
to avoid intrusion into the accommodations. The forward centerboard trunk hides under the foot
of a V-berth, and the after trunk
fits below the self-bailing cockpit.
In return for an unobstructed
interior and fine control of balance under sail, we will need to
raise the after board as we come
about.
For sailors with less concern about
draft, Benford has drawn an optional
fixed keel for this flat-bottomed hull.
Thus built, Gunkholer will require
at least 30"-deep water in order to

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5/17/12 2:20 PM

DESIGNS

Gunkholer
Particulars
Flat bottom
LOA
22'
LWL
20'
Beam
8'
Draft
1' 4" – 2' 6"
Sail area
199 – 330 sq ft
Displacement
(cruising trim) 4,750 lbs

V-bottom
22'
20'
8'
3'
310 sq ft
4,500 lbs

Jay Benford’s 22’ Gunkholer offers alternatives. The construction profile above shows
framing for a sheet-plywood boat. The section (right) describes a plank-on-frame hull.
We can choose from several design options (below): cat-rig with tandem centerboards,
cat-ketch with fixed keel, gaff-sloop, gaff-ketch, ketch, and V-bottomed cutter.

float, and she won’t take the ground
bolt-upright.
If we hold thoughts of sailing offshore, we might build the V-bottomed
variant of this design. With its small
self-bailing cockpit, tiny ports in
place of picture windows, and full
keel ballasted with more than 1,200
lbs of lead, this topsail cutter will
ease our minds as the shoreline
drops below the horizon. It does,
however, share little with its centerboard sisters other than the “Gunkholer” name, as this boat draws 3'
and dries out at an angle that would
do credit to a tough ski trail.
Benford, who has a particular
genius for designing imaginative
yet workable accommodations,
gave this little cruiser a simple and
pleasant arrangement. In the main
cabin, under the doghouse, we find
the galley and a seat (which hides a

toilet) to our left. A nice seat/berth
sits to the right. The open view in
most directions should prevent any
notion of claustrophobia. A goodsized V-berth rests up forward. In
an alternate layout, half of that bed
gives way to a locker and generous
sail stowage.
Gunkholer offers so many
options that we might consider it a
custom design at the low price of
a stock plan. We can mix rigs and
hull shapes and lateral-resistance
devices. But some combinations
might better remain on the drawing table. For example, let’s not
drop that tall topsail-cutter rig into
the shallow centerboarder. Yet most
matches will work fine. For relaxed
(read lazy) sailing, I’d like to stick
the cat-ketch rig into the flatbottomed tandem-board hull.
Shore Liner and Gunkholer

are simple, yet striking, boats that
will look fine in any company. We
can build them in the backyard
either plank-on-frame or of sheet
plywood. Then they will take us
to the best places: a hidden saltmarsh creek off the Chesapeake; a
coastal Maine cove that dries out at
half tide; or the unwanted, hence
deserted, corner of almost any
anchorage.
Mike O’Brien is boat design editor for
WoodenBoat.
Shore Liner plans from Atkin & Co., P.O.
Box 3005, Noroton, CT 06820; www.atkin
boatplans.com. Shore Liner Drawings courtesy of WoodenBoat Books, from Practical
Small Boat Designs, by John Atkin.
Gunkholer plans from Benford Design
Group, 29663 Tallulah Lane, Easton, MD
21601; 410–745–3750; www.benford.us.

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Why Specific Gravity, Not Density?
by Richard Jagels

I

Figure 1 Basic Specific gravity (gb )

Figure 2 Density and specific gravity are plotted with increasing moisture content—

g. or Density

for Selected Woods
from oven-dry to 70%. Change in specific gravity mirrors reduction in wood strength
n my columns, I usually
1.1
with increasing moisture content, while density does not. (Modified from Siau, J.F. 1995.
provide specific-gravity valLignum Vitae
Wood: Influence of Moisture on Physical Properties. Virginia Tech.)
ues for wood rather than den1.0
Water
at
4ºc
0.9
sity. Readers might wonder
why. The answer is rather comipe
plex—but quite important—
0.9
0.8
so I’m devoting a column to
)
the subject.
greenheart 0.8
y (g/cc
Densit
0.7
Density is defined as the
Tropical Oak
mass per unit volume of an
Specifi
0.7
c gra
object. Mass and weight as
vit y
0.6
Black Locust
defined by physicists are two
Angelique 0.6 White Oak
different things, but for our
White Ash
Teak
0.5
Longleaf Yellow Pine
purposes of defining the den0.5
sity of a solid object at rest in
)
y (g/cc
True Mahogany
Douglas-Fir (Coastal)
Densit
0.4
Earth’s gravitational field,
Spanish Cedar 0.4 Bald Cypress
Specific gravity
we often use the terms interchangeably. Specific gravOkoume
0.3
0.3 Western red Cedar
ity—or relative density—is most
30% approximately equals
Northern White Cedar
fiber saturation point
often defined as the ratio of
0.2
the density of a material to
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Balsa
the density of water at 4oC. At
Percent Wood Moisture Content
0.1
this temperature, water has
a density of 1,000 kilograms
per cubic meter (Kg/m3) or
1 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cc). By commerce, from mining to maple syrup harbor, their plan was to dump the
lumber close in and then tow it ashore.
convention and convenience, we refer- production.
ence 1 g/cc of most solid materials to
Although doing away with units and Astute readers may already have guessed
the same volume of water. Thus, any creating a globally understood measure the disastrous outcome—as the crew
object that has a specific gravity of less may be compelling enough, an even more watched in horror, the wood rapidly
than 1.0 will float in water, but above 1.0 important justification for using spe- sank to the deep ocean floor. Air-dry
it will sink.
cific gravity can be made for materials Borneo ironwood has a specific gravity
Because specific gravity is simply a that are porous to moisture, especially that averages between 0.96 and 1.08, but
ratio, it has no units. Water, the elixir if the material not only absorbs and it can be as high as 1.2.
By knowing the specific gravity of
of life, is well known in all societies and loses water, but also shrinks and swells
commonly used woods, boatbuilders can
cultures. Thus, if we say that a chunk while doing so—like wood.
of iron has a specific gravity (G) of 7.8,
Bricks and concrete blocks are porous readily compare an unknown wood to a
anyone would know that it is nearly eight to water but don’t change dimensions favorite such as oak or cedar. I find it
times heavier than water, and therefore with moisture uptake or loss. When stat- useful to create a vertical graph, as in
won’t float. Density, on the other hand, ing the specific gravity of these kinds of figure 1. This can be made fairly large
has units, and these are expressed differ- materials, the moisture content should and hung on the shop wall. Over time,
ently in various parts of the world. In the be noted. Wood and other hygroscopic you can add new woods and instantly see
United States, we often express density materials not only absorb and lose mois- how they compare with already familiar
in pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft3) even ture but also increase or decrease in ones. For convenience, I put imported
though, to be correct, the units should be volume with moisture content changes. woods, most of them tropical hardwoods,
on one side and native woods on the
slugs/ft3, since pounds are really a mea- This adds additional complexity.
other. Recently, I had to predrill a teak
sure of force rather than mass. In Canada
Usefulness of G
handrail for lag bolts. I didn’t have any
and Europe, density is measured in kg/
m3, or if specific weight is being measured, Knowing the specific gravity of a par- scrap teak to test for optimal hole size, but
the units are Newtons/m3 (N/m3).
ticular wood gives us considerable use- a quick look at the chart showed me I
Thus, one of the advantages of using ful information, and may even avoid could use ash as a reasonable surrogate.
specific gravity rather than density is our economic heartache. I’m reminded of This let me test a couple of drill bit sizes
ability to have universal understanding a story connected to a 4-acre island in before finally drilling holes in the teak.
without having to laboriously convert Penobscot Bay, Maine. The Coast Guard
Predicting Strength
from one system of units to another. decided they wanted to automate the
Historically, specific gravity came into lighthouse and build a wooden platform Based on many research studies, we
common usage in the 17th and 18th to serve as a landing pad for helicopters know that density is an excellent precenturies as mining operations became bringing in maintenance crews. They dictor of wood strength—the relationlarger in scale and metals of different purchased a load of Borneo ironwood ship is nearly linear. However, this
densities were routinely being separated. (Eusideroxylon zwageri) and shipped it relationship holds only for wood denToday, specific gravity is widely used in to the island. Since the island had no sity that is measured for dry wood.

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If we measure wood density at various moisture contents (MC), we find
that at MC = 0 (or our best estimate of
zero, which is oven-dry weight) density
provides a reasonable estimate of wood
strength. However, as we add moisture
to wood, the measured density increases,
because the mass increases by a greater
fraction than the volume. So density at
the fiber-saturation point, about 30%
MC, is significantly greater than at, say,
12%—yet we know that wood at 12% MC
is stronger than at 30% MC.
Let’s look at an example. White ash
at 12% MC has a modulus of rupture
(MOR) in bending of 103,000 kilopascals (Kpa), while at 30% MC or “green”
conditions, MOR in bending is only
66,000 Kpa—a strength reduction of
more than 35%. Yet if we measure wood
density, we find it is about 675 kg/m3 at
12% and increases to 715 kg/m3 at 30%
MC. So while strength has decreased by
a third, density has increased by about
6%. And this situation gets even worse
as the moisture content increases above
fiber-saturation point because while
water is being added, volume remains
the same.
The sapwood in some trees can
exceed 200% MC, and levels above 100%

are not that unusual. If we just use a conservative 50% MC for white ash wood as it
comes directly from the living tree, measured density would be about 830 kg/m3,
yet the strength would not be any different than wood at 30% MC, both of which
are much less than wood at 12% MC.
To avoid these kinds of confusing and
erroneous density-to-strength relationships, wood scientists have chosen to use
a measure known as basic specific gravity (Gb) which is determined using the
volume of green wood and the weight of
oven-dry wood. This is the G value you
will find in the mechanical properties
tables in the Wood Handbook for green
wood, while G12 (green volume and 12%
MC) is provided for dry wood. Although
this is the most widely used standard,
some design specifications for wood use a
specific gravity based on oven-dry weight
and oven-dry volume (G0). The National
Design Specifications for Wood Construction
uses G 0 for strength properties, but for
nail withdrawal they use G12.
If we return to the white ash example
and check the Wood Handbook, we find
that G for white ash at 12% MC is 0.60
and decreases to 0.055 at the green condition. Unlike density, this decrease in
G from 12% to green tracks strength

reduction. And between fiber-saturation
point and maximum MC, both G and
strength in bending mirror each other
by remaining constant.
Figure 2 shows graphically how density and specific gravity track in opposite directions for two woods that at 0
MC (oven-dry weight) have coinciding
densities (in g/cc) and specific gravities.
As moisture is added, the density and
specific gravity lines diverge. While specific gravity tracks the changes in woodstrength properties, density diverges
farther and farther from a value that
mirrors wood-strength properties. From
the graphs, we can see that the discrepancy is greatest with high-density woods
(0.65 vs. 0.35).
So far, I have only talked about total
density and specific gravity of a block of
wood, but much of that volume is occupied by air or water. Next issue we’ll
explore this inner air and water space in
trees and boatbuilding woods.
Dr. Richard Jagels is an emeritus professor
of forest biology at the University of Maine,
Orono. Please send correspondence to Dr. Jagels by mail to the care of WoodenBoat, or via
e-mail to Assistant Editor Robin Jettinghoff,
[email protected].

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July/August 2012 • 91

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5/23/12 11:56 AM

LAUNCHINGS
Edited by Robin Jettinghoff
hese pages are dedicated to sharing news of recently
launched new boats and “relaunched” (that is,
restored or substantially rebuilt) craft. Please send
color photographs of your projects to: Launchings,
WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616, or
e-mail us at [email protected].
Include the following information: (1) length on
deck; (2) beam; (3) type, class, or rig; (4) boat’s name;
(5) names and contact information (include e-mail or
phone) of designer, builder, photographer, and owner;
(6) port or place of intended use; (7) date of launching
(should be within the past year); (8) brief description of
construction or restoration.

RALPH MoRANG

T

Above—In December 2011, the nonprofit Gundalow Company
launched PISCATAQUA , a 64' 9" × 19' gundalow, a shallowbottomed lateen-rigged barge, that will become a floating
classroom on the Piscataqua River between New Hampshire and
Maine. Harold Burnham based her design on drawings of the last
commercial gundalow, the FANNY M (1886), while Paul Rollins
led a crew of professionals and volunteers in her construction.
See www.gundalow.org for more information.

LAURA CARUTHERS

Left— BELLA is a strip-planked 14' 11"
outboard launch built by Phil Padovano
and designed by Paul Fisher of Selway
Fisher Designs. The 1⁄2" western red
cedar planking is ’glassed and epoxied,
and accented with a cove stripe of white
cedar. Padovano plans to commute in
BELLA between Carrabelle and Dog
Island, Florida. Plans are available at
www.selwayfisher.com.

LEYLA MUSA

SUSAN CoRKUM-GREEK

Below—In August 2011, instructors Jim Brown and John Marples
led seven students at the WoodenBoat School in building their
Seaclipper 20 trimaran design. The amas on this 20' design
swing in, reducing the 15' 6" sailing beam to an 8' 6" trailerable
width. In March, the class reassembled in Key Largo, Florida,
at the home of the owner, Val Cox, to launch MICE NUTS
(meaning something too insignificant to hold up progress in
the shop). Plans are available at www.searunner.com.

Above—Seven students at the Picton Castle Bosun School built
this 16' × 6' 1" lapstrake Cross Island Skiff during a two-week stint
at the Dory Shop in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Instructor Jay Langford took the lines for this skiff from a derelict hull. The crew
planked this boat with silverballi on hackmatack naturally grown
frames. For more information, see www.doryshop.com.

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5/17/12 1:56 PM

DON STUCKE, JR. AND SR.

Below—John Waltman of Shelter Island, New York
started building this 16' × 29" double-paddle canoe
over 30 years ago. Recently his neighbor, David
Olsen, stepped in to assist with construction, and
they launched the boat in September 2011. The 5⁄16"
western red cedar planking was fastened with copper rivets. This 1933 L. Francis Herreshoff design is
featured in Sensible Cruising Designs.

CHRISTOPHER SPALDING

Above—Donald Stucke, Sr. and Jr., each launched a boat in 2011. Don, Sr. (pictured above), built DORMOUSE, an Iain Oughtred–designed Wee Rob canoe
(12' 10" × 28" ), for paddling Cape Cod’s waters. Meanwhile Don, Jr., built a skinon-frame Chuckanut 12 kayak (12' × 30" ), designed by Dave Gentry, to paddle
in western New York. Wee Rob plans are available at www.woodenboatstore.com
and Chuckanut plans at www.gentrycustomboats.com.

MARILYN OLSEN

Above— OSPREY is a 14' 6" × 5' 6" Little Moby skiff built by Bob Spalding and
designed by Charles Wittholz. Spalding built her hull with plywood over oak
frames, and ’glassed throughout. He eliminated the center thwart making
it easier to move about the boat. The Spalding family will cruise in OSPREY
near Cotuit, Massachusetts. Plans are available at The WoodenBoat Store,
www.woodenboatstore.com.

DAVE VANGSNESS

IAN PETERSEN

Below—David Vangsness spent eight years building this Key Largo
runabout, a Ken Hankinson design. Named ELISABETH II after
his wife, Elisabeth number 1, this 19' × 6' 1" boat is powered with
a 4.3 L, GM V-6. Dave cold-molded the hull with two layers of
plywood on mahogany frames; the final layer is solid mahogany.
Plans are available at www.glen-l.com.

Above—Australian Rob Ballard named the Norwalk Islands
Sharpie he built ROUTE 66 to honor her American heritage, designer Bruce Kirby, and Rob’s own American tours.
ROUTE 66 is a 23' LOA cat-ketch, with a 7' 9" beam, and
draws 1' with the centerboard up, 4' with it down. Rob sails
her in Corio Bay, Geelong, Australia. Kits are available at
www.straydogboatworks.com.

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LAUNCHINGS

Peter ChesWorth

Below—star yachts, Bristol, england, has launched eskDale , a
new andrew Wolstenholme–designed Bristol 27. Powered by a
52-hp turbo diesel, the 27' 4" × 7' 4" eskDale has a top speed of 12
knots. her hull was strip-planked with yellow cedar, sheathed in
’glass and epoxy. her owner, Dudley Fishburn, will use her on the
river thames and the isle of Wight. see www.staryachts.co.uk for
finished boats.

hui Jiang

Below—the international Boatbuiding training College (www.
ibtc.co.uk.) in lowestoft, england, just built the 23' 4" aleXanDra shaCkleton, a replica of the JaMes CairD, now displayed
at Dulwich College, london. ernest shackleton and a crew of
five sailed the JaMes CairD from elephant island, antarctica, to
south georgia, in 1916. Modern adventurer tim Jarvis will be reenacting that voyage next year. see www.timjarvis.org.

nat Wilson

Above—Joe slusher built this stornoway 14 sailing dinghy
with okoume plywood planking over plywood and
Douglas-fir frames, then covered it with epoxy and ‘glass.
he trimmed nutMeg with mahogany and made the tiller
from ash. this Paul Fisher 14' × 5' 9" design displaces 300
lbs. Joe sails nutMeg in the Potomac river in Washington, DC. Plans are available at www.selway-fisher.com.

Above—graeme Dennett built this long Point skiff, ross &
Mary, and then drove 4,000 km (~2,500 miles) to deliver it to

his son ian and his family in Western australia. graeme used
a variety of woods including meranti, merbau, jarrah, hoop
pine, australian beech, alpine ash, and marine plywood. Plans
by tom hill are available at www.thomasjhillboatdesigns.com.

Denise haWksBy

roslyn engleDoW

Below—Joseph hawksby and his son, Joseph Jr., built Zo-Zo
from plans by Jacques Mertens (www.bateau.com). they taped
and epoxied plywood panels together to make the hull, a
Prameke 7' 8" design. Zo-Zo has a 4' 8" beam, carries 35 sq ft
of sail, and weighs 85 lbs.—just about the same as the golden
retriever for whom she was named.

94 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/17/12 1:57 PM

...AND RELAUNCHINGS

MAC SCHuEPPERT

Below— Dave Bradley of Brooklin, Maine, owned MISCHIEF
from 1935 until his death a few years ago. MISCHIEF, a
1926, 27' S-boat designed and built by N.G. Herreshoff,
then went to Steve White, owner of Brooklin Boat Yard.
White’s crew replaced the frames, sheerstrakes, floors,
fastenings, transom, deck, and some planking; and restored
the original rig. MISCHIEF has a new owner who will race
her in Newport, Rhode Island.

Below—HYDRA , a 30' International 210 designed by Ray
Hunt in 1945 and built by Graves Yacht Yard in 1963,
recently underwent an extensive refit at MFN Boat Works
in Palm Beach, Florida. This included adding a retractable
carbon-fiber keel/rudder and bowsprit, teak decks, four
watertight compartments, and a hinged carbon fiber mast;
and redesigning the cockpit seating and backrests. For
more information, contact [email protected].

JAN MASON

BROOKLIN BOAT YARD

Above— SHAMROCK III is a 1962, 17' 2" Thompson SeaLancer
recently restored by Keith Kolberg and Richie Hall at Yacht Restorations in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. They reinforced the stringers
and replaced the transom, seats, deck, and windshield. Owners
Tom and Mac Schueppert replaced her motor and enjoy puttering
around Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Above—After buying a used 14' Philip Rhodes–designed Bantam
in 2010, Steve Mason started a six-month restoration that included
rebuilding the centerboard trunk, replacing the plywood sides,
adding wider rails, and building a new mast. He believes the boat
dates from the 1950s. MAGIC is 14' long, 5' 6" wide, and carries 125
sq ft of sail. Mason sails MAGIC in northwest Florida.

Hints for taking good photos of your boat:

TOM PRICE

1. Please shoot to the highest resolution and largest size
possible. Send no more than five unretouched images on a
CD, and include rough prints of all images. We also accept
transparencies and high-quality prints.
2. Clean the boat. Stow fenders and extraneous gear below.
Properly ship or stow oars, and give the sails a good harbor
furl if you’re at anchor.
3.  Schedule the photo session for early, or late, in the day to
take advantage of low-angle sunlight. Avoid shooting at high
noon and on overcast days.
4. Be certain that the horizon appears level in your viewfinder.
5.  Keep the background simple and/or scenic. On a flat page,
objects in the middle distance can appear to become part of
your boat. Take care that it doesn’t sprout trees, flagpoles,
smokestacks, or additional masts and crew members.
6. Take many photos, and send us several. Include some action
shots and some of the boat at rest. For a few of the pictures,
turn the camera on its side to create a vertical format.

We enjoy learning of your work—it affirms the vitality of the wooden
boat community. Unfortunately, a lack of space prevents our publishing
all the material submitted. If you wish to have your photos returned,
please include appropriate postage.

July/August 2012 • 95

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REVIEW

PRODUCTS • BOOKS • VIDEOS • STUFF

G.L. Watson

The Art and Science of Yacht Design
G.L. Watson: The Art and Science of Yacht Design, by
Martin Black. Published by Peggy Bawn Press, c/o
Copper Reed Studio, 94 Henry St., Limerick, Ireland;
www.peggybawnpress.com; 2011. 495 pp., hardcover,
89 Euros.

Reviewed by John Rousmaniere

W

ho is the greatest of all yacht designers?
That question rolls through the mind during moments of rest and speculation, such
as when nursing a beer in the company of other sailors,
or when reading the book under review here. The question is impossible to answer. First, the pool is very large.
There are 525 biographies in the Encyclopedia of Yacht
Designers that Lucia del Sol Knight and Daniel Bruce
MacNaughton edited and W.W. Norton published in
2006. Some of those names are well known (at least to
some of us), but most of the people were, at best, onehit wonders. They might have benefited from the advice
that James A. McCurdy, a fine naval architect and a
multi-hit wonder, once offered a romantic fellow who
wanted to design boats for a living. Said Jim, “I would
advise having a good long talk with one’s investment
banker.”
When John Hattendorf asked me to be the yachting
editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History, I
addressed the “greatest designer” issue by waffling. The
history is long and diverse, with too many rating rules
and other idiosyncrasies for any one designer to be
king. I came up with a quartet of crown princes: George
L. Watson, Nathanael G. Herreshoff, Olin Stephens,
and, most recently, Bruce Farr, who developed the first
successful light-displacement boats of many sizes. Each
took design as he found it and improved it. Sometimes
there were overlaps. Olin Stephens delighted in going

up to the balcony of the New York Yacht Club’s model
room and pointing out the half model of Watson’s 1891
DORA , which in her profile, proportions, and name
is a dead ringer for Olin’s 1930 DORADE . The fact is, for
a period of some 75 or 80 years the ideal ocean racing
yacht was designed on the Watson model, with a deep
keel derived from the ones he developed when he was
just starting out in the 1870s, when external ballast was
extremely rare. With their deep lead, narrow beam, and
large sail areas, these boats had the stability, low wetted

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VALKYRIE II (left) and VIGILANT, 1893 AMERICA’s Cup,

race 2.

surface, and sailing power that defined many of the best
boats into the 1960s. Martin Black recounts Watson’s
great career in the new book, G.L. Watson: The Art and
Science of Yacht Design.
Watson’s first contribution to U.S. yachting can be
summarized in one word: MADGE . The latest and most
successful of the many small, heavily ballasted Watson
cutters that raced in his native waters of the Clyde Estuary, in Scotland, when she was shipped to New York in
1881 she very quickly persuaded Americans that they no
longer had to sail beamy, dangerous skimming-dishes.
The rating rule was soon changed to encourage ballast
keels. Here is a good place to say that Black, better than
many yachting historians, appreciates the importance
of rating rules in yacht design. A long appendix on
them helps all readers realize that fact, while encouraging Americans to understand something of the old British habit of identifying a boat’s size by something called
a “ton.” (Another long appendix serves as a catalog of
Watson designs.)
Black has chosen a straightforward strategy of
storytelling, organizing the book chronologically rather
than by the type of boat or prestige of the race. We are
alongside Watson as he learns and develops his craft,
sometimes even between races on the Clyde, whose harbors, shoals, and yacht clubs become familiar friends as
the story advances.
Over time, the impecunious shipyard technician
becomes the successful designer of small racers and,
eventually, the man behind AMERICA’s Cup challengers and some of the handsomest steam yachts you’ll ever
see. Alas, we also observe Watson literally laboring to
death as he turned out 432 designs until he died at a
mere 53 in 1904. “I am still desperately hard at work,”
he wrote W.P. Stephens while the 1895 AMERICA’s Cup
challenger VALKYRIE III was under construction, “and
don’t see my way to any clear holiday for a good bit yet,
while I feel the want of it badly.” His exhaustion sometimes led to mistakes, among them a miscalculation of the
AMERICA’s Cup challenger THISTLE’s waterline length in
1887 that enraged the New York Yacht Club.
Among the many provocative quotes that Black has
gathered in his exceptionally thorough research is one
by a journalist saying that Watson, in his early forties,

“bears traces of the anxieties inevitable to his
profession.” Very likely, his anxieties were typical
of any exceptionally talented and highly stressed
person working at a peak level of performance
with many exasperating clients with whom he
felt obliged to sail. Watson tactfully referred
to one of them, the hyper-demanding Kaiser
Wilhelm II, as a “spirited owner.” What Watson
thought about the Earl of Dunraven he did not
say in public, even as Dunraven’s jaw-dropping
statements and bizarre behavior risked undermining Watson’s relationship with potential clients in New York.
Along the way, Black tells of some breathtaking
excitements. One is the famous last race in the 1893
AMERICA’s Cup, when the defender VIGILANT overtook
Dunraven’s VALKYRIE II as spinnakers blew out right
and left. Another, a year later, is the horrific collision
on the Clyde in which VALKYRIE II sank with the loss
of a crew member. Happier are the descriptions of the
beauty that routinely came off Watson’s drawing board.
The royal yacht BRITANNIA was one of those vessels for
which the word “sleek” was coined. Olin Stephens used
to tell the story of how in 1931 (nearly 40 years after BRITANNIA was launched), his wife, Susie, took one look at
her and instructed him, “Buy me one of those.” While
the book has no lines plans (which will follow in another
publication), the many photographs make absolutely
clear Watson’s seeming inability to draw an ugly line.
Watson’s eye for a steam yacht was especially prized.
Borrowing features from Scottish clipper ships, he developed a characteristic appearance with a clipper bow;
a sweet sheer sweeping aft to a narrow, graceful, and
meticulously detailed fantail; and a low house capped
by aft-sloping stacks and one or two masts. In his last
years, Watson belatedly realized that these astonishing
steam yachts could provide him rewards that had long
escaped him in the decades when he made his name
with racing yachts. Long after his premature death,
a Scottish yachting writer reported a conversation in
which Watson said this: “The designing of cruisingsailing yachts provides a man with bread, that of racers
with bread and butter, and that of steam yachts with
bread and butter—and jam.”
Watson should have been permitted more jam. But
at least we have the rest, and we have the record in this
fine book.
John Rousmaniere is the author of numerous books on sailing and
yachting history, and is a regular contributor to WoodenBoat. His
history of the New York Yacht Club will be reviewed in the next issue
of this magazine.
This book is available in the United States from Howland & Co.,
100 Rockwood St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-5281; and
in Scotland from McLaren Books, 22 John St., Helensburgh, Argyll
& Bute, G84 8BA; www.mclarenbooks.co.uk.

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VASA

A Swedish Warship

VASA: A Swedish Warship, by Fred Hocker. Medströms
Bokförlag, publisher, Artillerigatan 13, Östra Blockhuset,
11451 Stockholm, Sweden. 2011. English language distributors, Oxbow Books, England, and The David Brown
Book Co., United States; see www.oxbowbooks.com.
Hardback, 212 pp., £30/$48.

Reviewed by Tom Jackson

E

ver since her uppermost futtocks broke the surface when she was raised from the bottom of
Stockholm Harbor in 1961, the warship VASA has
captivated the world. The 64-gun ship famously heeled
excessively in perfectly fair weather, took water through
her lower gunports, and sank less than a nautical mile
into her maiden voyage in 1628. VASA has been conserved and examined for 50 years, and her story is no less
captivating today.
The analysis continues. Like many such discoveries
in nautical archaeology, the publication of findings has
seemed a long time in coming. The science is complicated
and time-consuming; the more significant the find, the
longer it takes, and VASA is among the largest. The first

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volume of a long-anticipated compilation,
VASA I: The Archaeology
of a Swedish Warship of
1628 was published
in 2006 (also available through Oxbow
Books), with three
more volumes yet to
come. In the meantime, American archaeologist Fred Hocker,
who is editing the series, has also produced a fine singlevolume account of VASA for a general readership. VASA:
A Swedish Warship fills a longstanding need.
Those who will want—as I do—to know about the
arrangement of futtocks, the sequence of construction,
details of scantlings, and the fastening schedule, will
not find satisfaction in the new book. Those details are
more likely to come in subsequent volumes of the series,
which will cover, in order, armaments, engineering, and
onboard life. I’m especially watching and waiting for
that third volume.
Hocker’s new book is a fine presentation of the
ship and her history, cleanly written and well illustrated. He includes shipyard history in good detail.
The section on early salvage is fascinating, and foreshadows the complications of her eventual recovery.
He draws extensively on historical documents, and
historical artworks and modern photographs of the
ship enhance his text. A multi-page foldout shows, in
mercifully large size, photographs of her spectacular
beakhead, with its lion figurehead, and of her transom, where the most stunning examples of the ship’s
famous carvings reside. These are grave and serious
images of dark, monochrome wood. But archaeology
has also divined which areas were gilded and the composition of paints used for every one of VASA’s hundreds of sculptures. More photos show close-up the
museum’s 1:10 scale model accurately painted to represent the colors of the original ship. It’s a gaudy spectacle, by modern tastes—the ship was tarted up like
the most raucous circus wagon or amusement park
carousel imaginable, with sculptures painted vibrant
colors over a background as bright red as the worst
kind of lipstick.
Hocker’s summation of the sinking is well informed
by primary-source documents ranging from confused
and contradictory construction contracts to inquest
testimony. One fascinating detail, for example, is that
before the ship left the dock, the captain had 30 men
run back and forth from side to side, which by itself
caused enough heeling that an admiral halted the demonstration. “It is also clear that most of the participants
understood what had happened, and that key people

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were aware of the problem well before the ship sailed,”
Hocker writes. “The line of questioning shows clearly
that this was not an investigation of the facts, but like
many government inquiries, was political theater, an
attempt to fix the blame.”
Hocker identifies the primary problem as a lack
of hull-form stability, the ship being too narrow—
although not wildly out of line with other ships of her
day—and not deep enough. But in addition, the heavily built upper structure put weight in the wrong place
because shipwrights concerned about supporting the
novel second gundeck reacted with massive scantlings,
overbuilding the structure and adding weight high in
the hull. Perhaps due to different measurement systems used by Dutch and Swedish builders, she was built
heavier to port than to starboard, Hocker has said,
though it’s not addressed in the book. Six rulers were
found aboard her, some to the Swedish 297mm, 12" system and some to the 281mm Dutch 11" system, though
no two matched perfectly. VASA was a military procurement fiasco, but naval architecture as a science did not
exist in her day.
Hocker points out where myths have been dispelled
as well. VASA was planned to have two gundecks from
the start; this was not a change of mind midway through
construction. And her design wasn’t unduly warped by
the king’s ideas, as earlier suspected. She would have
been the most heavily armed warship of her time had
she succeeded. Still, Hocker reports that calculations
show the weight of the guns to be only 5.1 percent of her
displacement.
On my way to Raid Sweden in 2005, I had the rare privilege of tagging along while Hocker led two divers from
another excavation through every part of VASA from
sterncastles to beakhead to bilges. More than any other
historic ship I have seen, VASA caused the hair on the
back of my neck to stand up and a shudder to run right
through me. It was a direct connection to the past that
I’ve never felt so intensely before or since. The rococo decorations get a lot of attention, of course, but other details
caught my eye: The only existing example of whipstaff
steering, for example. Bundled sails, which took a decade
to unfold, with clear details of 17th-century marlinespike
work. The intact longboat. Detailed medical histories of
some of the recovered dead, and even forensic reconstructions of their faces. VASA’s completeness is simply
astonishing.
What surprised me more than anything else was her
ample headroom belowdecks. Compared with, say, with
the USS CONSTITUTION or the HMS VICTORY, where
head-ducking is routine, I could barely reach some of
VASA’s beams. The only deck that felt at all cramped
was the orlop. Hocker notes that this headroom put
not only the guns but all that overbuilt structure, too,
higher than necessary.
Hocker brings the ship and her times to life. My
thirst is slaked for the moment, but I’m still going to
watch for that volume on engineering.

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WoodenBoat is launching a new, free
listing program for boat schools.
Simply go to www.woodenboat.com/boatschools and
follow the instructions in the FAQ.
Readers are welcome to join the site at any time to
search for programs of interest to them. It may take a
few months for this service to be complete.
WoodenBoat Publications
41 WoodenBoat Lane, Brooklin, Maine 04616
207-359-4651 www.woodenboat.com

hen I needed to replace the bronze straps running under the wooden maststep of my 1952,
28' Winthrop Warner sloop, I faced a challenge. I’d set aside a long piece of 41⁄2"-wide bronze flat
stock, 3⁄8" thick, for the purpose, but had no way to accurately rip it into the required 11⁄4" width of the straps. I
was considering a metal-cutting bandsaw blade—which
would have worked fine—but then my friend Dan
Crete told me to consider a non-ferrous-metal-cutting
tablesaw blade.
So, I went to a local lumberyard with a good tool selection and, lo and behold, found a blade by the tool manufacturer Freud for cutting laminate and non-ferrous
metals. I’ve been a woodworker and boat carpenter for
most of my adult life (I’m 42), dabbling in metalworking projects as needed. But I was ignorant of the fact
that my tablesaw and chop saw could become precision
tools for cutting bronze. Dan’s suggestion was intriguing. I bought the blade, and installed it in my 10" tablesaw equipped with a zero-clearance insert. With some
skepticism as to how this blade would work on my formidable-looking chunk of bronze, I rigged up proper
stock-holding devices to keep the piece against the table
and the fence, as one would do when ripping wood strips.
Donning safety glasses and hearing protection, I ripped
away. The results were fantastic. It was like ripping really

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The bronze wear strip let into
this knock-down saloon table’s
leg was cut to width on a
table saw.

hard wood, and the noise
level was reasonable. In short
order, I had two strips of 3⁄8"
× 11⁄4" bronze, with astoundingly clean, finished edges,
ready for the bending stage
of the operation.
Since then, I’ve done
several
projects
using
threaded-bronze rod, and
instead of breaking out
the reciprocating saw and
clamping the rod in a vise,
I set the rod against my
tablesaw’s miter gauge and
cross-cut it on the tablesaw
(a chop saw would work
just as well for this). The
results of this operation are
so good that I often don’t
have to worry about a tortured, burred, thread end to
file clean. Since I’ve discovered this blade, I’ve used
it in a number of interior-joinery projects requiring
bronze wear-strips let into pieces of furniture. I’ve also
cut piano hinges to length, yielding a better cutoff
end than that provided by the factory. These projects
would have required far more finishing and handwork
had they been cut on a bandsaw, or with a hacksaw.
In some cases, I could have purchased the required
dimension, but at greater cost than cutting it from
wider raw stock.
The blade’s kerf is 3⁄32", so there’s likely to be a little
more loss than with a bandsaw blade—but not much
more. Regardless of that, the straight cuts and fine
finish of the tablesaw blade are good trade-offs, in my
opinion. The cutting operation produces bronze chips,
not unlike thickness-planer shavings in appearance. It’s
wise practice to turn off your dust collector when sawing bronze with this blade, because those chips may be
hot—especially as the blade grows dull; it seems that
mixing them with a pile of dry wood shaving could be
disastrous, but that’s something I don’t care to test. I
have a growing stash of these offcuts squirreled away for
a casting operation.
I could imagine using this blade on a variety of other
projects, including chainplates, tangs, aluminum spars,
and anything requiring long, straight, fine-finished
edges, or clean cutoff ends.

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Kevin Porter is a woodworker in Penobscot, Maine.
Numerous manufacturers offer table- and chop-saw blades for cutting
plastics and non-ferrous metals, and they’re widely available through
tool stores and online retailers. Kevin tested the Freud Diablo 10",
80-tooth blade, which retails for $55–$60.

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Woodenboat RevieW

Build a summer full of memories...
books Received
More Faster Backwards: Rebuilding DAVID B , by Christine
Smith. Published by Old Heavy Duty Publishing, P.O.
Box 1431, Bellingham, WA 98227. 302 pp., softcover,
$19.95. ISBN: 978–0–615–54089–4. In 2004, Christine
and Jeffrey Smith found the neglected DAVID B, a 1929 workboat, on Lopez Island, Washington; this is the story of the subsequent eight-year renovation.

Shirley Pyle in her CLC Sassafras canoe, built at Glbbs - Summer 2011

...and your own boat!
Chesapeake Light Craft and Custom Workshops
for families and friends.

Great Lakes Boat Building School
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See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Making Wood Tools: Traditional Woodworking Tools You
Can Make in Your Own Shop, by John Wilson. Published
by Home Shop Book, 406 E. Broadway Hwy., Charlotte,
MI 48813, www.shakerovalbox.com. 244 pp., hardcover,
$39.95. ISBN: 0–9729947–4–2. How to make several planes,
a bow saw, spokeshave, adze, and other tools, as well as shop
furniture like a workbench, tool trays, sawhorses, vises, and
more; clear pictures, materials lists, and step-by-step directions
make it look easy.
Building BADGER & the Benford Sailing Dory Designs,
by Jay Benford and Pete Hill. Published by Tiller Publishing, 29663 Tallulah Ln., Easton, MD 21601, www.
tillerbooks.com. 192 pp., paperback, $25. ISBN: 978–1–
888671–28–5. Part 1 is an illustrated step-by-step documentation by Pete and Annie Hill of the construction of their 34'
Benford Sailing Dory BADGER ; the remainder is a catalog of
Benford’s sailing dory designs.
Love Letters to City Island, by Fay Jordaens with Tom Nye.
Published by Fay Jordaens, 132 Jenny Lind St., Netcong,
NJ 07857. 224 pp., softcover, $45. ISBN: 978–0–615–
59273–2. Images and stories of the designers, boatbuilders,
yachtsmen, and those who work on the sea around City Island,
New York.
Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound, by Chuck Fowler
et al. An Images of America book published by Arcadia Publishing, 420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant,
SC 29464, www.arcadiapublishing.com. 128 pp., paperback, $21.99. ISBN -13: 978–0–7385–7581–0, ISBN -10
0–7385–7581–X. Page after page of black-and-white photographs portray the history of military PT boats, Coast Guard
craft, and more.
Big Water, Little Boats: Moulty Fulmer and the First Grand
Canyon Dory on the Last of the Wild Colorado River, by
Tom Martin. Published by Vishnu Temple Press,
P.O. Box 30821, Flagstaff, AZ, 86003, www.vishnu
templepress.com. 240 pp., paperback, $24.95. ISBN:
978–0–9795055–6–0. If you enjoyed reading about GEM
and the cataract boats in WB No. 219, you’ll love this story of
her daredevil owner.
A Chronology of Boating on the Navesink River: Navesink
Maritime Heritage Association, by Hendrik F. Van Hemmen. Published by the author and Navesink Maritime
Heritage Association, P.O. Box 6498, Fair Haven, NJ
07704, www.navesinkmaritime.org. 96 pp., paperback,
$35. ISBN: 978–1–4507–5192–6. Explores a variety of boats
of the New Jersey Shore: oyster garveys, Shrewsbury packets, Sea
Bright Skiffs, Jersey Speed Skiffs, and even the Six-Hour Canoes.

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Woodenboat RevieW

The Man Who Thought Like a Ship, by Loren Steffy. Part
of the Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology
Series. Published by Texas A&M University Press, John
H. Lindsley Building, Lewis Street, 4354 TAMU, College
Station, TX 77843-4354, www.tamupress.com. 196 pp.,
hardcover, $35. ISBN: 978–1–60344–664–8. The author’s
father led a team in Cyprus that reassembled 6,000 ancient
wood fragments into the Kyrenia Ship, the first ship in the
world, as the author puts it, ever to be constructed twice, and
essentially giving birth to the field of nautical archaeology.
The Bucket Book: A Celebration of Megayacht Racing, by
Alessandro Vitelli et al. Published by Concepts Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1066, Bridge Street Marketplace,
Waitsfield, VT 05673, www.conceptspublishinginc.com.
248 pp., hardcover, $65. A gallery of stunning photographs of
superyacht Bucket Regattas, where fun, safety, and camaraderie
are more important than winning.
Cornell’s Ocean Atlas: Pilot Charts for All Oceans of the World,
by Jimmy and Ivan Cornell. Published by Cornell Sailing Ltd., 50 Great Russell St., London WC1B 3BA, United
Kingdom; www.cornellsailing.com. 120 pp., paperback,
$84.95. ISBN: 978–0–9556396–5–4. Complete set of updated
charts based on meteorological satellite observations in the last
20 years.
The BOREALIS: A True Story about Living Aboard While
Restoring a 90-Year-Old Wood Boat, by Lonnie Dee Robertson. Published by the author at welcometolonnie
deeandjinnasworld.com. 460 pp., paperback. ISBN:
978–1–4750315–3–9. Two musicians take on the challenge
of restoring an Alden sailboat.

DVD

Traditional Boat Geometry, by Warren Williamson. Published by the author at www.idezineit.com. 8 hours, DVD,
$89.95. ISBN: 978–0–615–54470–0. The author employs
Rhino CAD to demonstrate and explain geometric concepts
necessary for traditional boat construction.

WHERE TRADITION MEETS PERFORMANCE

THE VINTAGE SERIES

New from WoodenBoat Books:
Classic Classes, by Vanessa Bird. Published by WoodenBoat Books, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616,
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com. 160 pp., hardcover,
$24.95. ISBN: 1–934982–
07–5. A field guide to over
140 well-known class boats.
Each spread presents one boat
class with brightly colored photographs, profile drawings,
particulars, descriptions, plans
availability, and contact information for the class association.
An index, sail insignia guide,
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yacht classes, makes the class you are seeking easy to find.

The new Vintage Series from New England Ropes
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July/August 2012 • 107

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WBdotComFP_227R.indd 108

5/23/12 3:01 PM

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
East
Continuing through september 2
Beetle Cat Events
Various cities, Massachusetts
The Leo J. telesmanick
Championship, now in its 90th year,
will be held at the Bass River Yacht
Club in South Yarmouth on August
4 and 5. The Chatham Yacht Club
Regatta takes place the same weekend
in Chatham. On August 18 and 19,
the annual arey’s Pond Catboat
Gathering in Pleasant Bay will strive to
gather 120 catboats for the Guinness
Book of Records. Later, check out
the 49th annual Westport Labor Day
Regatta in Westport on September 2.
Event information, New England Beetle
Cat Boat Association, c/o Beetle, Inc.,
3 Thatcher Ln., Wareham, MA 02571;
508–295–8585; www.beetlecat.org.
Continuing through september 2
WoodenBoat Classic Regatta series
Various places, New England
Races are on July 21–22 at the
Larchmont Yacht Club (www.
larchmontyc.org) in Larchmont,
New York. The Corinthian Yacht
Club Classic Yacht Regatta will be
on August 11–12 in Marblehead,
Massachusetts (www.corinthianclassic.
org), followed by the Opera House
Cup in Nantucket, Massachusetts
(www.operahousecup.org), on
August 19 just after Nantucket Race
Week. Bristol, Rhode Island (www.
herreshoff.org), hosts the Herreshoff
Classic Regatta on the weekend of
August 24–25, while neighboring
Newport (www.moy.org) is home
to the Museum of Yachting Classic
Yacht Regatta on September 1–2.
Event information, WoodenBoat Classic
Regatta Series, c/o Bill Doyle, Performance
Research, 25 Mill St., Newport,
RI 02840; 401–848–0111; bill@
performanceresearch.com.
Continuing through august 16
Various Events at the New Hampshire
Boat Museum
Various towns, New Hampshire
The New England Vintage Boat
auction is on July 21. The non-judged
alton Bay Vintage Boat show is held
at the Alton Town Docks from 9
a.m. to noon on Saturday, August
11. The Boathouse tour on Lake
Winnipesaukee is on Thursday,
August 16. Event information, New
Hampshire Boat Museum, P.O. Box 1195,
397 Center St., Wolfeboro Falls, NH
03896; 603–569–4554; www.nhbm.org.
Continuing through september 11
Maine Windjammers activities
Various harbors, Maine
Attend the Windjammers Music
Festival the week of August 6, Camden
Windjammer Weekend on September
1 and 2, and the season-concluding
WoodenBoat sail-In the week of
September 11. Maine Windjammer
Association, P.O. Box 317P, Augusta,
ME 04332; 800–807–9463;
www.sailmainecoast.com.

Continuing through september 1
Friendship sloop Events
Various harbors, New England
Events include the southwest Harbor
Rendezvous, Southwest Harbor,
Maine, July 14; Pulpit Harbor
Rendezvous, North Haven, Maine,
July 17; Friendship sloop society
50th Homecoming Rendezvous and
Races, Rockland, Maine, July 19–21;
Marblehead Regatta, Marblehead,
Massachusetts, August 11–12; and a
rendezvous during the Gloucester
schooner Festival, September 1,
Gloucester, Massachusetts. Event
information, Friendship Sloop Society,
Friendship, ME 04547; www.fss.org.
Continuing through september 11
Northeast Wooden Canoe Heritage
association activities
Various locations, Maine
Planned events are Oquossoc
sportsman Day in Oquossoc, on
August 14 and Oquossoc Day with
a boat parade on August 25. Event
information, Bob Bassett, Chapter Head,
Northeast Chapter, Wooden Canoe
Heritage Association, P.O. Box 111, 21
Day Rd., Vienna, ME 04360; 207–578–
0876; [email protected].
Continuing through september 9
Exhibit: “On Guard! semper Paratis
In Newburyport 222 Years”
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Opening July 17 at the Custom House
Maritime Museum of Newburyport,
exploring the breadth and capabilities
of the Coast Guard service. Event
information, Custom House Maritime
Museum, 25 Water St, Newburyport,
MA 01950; 978–462–8681;
www.customhousemaritimemuseum.org.

July
1 Willard Hanmer Guideboat Race
Saranac Lake, New York
This is the 50th year of this race,
and organizers plan to display over
50 guideboats. All Adirondack
guideboats welcome. Event
information, Chris Woodward,
Woodward Boat Shop, 3 Hanmer Ave.,
Saranac Lake, NY 12983; 518–891–
3961; www.guideboats.com
14 s.s. Crocker Memorial Race
Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts
Sponsored by the Manchester
Yacht Club and the Manchester
Harbor Boat Club. Event information,
Carl Doane, Crocker Memorial Race
Committee, 24 Woodholm Rd.,
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944; 978–
526–9636; www.sscrockerrace.com.
14 Blackburn Challenge
Gloucester, Massachusetts
A 20-mile race for rowing boats, many
of them, alas, not of wood. Sponsored
by Cape Ann Rowing Club, P.O. Box 333,
North Andover, MA 01845;
www.blackburnchallenge.com.
19–21 small Reach Regatta
Lamoine, Maine
More than 50 small craft of the Small
Reach Regatta will be sailing off
Lamoine State Park. Best public viewing

Compiled by Robin Jettinghoff

19–22

20–22

21

21–22

21–22

22

27–29

27–29

is in the morning and late afternoon
each day. Lamoine State Park, 23 State
Park Rd., Ellsworth, ME 04605, 207–
667–4778, or Tom Jackson, P.O. Box 96,
Brooklin, ME 04616; [email protected].
Vintage Model Yachting Days
Marblehead, Massachusetts
National regatta hosted by the Marblehead Model Yacht Club. John Snow,
U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group, 78 East
Orchard St., Marblehead, MA 01945;
781–631–4203; www.swcp.com/usvmyg.
alexandria Bay Vintage “User”
Boat show
Alexandria Bay, New York
This is a fun show; boats don’t
need to be perfect to be judged, or
win. Held at the City Dock. Event
information, Kevin Tifft, 315–482–4803,
or [email protected]. Sponsored
by Thousand Island Chapter-ACBS, P.O.
Box 800, Alexandria Bay, NY 13607;
www.1000islandsacbs.club.officelive.com.
Wooden Boat Festival
Toms River, New Jersey
A judged event at Huddy Park, with
nautical vendors, marine artists, and
family boatbuilding. Event information,
Gary Micco, 908–303–1710, micco1@
comcast.net. Sponsored by Toms River
Seaport Society, P.O. Box 1111, Toms
River, NJ 08754; 732–349–9209;
www.tomsriverseaport.org.
antique Boat show
Hammondsport, New York
The 30th annual show hosted by
Wine Country Classic Boats, ACBS
Chapter. Event information, Jack Young,
315–694–7420 or [email protected].
Sponsored by Wine Country Classic Boats,
www.winecountryclassicboats.com.
Lake Champlain small Boat Festival
Vergennes, Vermont
Demonstrations of boatbuilding,
lectures, the Lake Champlain
Three-Mile Challenge Race, and a
cardboard-and-duct-tape regatta.
Event information, Lake Champlain
Maritime Museum, 4472 Basin Harbor
Rd., Vergennes, VT 05491; 802–475–
2022; www.lcmm.org.
Keuka Lake Regatta
Hammondsport, New York
This regatta re-creates the regattas
from the 1920s. A chicken barbecue
follows the event. Event information,
Fred Mayer, 607–569–9314 or JOFR@
earthlink.net. Sponsored by Wine
Country Classic Boats,
www.winecountryclassicboats.com.
Finger Lakes annual Boat show
Skaneateles, New York
This judged show on Skaneateles
Lake will include more than 80
boats. Event information, Jack Gifford
at 315–703–7531 or jmgiff@verizon.
net. Sponsored by Finger Lakes Chapter,
Antique & Classic Boat Society, 1734
Lake Rd., Webster, NY 14580; 585–265–
1518; www.flc-acbs.org.
MacKenzie Boat Club Rendezvous
Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard,
Massachusetts
At the Oak Bluffs Marina. Event

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CALENDAR

information, Carolyn Schofield,
[email protected]. Sponsored
by the MacKenzie Boat Club, 23 Rayfield
Rd., Marshfield, MA 02050; 781–223–
8014; www.mackenzieboatclub.com.
28–29 Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous
Mystic, Connecticut
A gathering at Mystic Seaport for
restored classic boats built before
1965. Boat parade on Sunday.
Event information, Mystic Seaport, 75
Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000,
Mystic, CT 06355–0990; 860–572–
0711; www.mysticseaport.org.
28–29 Lake Winnipesaukee Antique and
Classic Boat Show
Meredith, New Hampshire
At the town’s public docks. More than
100 boats on display. Event information,
Bill John, [email protected] or 603–
569–5824. Sponsored by New England
Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society,
www.necacbs.org.
28–29 Lunenburg Wooden Boat Reunion
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Hosted by the Fisheries Museum
of the Atlantic. See marine trade
displays, demonstrations, and lots
of racing. Event information, Michael
Higgins, [email protected].
To participate in the Reunion, Angela
Saunders, [email protected]. Sponsored
by Lunenburg Wooden Boat Reunion,
B0J ZC0 P.O. Box 1363, Lunenburg,
NS, Canada; 902–634–4794; www.
lunenburgwoodenboatreunion.com.
29 Red JACket Youth Sailing Regatta
Rockland, Maine
Young sailors from Penobscot Bay
sailing programs compete in races
starting at 11:30 a.m. The public is
welcome to watch the races and join
the post-race barbecue. Hosted by The
Apprenticeshop, 643 Main St., Rockland,
ME 04841; 207–594–1800;
www.apprenticeshop.org.
29–4 NSSA Annual Schooner Race Week
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
Start the week with the Heritage
Cup Schooner Race as part of the
Lunenburg WoodenBoat Reunion, on
July 28 and 29. Other races continue
through the week. Event information,
Nova Scotia Schooner Association,
www.nsschooner.ca.
31–August 1 Melville Marathon
Mystic, Connecticut
A 24-hour reading of Moby-Dick
aboard the CHARLES W. MORGAN.
To reserve a space, contact Central
Reservations at 860–572–5331. Mystic
Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box
6000, Mystic, CT 06355–0990;
www.mysticseaport.org.

August
1–4 eggemoggin Reach Regatta Week
Castine, Camden, and Brooklin, Maine
On Wednesday August 1, the
Castine Yacht Club will host a Fife
Symposium. Feeder races start with
the Castine Classic Yacht Race from
Castine to Camden on August 2,
and the Camden Feeder Race from
Camden to Brooklin on August 3.

The eRR itself will be August 4. Event
information, Eggemoggin Reach Regatta,
P.O. Box 333, Brooklin, ME 04616;
www.erregatta.com.

860–569–5948 or Charlie Raymond,
413–562–8442. Bay State Woodies
Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society,
www.baystatewoodies.org.

3–5 Antique Boat Show & Auction
Clayton, New York
Now in its 48th year; view over 100
antique boats exhibited dockside.
Event information, Margaret Hummel,
[email protected] at 315–686–4104.
Sponsored by Antique Boat Museum, 750
Mary St., Clayton, NY 13624; 315–686–
4104; www.abm.org.

17–19 Presque Isle Bay Messabout
Erie, Pennsylvania
A TSCA Small Boat Festival with
presentations, fireworks, cardboard
boat regatta, and more. The city’s
Celebrate erie festival is going on at
the same time. Sponsored by Bayfront
Center for Maritime Studies, 40 Holland
St., Erie, PA 16507; 814–456–4077;
www.bayfrontcenter.org.

3–5 Mahone Bay Pirate Festival and
Regatta 2012
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Children’s activities, skirmishes
between pirate ships and more.
Sponsored by Mahone Bay Wooden
Boat Festival, P.O. Box 609, Mahone
Bay, NS, B0J 2E0, Canada;
www.mahonebayclassicboatfestival.org.
3–13 Up the Bay Chesapeake Bay Oyster
Buyboat 2012 Reunion Cruise
Various Cities, Maryland
The cruise starts in Crisfield,
and visits the ports of Solomon
Island, Annapolis, Chester River,
Chestertown, and Rock Hall.
Event information, David Wright,
[email protected], or Kevin
Flynn,[email protected]. Sponsored
by Chesapeake Bay Buyboat Association,
www.oysterbuyboats.com/cbba.html.


4 Naples Antique and Classic Boat Show
Naples, Maine
The 19th annual show on Naples
Causeway. Related events leading
up to the show include Long Lake
and Sebago Lake cruises, and a
benefit ride for Camp Sunshine.
Event information, Jeff Murdock, 207–
655–7510, mountainviewwoodies@gmail.
org. Sponsored by Mountainview Woodies
Classic Boat Club of Maine, P.O. Box
271, Naples, ME 04055;
www.mountainviewwoodies.org.

4–5 Wooden Lightning Get together
Syracuse, New York
Low-key racing exclusively for 19'
Lightnings built of wood. Restoration
help and ramp or hoist launching.
Hosted by the Onondaga Yacht Club.
Event information, Craig Thayer, 315–
882–6798. Sponsored by Wooden Lightning
Get Together; www.lightningclass.org.
10–11 Lake Champlain Maritime Festival
and Antique and Classic Boat Show
Burlington, Vermont
The festival is jointly sponsored by the
Lake Champlain Antique & Classic
Boat Society and the Lake Champlain
Maritime Museum. Event information,
Mike O’Brien, [email protected]
or www.lcacbs. Lake Champlain Maritime
Festival, 9 Taft St., Essex Junction,
VT 05452; 802–482–3313; www.
lakechamplainmaritimefestival.com.


11 Baystate Woodies Boat Show
Northampton, Massachusetts
At the Oxbow Marina on the
Connecticut River. Judged show with
river cruise, raffle, and barbecue.
Event information, John DeSousa,



18 National Boat Building Challenge at
Belfast Harbor Fest
Belfast, Maine
Teams receive plans, building
materials, and workspace; and compete
for cash prizes. Event information, David
Crabiel, 207–322–5805. Belfast Harbor
Fest, P.O. Box 74, Belfast, ME 04915;
www.belfastharborfest.com.

18–19 Antique and Classic Boat Show
Kingston, New York
Includes an in-water boat show, judging,
and displays at the Hudson River
Maritime Museum. Event information,
David Price, [email protected]. Sponsored
by Hudson River Chapter, Antique &
Classic Boat Society, www.acbshrc.com.
18–19 Antique Marine engine exposition
Mystic, Connecticut
A celebration of steam, gas, and
diesel. Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville
Ave., P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT
06355–0990; 860–572–0711;
www.mysticseaport.org.


25 Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous
Lake George, New York
At the village docks. Event information,
Tom Carmel, underwriterssurvey@verizon.
net, 914–248–6413. Sponsored by
Adirondack Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, P.O. Box 1377, Clifton Park,
NY 12065.

25–26 Antique and Classic Boat Festival
Salem, Massachusetts
To be held at the Brewer Hawthorne
Cove Marina, with classic boats of
all kinds. Event information, Pat Wells,
Antique and Classic Boat Festival, 16
Preston Rd., Somerville, MA 02143; 617–
666–8530; www.boatfestival.org.
31–Sept. 3 Gloucester Schooner Festival
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Historic schooners and replicas will
race on Saturday and Sunday, deck
tours, fireworks, and a parade of
sail. Sponsored by Cape Ann Chamber
of Commerce, 33 Commercial St.,
Gloucester, MA 01930; 978–283–1601;
www.capeannvacations.com/schooner.

September
1–7 Schooner Racing
Gloucester and Provincetown,
Massachusetts
Immediately following the Gloucester
Schooner Festival, the Fishermen’s
Cup Race on September 4, starts in
Gloucester Harbor at noon and
finishes in Provincetown. The Rhodes
19 Fishermen’s Series Races are on

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CALENDAR

7–9

8

8–9

8–9

15

15

September 5 and 6. The week finishes
with the Long Point Schooner &
Yacht Race on September 7. Sponsored
by The Great Provincetown Schooner
Race, 333 R. Commercial St., P.O. Box
559, Provincetown, MA 02657; 508–487–
SAIL; www.rovincetownschoonerrace.com.
Shuffle Off to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
A judged antique and classic boat
show at the Buffalo Launch Club,
Grand Island. Event information, Rich
DeGlopper, [email protected] or
716–-946–7246. Sponsored by Niagara
Frontier Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat
Society; www.oldboatsbuffalo.org.
Premiere Lake Quinsigamond
Antique & Classic Boat Show
Worcester, Massachusetts
At the Regatta State Park. Hosted by
Regatta Point Community Sailing and
Bay State ACBS. Event information, Art
Rubino, 508–885–3400. Sponsored by Bay
State Woodies Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, www.baystatewoodies.org.
2012 Traditional Sailing Craft
National Regatta
Solomons, Maryland
Annual model yacht regatta for
vintage sailing model yachts. Event
information, John Snow, U.S. Vintage
Model Yacht Group, 78 East Orchard St.,
Marblehead, MA 01945; 781–631–4203;
www.swcp.com/usvmyg.
Antique and Classic Boat Show
Tuckerton, New Jersey
The gathering of classic boats is cosponsored by the Tuckerton Seaport
and the Philadelphia Chapter of the
Antique & Classic Boat Society. Event
information, Tuckerton Seaport, P.O.
Box 52, 120 West Main St., Tuckerton,
NJ 08087; 609–296–8868;
www.tuckertonseaport.org.
Barnegat Bay Antique and Classic
Boat Show
Point Pleasant, New Jersey
A judged show at the New Jersey
Museum of Boating. Free admission
and parking. Stu Sherk, 610–277–2121
or Bob O’Brien, 732–295–2072.
Sponsored by Barnegat Bay Chapter,
Antique & Classic Boat Society, P.O.
Box 143, Bay Head, NJ 08742.
Short Ships Rowing Regatta
Rockland, Maine
The Apprenticeshop and Rockland
Community Sailing co-host these
small-craft rowing races. Awards
ceremony follows race. Event
information, The Apprenticeshop, 643
Main St., Rockland, ME 04841; 207–
594–1800; www.apprenticeshop.org.

CeNTRAL
Continuing through August 5
Summer events at the Door County
Maritime Museum
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
On July 4, a new exhibit, “The War
of 1812: Naval Battle for the Great
Lakes,” opens, continuing through
November. The 22nd Annual Classic
and Wooden Boat Festival takes place
on August 4–5. Event information,

Door County Maritime Museum, 120 N.
Madison Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235;
920–743–5958; www.dcmm.org.

July
6–8 Antique and Classic Boat Show
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Over 100 boats on public exhibit at
Muskoka Wharf. Event information,
Rita and Paul Adams at adamsfw@
sympatico.ca. Sponsored by Antique &
Classic Boat Society, Toronto, P.O. Box
675 Canada Post, 169 The Donway West,
Don Mills, ON, M3C 2T8, Canada;
416–299–3311; www.acbs.ca.
14 St. Clair Antique & Classic Boat Show
St. Clair, Michigan
In-water show on the St. Clair River
at the Municipal Marina. Event
information, Patrick Chaps, 810–326–
3575, or [email protected].
Sponsored by Michigan Chapter, Antique
& Classic Boat Society, www.michacbs.com.
21 13th Annual Wooden Keels & Vintage
Wheels
Indian Lake, Ohio
A non-judged classic boat and car
show at Russells Point Harbor. Event
information, Jim Foeller, [email protected],
or 614–325–0840. Sponsored by Indiana
Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society,
www.indianaacbs.com
21 Antique and Classic Boat Show
Clear Lake, Iowa
At the seawall in downtown Clear
Lake. Welcoming classic boats of all
types. Event information, Cary Diekema
at 641–891–5615, cdbodyshop@yahoo.
com or Curt Gause at 515–264–1372,
[email protected]. Sponsored by Clear
Lake Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat
Society, www.clearlakeacbs.org.
22 Lakeside Wooden Boat Show
Lakeside, Ohio
This largely on-land show is held at
the 1870s Hotel Lakeside overlooking
Lake Erie. In conjunction with the
Ohio Plein Air artists’ painting
competition. Mame Drackett, mame@
drackett.cc. Sponsored by Lakeside Wooden
Boat Society, c/o 5805 Wahl Rd.,Vickery,
OH 43464; 419–684–9804;
www.lakesidewoodenboatsociety.com.
28 Lake Superior Wooden Boat Show
Superior, Wisconsin
Held at Barker’s Island Marina.
Free to the public. Event information,
contact Doug George, 612–889–9142,
[email protected]. Sponsored by
Woodies on the Water, 345 Canal Park
Dr., Duluth, MN 55802–2315; 218–
722–7884.

August
3–4 Madison Area Antique and Classic
Boat Show
Madison, Wisconsin
Includes Friday boat cruise to
Wisconsin state capitol and governor’s
mansion. Event information, Mark
Walters, 608–224–0815 or waltswoody@
charter.net; or Andy McCormick, 608–
222–0018, or andy@mccormicklumber.
com. Sponsored by Glacier Lakes Chapter,

Antique & Classic Boat Association, 533
W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, WI
53074–2102; 262–284–3650.
4 Classic Boats on the Boardwalk
Traverse City, Michigan
Lots of classic boats on display at
the Boardman River Boardwalk.
Event information, Laura White,
517–669–2029, or [email protected].
Sponsored by Water Wonderland Chapter,
Antique & Classic Boat Society, 2521
Chippendale Dr., Kalamazoo, MI 49009;
www.wwcacbs.com.
4 Boats at the Barns 2012
Hickory Corners and Richland, Michigan
Presentations at the Gilmore
Car Museum, then to the Gull
Lake Country Club to launch
the boats. Event information, www.
GilmoreCarMuseum.org or Chuck Nagy,
Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club,
P.O. Box 532, Oshtemo, MI 49077; 269–
373–2826, [email protected].
11 Ottawa International Antique and
Classic Boat Show and Cruise
Manotick, Ontario
Historic, antique, and classic boats
will be on display alongside the Long
Island Locks on the Rideau Canal.
Event information, Ray Saunders, 613–
749–4396, or [email protected].
Sponsored by Manotick Classic Boat Club,
P.O. Box 948, Manotick, ON, K4M 1A8,
Canada; www.manotickclassicboatclub.ca.
11 Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat
Show
Hessel, Michigan
Combined with the Festival of
Arts, this judged show is one of the
largest antique wooden boat shows
in the nation. Event information, Les
Cheneaux Historical Association, P.O.
Box 301, 105 South Meridian Rd.,
Cedarville, MI 49719; 906–484–2821;
www.lchistorical.org.
17–19 Lyman Boat Owners All Classics
Weekend
Huron, Ohio
A family-friendly celebration of classic
boats and vintage cars at the Huron
Municipal Marina. In conjunction
with the Great Lakes Wooden Sailboat
Society. Event information, Lyman Boat
Owners Association, P.O. Box 40052,
Cleveland, OH 44140; 440–241–4290;
www.lboa.net.
18 Antique and Classic Boat Regatta
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
The 34th Annual Antique & Classic
Boat Regatta welcomes all boats to
this judged show. Event information,
Chuck Wadley 740–929–9941. Sponsored
by Buckeye Lake Chapter, Antique &
Classic Boat Society, 5109 Northbank,
P.O. Box 867, Buckeye Lake, OH 43008;
www.buckeyelakeyc.com.
18 Pewaukee Lake Antique and Classic
Boat Show
Pewaukee Lake, Wisconsin
At Lakefront Park, along with a
waterfront art fair, classic cars, and
children’s events. Event information, Wil
Vidal, 262–695–2994 or [email protected].
com. Sponsored by Glacier Lakes Chapter,
Antique & Classic Boat Association, 533

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CALENDAR

W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, WI
53074–2102; 262–284–3650.
25 Wooden Boat Show and Parade
Pentwater, Michigan
At the Pentwater Yacht Club on
the shores of Pentwater Lake.
Event information, Dave Peterhans,
248–217–3974 or lpeterhans@sbcglobal.
net. Sponsored by Pentwater Yacht Club,
P.O. Box 607, 205 South Dover St.,
Pentwater, MI 49449; 231–869–8921;
www.pentwateryachtclub.com.
25 Antique Outboard Motor Swap
Meet and Auction
South Haven, Michigan
The Wolverine Chapter of the
Antique Outboard Motor Club brings
its collection of antique motors to the
Michigan Maritime Museum. Event
information, The Michigan Maritime
Museum, 260 Dyckman Ave., South
Haven, MI 49090; 269–637–8078;
www.michiganmaritimemuseum.org.
25–26 Toledo Antique & Classic Boat Show
Toledo, Ohio
Vendors, land and water displays,
and live music at the Toledo Yacht
Club. Event information, Scott Ramsey,
Ramsey Brothers Restorations, 329 20th
St., Toledo, OH 43604; 419–255–2628;
www.toledoboatshow.com.

September
7–9 Dispro Annual Regatta
Honey Harbour, Ontario
At the Delawana Inn, Honey Harbour.
Open to the public; you don’t need
to own a Dispro to attend. Event
information, John Storey, 705–684–
9560, [email protected]; or Joe Fossey,
705–726–6600, [email protected].
Reservations, 800–335–2926 or karen@
delawana.com. Sponsored by Dispro
Owners Association, 305 Duckworth St.,
Barrie, ON, L4M 3X5, Canada.
7–9 Century Boat Club Thoroughbred
Roundup
Manistee, Michigan
At the Manistee Riverwalk. Not
limited to Century Boats. Free to
public. Event information, Thomas
Holmes, [email protected]
Sponsored by Century Boat Club, 7552
Sunset Circle, Almond, NY 14804; 607–
276–6468; www.centuryboatclub.com.
7–9 Paddlers’ Rendezvous
Killbear Provincial Park, Ontario
For anyone interested in canoes and
kayaks. Granite Saddle Campground
overlooking Georgian Bay. Park fees
apply. Event information, John Hupfield,
Lost in the Woods Boatworks, Fr 9,
Harrison’s Landing, RR1, Nobel, ON,
P0G 1G0, Canada; 705–342–1465;
www.lostinthewoods.ca.

8 Lake Minnetonka Antique & Classic
Boat Rendezvous
Excelsior, Minnesota
Held at Maynard’s Restaurant on
the shores of Lake Minnetonka. A
judged show open to any and all
vintage watercraft. Event information,
contact Clark Oltman, 612–210–5380
[email protected]. Sponsored by Bob
Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter, Antique
& Classic Boat Society, P.O. Box 11,

WeST

Hopkins, MN 55343–0011; 612–823–
3990; www.acbs-bslol.com.

SOuTh
July
20–22 Wheeler State Park Rendezvous and
Boat Show
Rogersville, Alabama
The Joe Wheeler Boat Show held
at Wheeler State Park Lodge.
Saturday luncheon cruise followed
by boat judging. Event information,
Michael Hart, 901–831–0855, or
[email protected]. Sponsored
by Dixieland Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, www.acbs-dixieland.org.
21 Cape Fear Community College
Wooden Boat Show
Wilmington, North Carolina
Meet up with the Simmons Sea
Skiff Club, or view the new boats
created by the students in the Cape
Fear program. Sponsored by Cape Fear
Community College, 411 North Front St.,
Wilmington, NC 28401; 910–362–7151;
www.cfcc.edu.

September
6–9 Charlotte Antique and Classic Boat
Show
Mooresville, North Carolina
To be held at Queen’s Landing on
Lake Norman. Event information,
Ed Longino, 800–633–6224, or
[email protected], or www.
charlotteantiqueboatshow.com. Sponsored
by Blue Ridge Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, 123 Mr. Johns Choice Rd.,
Hartwell, GA 30643–2365;
www.blueridgechapter.com.
7–9 Reedville Antique and Classic Boat
Show
Reedville, Virginia
Come Saturday to see displays on
land, boats on the water, a nautical
flea market, and a boat parade. Event
information, Clif Ames, 804–453–3506
or [email protected]. Sponsored
by Tidewater Chapter, Antique &
Classic Boat Society and the Reedville
Fishermen’s Museum, P.O. Box 306,
Reedville, VA 22539; 804–453–6529;
www.rfmuseum.org.
7–9 Gathering of Boatbuilders
Guild, Tennessee
At Hale’s Bar Marina & Resort.
Organized and carried out by
members of the Glen-L forum. Open
to home-built boats of all types. Event
information, Glen-L Marine Designs, 9152
Rosecrans Ave., Bellflower, CA 90706;
562–630–6258; www.Glen-L.com.
14–15 22nd Annual Smith Mountain Lake
Antique Boat Show
Huddleston, Virginia
At the Mariners Landing Resort and
Conference Center, Smith Mountain
Lake. September 15 is the public
show date. Event information, Mike
Russell, 630–696–6052 or mikruss@
aol.com. Sponsored by Smith Mountain
Lake Chapter–ACBS, P.O. Box 332,
Moneta, VA 24121; 540–297–9202;
www.woodenboats.net.

Continuing through September 3
Master Mariners events
San Diego, California
The Annual Open house Barbecue at
the Spaulding Wooden Boat Center
is on July 21. The McNish Classic,
hosted by the Pacific Corinthian Yacht
Club, is held July 28. The Chicken
Ship Cruise from Petaluma Yacht
Club is from September 1 to 3. Event
information, Master Mariners Benevolent
Association, San Francisco, CA 94109;
415–364–1656; www.mastermariners.org.

July
9-13 historic Boat Documentation
Workshop
Astoria, Oregon
Introduces participants to the process
of documenting boats, including
collecting data, creating drawings and
models, and producing reports. Event
information, Lucien Swerdloff, Clatsop
Community College, 1651 Lexington Ave.
Astoria, OR 97103, 503–338–2301, or
[email protected].
13–15 Maritime heritage Festival and
Antique and Classic Boat Show
St. Helens, Oregon
A family-friendly event with
demonstrations, two WWII vessels,
music, and a water-skiing show. Event
information, Chris Finks, [email protected],
503–998–0231. Sponsored by ColumbiaWillamette Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat
Society, 6465 S.W. Wexford Place, Portland,
OR 97223; www.cwc-acbs.org.


23 eric erickson Oil Island Race
Long Beach, California
An easy-going race in Los Alamitos
Bay, followed by a barbecue raft-up.
Sponsored by the Wooden Hull Yacht Club.
Wooden Hull Yacht Club, 4219 Maury
Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807; 562–495–
4235; www.whyc.org.

27–29 West Coast Wooden Kayak
Rendezvous
Port Townsend, Washington
This gathering at Fort Worden State
Park for those who own, build, or
wish to build wooden kayaks, is
free and open to the public. Event
information, Joe Greenley, Redfish Kayak
& Canoe Co., 153 Otto St., Suite G, Port
Townsend, WA 98368; 360–808–5488;
www.RedfishKayak.com.
27–28 South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic
Lake Tahoe, California
More than 70 boats expected at the
Tahoe Keys Marina and Yacht Club in
South Lake Tahoe. Event information,
www.tahoewoodenboats.com. Sponsored
by the Northern California/Lake Tahoe
Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society,
www.acbs-tahoe.org.


28 McNish Classic Wooden Boat Race
Channel Islands Harbor, California
This race is a reverse pursuit race
whereby the slower boats start first
followed by the faster boats. Hosted by
the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club, 2600
S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035;
805–985–7292; www.pcyc.org.

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CALENDAR

August
3–5 Big Sky Chapter ACBS Boat Show
Lakeside, Montana
On Flathead Lake. Friday night
reception at Classic Company Boat
Works, Saturday night dinner,
Sunday afternoon boat parade.
In partnership with Montana
Wooden Boat Foundation. Contact
Alex Berry, 406–471–2293, or alexb@
montanawoodenboatfoundation.org.
Sponsored by Big Sky Antique & Classic
Boat Society, P.O. Box 503, Lakeside, MT
59922.
10–11 Lake Tahoe Concours d’Élégance
Carnelian Bay, California
Held at the Sierra Boat Company.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary,
the featured class for 2012 is “Riva
Aquarama.” Event information, www.
laketahoeconcours.com. Sponsored by Liquid
Blue Events, 748 South Meadows Pkwy.,
Suite A9 No. 275, Reno, NV 89521;
775–851–4444; www.liquidblueevents.com.
11 Frisco Antique and Classic Boat Show
Frisco, Colorado
At Frisco Bay Marina on Lake
Dillon. Event information, Bill Tordoff
at [email protected]. Sponsored by Rocky
Mountain Classics Chapter, Antique &
Classic Boat Society, 970–887–2210;
www.rockymountainclassics.org.
18–19 Lake Coeur d’Alene Wooden Boat
Show
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
On the boardwalk at the Coeur
d’Alene Resort, now in its 27th year.
Free to the public. Event information,
Diane Higdem, 208–292–1635, or
[email protected]. Sponsored by
Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, 105
N. First St., Ste. 100, Coeur d’Alene, ID
83814; www.cdachamber.com.
18–19 Toledo Wooden Boat Show
Toledo, Oregon
Wooden boats of all types will be on
display at this family event featuring
boats, music, food, and exhibitors.
Sponsored by Port of Toledo, P.O. Box 428,
496 NE Hwy. 20, Unit 1, Toledo, OR
97391; 541–336–5207;
www.portoftoledo.org.
23–26 Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival
Vancouver, British Columbia
Held on Granville Island, featuring
boatbuilding demonstrations,
races and family boatbuilding. Free
admission. Event information,Vancouver
Wooden Boat Society, 1490 Johnston St.,
Granville Island, Vancouver, BC,
V6H 3S1, Canada; 604–688–9622;
www.vancouverwoodenboat.com.
23–26 Big Bear Lake ACBS Show
Big Bear, California
This is an informal, non-judged show.
Event information, Charlie Brewster,
909–866–8769. Sponsored by Southern
California Chapter, Antique & Classic
Boat Society, www.socalacbs.com.
31–3 Festival of Sail
San Diego, California
A “tall ship” gathering, with a sail-by
of vessels of the Ancient Mariners
Sailing Society on the opening day.
Event information, San Diego Maritime

Museum, 1492 North Harbor Dr., San
Diego, CA 92101; 619–234–9153;
www.sdmaritime.com.

September
3–5 Deer Harbor Wooden Boat
Rendezvous
Deer Harbor, Washington
Regatta, boats on display, food, and
fun. Moorage reservations can be made
by calling Deer Harbor Marina at 360–
376–3037; otherwise, call Deer Harbor
Boatworks 360–376–4056. Sponsored by
the Wooden Boat Society of the San Juans,
P.O. Box 251, Deer Harbor, WA 98243;
www.woodenboatsocietyofthesanjuans.org.
7–9 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival
Port Townsend, Washington
More than 150 wooden boats, with
many activities including workshops,
demonstrations, music, and races.
Sponsored by the Wooden Boat Foundation
& Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water
St., Port Townsend, WA 98368; 360–
385–3628; www.woodenboat.org.
8–11 Kachemak Bay Wooden Boat Festival
Homer, Alaska
Enjoy children’s boatbuilding
projects, demonstrations, and the
Pedersen classic rowboat races. Event
information, Kachemak Bay Wooden Boat
Society, P.O. Box 97 Homer, AK 99603;
907–235–2986; www.KBWBS.org.

EuRoPE & BEyonD
Continuing through August 19
Baltic Classic Circuit
Various cities, Scandinavia and Russia
As part of the Baltic Classic Week,
from July 16–24 the yachts meet in
Västervik before sailing to Arkösund
and Trosa, all in Sweden. Then the
boats sail to Finland for the Pommern
Classic in Mariehamn on July 28 and
29. Next Helsinki, Finland, hosts the
Champagne nicolas Feuillatte Baltic
Classic Master Cup from August 3
to 5, and the Viapori Cup Race on
August 11. Finally, St. Petersburg
Classic Week runs from August
14 to 19 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Event information, Olle Appelberg, olle.
[email protected]. Sponsored by
Scandinavian Classic Yacht Trust,
Hållsnäs Skräddarudden, Trosa, S 619
92, Sweden; 0046–8–559–21–830;
United States, 440–499–5495;
www.sailtrust.org.

July


22 Transat Classic 2012
Douarnenez, France
A transatlantic race for vintage,
modern classic, and neo-classic boats.
Hull may be wood or other materials.
Race participants leave Douarnenez,
France, on July 22 and sail to Cascals,
Portugal, eventually crossing the
Atlantic sailing for Barbados. Transat
Classique Lagasse, Comet Organization,
Ar Groas Coz, 29100 Kerlaz, France;
00–33–(0)2–98–51–82–68;
www.transat-classique.com.
14–15 Thames Traditional Boat Rally
Henley-on-Thames, England
At Fawley Meadows, with “anything

constructed from traditional
materials.” Many exhibitors, antique
cars, and much more. Event
information, Tony Goodhead, +44–
(0)1932–872–575 or tradboatentries@
yahoo.co.uk. Sponsored by Thames
Traditional Boat Rally, 3 Endsleigh
Gardens, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 5JL,
England; +44–(0)181–390–1110;
www.tradboatrally.com.

August
2–5 Risør Wooden Boat Festival
Risør, Norway
Hundreds of boats of all types gather
in the small city’s scenic harbor, with
exhibitions, handcrafts, and music.
Event information, Tove Esnault or
Odd Sverre Aasbø, +47–913–87–355.
Sponsored by Risør Wooden Boat Festival,
Solsiden 8, Risør, 4950, Norway; +47–
3715–3070; www.trebatfestivalen.no.
10–12 Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup
Inner Flensberg Fjord, Glücksberg,
Germany
Races for the 12-Meter, Eight-Meter,
and Six-Meter classes. Sponsored by
Flensberger Segel-Club, Quellental, 24960
Glucksburg, Germany; 49–4631–3233;
www.fsc.de.
16–19 nation’s Cup for Classic yachts
Kiel-Laboe, Germany
Short races held on Friday and the
traditional long-distance race on
Saturday. Enjoy good food, art, and
music as well. Event information,
www.german-classics.info. Sponsored by
German Classic Yacht Club, c/o Wilfried
Horns, Kanalstraße 30, Kiel, D–24159,
Germany; 0431–76277; www.fky.org.

September
8–9 Classic Boat Regattas
Various Cities, Italy
Events this year include a Sailing
Regatta on Lake Maggiore in Cerro
di Laveno on September 8–9, and
the Trophy of the Stars Regatta
for Arpège Sailing Boats in Venice
on the same weekend. Associazione
Scafi d’Epoca e Classici, Registro Storico
Nautico, Via Melegari 1, Milano, 20122,
Italy; +39–02–7601–3988; www.asdec.it.
12–16 Dorestad Raid
Friesland, The Netherlands
This year the trip starts in
Leeuwarden and heads east toward
Garnwerd. Crew spaces for those
without boats are available. Event
information, Dorestad Raid, Jan
Kuipersweg 8, Sneek, 8606 KD, The
Netherlands; 0031–515–411–244;
www.natuurlijkvaren.nl.

You can find a more
detailed listing of these
and other events at

www.woodenboat.com

July/August 2012 • 113

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Vintage Boats

KITS
PLANS
and&serVices

You are invited to attend the
2012 ACBS Annual Meeting and International Boat Show
September 21-22, 2012
Big Cedar Lodge on
Table Rock Lake, Missouri

www.TableRock2012.com
For more information on The Antique & Classic Boat Society, Inc. www.acbs.org Phone: 315-686-2628 Email: [email protected]

2011 Hacker-Craft 30 Sport
Like New Classic Mahogany Speedboat

Fully equipped with:
Vetus bow thruster
Port steering
Hinged anchor lead w/anchor box
Finished mahogany engine compartment
Mahogany storage bin in engine
compartment
Humminbird® depth finder/installed
Mahogany steering wheel
Igloo® ice cooler [970 cu. in.] recessed in
floor of aft cockpit
Stainless steel swim boarding bladder
installed [under swim platform]
CD/AM/FM stereo unit/ 4 speakers
[hidden installation]
Engine hour meter
Mooring cover
No steps built into the sloped transom
16” teak swim platform
No railings on sloped transom
Taylor Sport windshield with hinged
center walk thru
Heavy-duty two axle trailer

“The Steinway of runabouts”
Only about ten hours from new
Classic wooden boat styling
425 horsepower
MerCruiser Horizon HO
Delivered new in June 2011
and used twice by a
senior couple in LaJolla, CA;
trade-in on a new Newell
motorcoach

Current equivalent new MSRP exceeds $300,000
Available for $229,000

Karl Blade
Newell Coach Corp.
Miami, OK
918-542-3344

114 • WoodenBoat 227

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YNOT YACHTS
TIMLESS BEAUTY & CLASSIC STYLE
T 412.337.2191

“How To” Restoration Videos As Seen On YouTube
Type in “brandotown” on YouTube

Eight 2-hour DVDs available — To order contact me at [email protected]
Brandon Townsend • TOwnSend BOATwORkS, LLC
Custom Woodworking & Finishing • Specializing in Wood Boat Restoration
Cell: 586-713-7065 • www.townsendboatworks.com

The wooden runabout co.

616-396-7248
4261 Blue Star Highway, Holland, MI

CUSTOM BUILDS, DESIGN, REFIT & RESTORATION

www.ynotyachts.com

PHOTO: © B ILLY B LA CK

Building and restoring fine wooden boats.
www.woodenrunabout.com

Chris-Craft 26´ SPL Racer

K-Class Raceboat V12 Packard

Lockpat II - 1931 40’ Hacker Custom Runabout V12 Packard 2025 cu.in.

Miss Crude - Gold Cup Hisso V8

New Build: Amy Anne - 2011 30’ Morin Custom V12 BPM

S

ince 1971, we have offered complete restorations of vintage runabouts
and new boat construction. We have been selected by top boat collectors
around the world to restore and maintain some of the most sought-after boats in
existence. For those interested in buying or selling rare and collectible runabouts
and race boats, we now offer a brokerage service.

989-686-7353

www.morinboats.com

New Build: 28´ Electric Racing Launch

[email protected]
July/August 2012 • 115

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HOW TO
REACH US
TO ORDER FROM OUR STORE:

To order back issues, books, plans, model kits, clothing, or our
catalog, call The WoodenBoat Store, Toll-Free, Monday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST (Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. EST.)

July 21–22 Classics at Larchmont Race Week
Larchmont Yacht cLub, nY
www.larchmontyc.org
[email protected]

Aug. 11–12 Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta
marbLehead, ma
www.corinthianclassic.org
[email protected]
[email protected]

Aug. 19

Opera House Cup
nantucket, ma

www.operahousecup.org
[email protected]

Aug. 24–25 Herreshoff Marine Museum—
Herreshoff Classic Regatta
bristoL, ri
www.herreshoff.org

Sept. 1–2

Museum of Yachting Classic
Yacht Regatta
newport, ri
www.moy.org

1-800-273-SHIP (7447) (U.S. & CANADA)
207-359-4647 (Overseas)
24-Hour FAX 207-359-2058
Internet: http://www.woodenboatstore.com
Email: [email protected]

ON-LINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:
Internet: http://www.woodenboat.com
At www.woodenboat.com follow the link to WoodenBoat Subscriptions to order, give a gift, renew, change address, or check
your subscription status (payment, expiration date).

TO ORDER A SUBSCRIPTION:
To order a subscription (new, renewal,
gift) call Toll-Free, Monday through
Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., PT:

1-800-877-5284 (U.S. and Canada)
1-818-487-2084 (Overseas)
Internet: http://www.woodenboat.com

WoodenBoat is now
available in digital format.
Go to
www.woodenboat.com

TO CALL ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION:

If you have a question about your subscription, an address
change, or a missing or damaged issue, call Toll-Free,
Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., PT:

1-800-877-5284 (U.S. & CANADA)
1-818-487-2084 (Overseas)

TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS:
Either call 1-800-877-5284 or write to our subscription department (address below) AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOUR NEW
ADDRESS. Please don’t depend on your post office to notify
us. Please give us your old address as well as your new when you
notify us, and the date your new address becomes effective.

Sept. 15–16 Indian Harbor Yacht Club
Classic Regatta
Greenwich, ct

TO CALL OUR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING,
AND BOAT SCHOOL OFFICES:

Sept. 22–23 Greenport Classic Yacht Regatta
Greenport, LonG isLand, nY

TO WRITE:

www.indianharboryc.com

www.sailgreenport.org

Sept. 22–23 American Yacht Club
rYe, nY
www.americanyc.org

Sept. 29–30 Heritage Cup
hempstead harbour Yacht cLub,
LonG isLand, nY
www.heritagecup.org

Oct. 6–8

New York City Classics Week
manhattan, nY
www.myc.org

Sponsored by

General questions should be addressed to Bill Doyle, 401-848-0111,
[email protected] or Sara Watson, 401-451-0888,
[email protected].

Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., EST:
207-359-4651; FAX 207-359-8920

For subscriptions:

For anything else:

WoodenBoat
Subscription Dept.
P.O. Box 16958
N. Hollywood, CA 91615-6958

WoodenBoat
P.O. Box 78, 41 WoodenBoat Lane
Brooklin, ME 04616
<[email protected]>

OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTION OFFICES:
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Australia New Zealand
Boat Books
Dollars
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Australia
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9216 ZH Oudega (Sm)
The Netherlands
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1 yr
2 yrs
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Germany
EUR 39.50
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United
Kingdom
GBP 35.50
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GBP 96.50

(CE tax included)

116 • WoodenBoat 227

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BOATBROKERS
MAGNOLIA is an exceptional vessel in both design and construction—a handsome ‘Alden’ Style
56' Rollins
Schooner
2008

schooner capable of passages anywhere in the world in elegance and comfort with no sacrifice
to structural integrity, built by Paul Rollin’s Boat Shop in York, Maine. Interior joinerwork
includes frame and panel doors and cabinet faces made of select cherry and curly cherry
finished bright in high-gloss marine varnish. Overhead house beams, deck beams and carlin
caps are black locust and cherry finished bright with white for contrast.  
The current configuration sleeps
seven to eight adults.
Location: Cortez, FL
Price: $850,000
Contact: Sid Imes, Cell 662-352-9460
E-mail: [email protected]

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 117

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BOATBROKERS

David Jones Yacht Brokerage

Classic Wooden Boats
P.O. Box 898, Rockport, ME 04856
207-236-7048 Fax 207-230-0177 Email: [email protected]

www.davidjonesclassics.com

Metinic
Yacht
Brokers
124 Horseshoe Cove Rd., Harborside, Maine 04642 • 207–326–4411
—Located at Seal Cove Boatyard—

TIMBERWIND—1931 Pilot Schooner 96' LOA.
USCG approved for 20 overnight passengers.
Part of Maine’s history with great character and charm.
$650,000 (ME).

own “Java” the original casey- built concordia 39 yawl, built in 1938.
this legendary ray hunt designed yawl was extensively rebuilt in
2003, resulting in essentially like new hull and deck, carefully
preserving the original interior and such parts of the hull that
were sound. original rig is completely refurbished. how often is
it that you can own such a piece of maritime history and yet be
confident that maintenance costs are predictable and manageable? Unmatched value at $165,000. OFFERS ENCOURAGED

wooden boats
Wanted Quality
for effective sales
david etnier Boat Brokerage
(508) 255-0994 • 45 Arey’s Lane, Box 222 • S. Orleans, MA 02662
[email protected] • www.areyspondboatyard.com

is seeking well-maintained wooden vessels to add to their freshly
established mid-coast Maine sales operation. If you have worked hard
to keep your fine craft up over the years, we believe that we should work
hard to find a new owner who appreciates your efforts. If you
are seeking to purchase a boat, we believe you should get honest
and prompt attention from a broker who not only knows boats but
also shares your passion for them.

For our current listings please visit us at:
www.woodenboat.com/business and Yachtworld.com.
Please contact David directly at: 207–522–7572
or [email protected]

2011 Steve Killing 24´ Runabout
Cruiser with 300 hp Mercury V-8.
$225,000.00

1991 Landing School Fenwick 18´
with 1GM10 Yanmar diesel,
GPS chart plotter/Raytheon Radar.
$26,000.00

1964 Daytona Boatworks TX-41 41´
with twin 485 Detroit diesels.
$75,000.00

2009 Arey’s Acorn Skiff
$13,000.00

w w w. a rey s p o n d b o a t ya rd . c o m
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

118 • WoodenBoat 227

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BOATBROKERS

Devlin “Brokerage”
Affordable / Usable Boats

© Neil Rabinowitz

Previously owned Devlin’s at great prices!

2011 Pelicano 18 $49,000

Also listed are these used Devlin’s
Give Sam a call and he can tell you more

2004 Surf Runner 25’ $125,000
1991 Surf Scoter 22 $58,000
1985 Nancy’s China 15’ Sprit-sloop $8,995
1994 Nancy’s China 15’ Gaff-sloop $6,950

Devlinboat.com (360) 866-0164 All Devlin’s Proudly Made in the USA!
July/August 2012 • 119

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BOATBUILDERS
Rumery’s Boat Yard
Biddeford, Maine 04005
(207)282-0408
www.rumerys.com

Elegant & fast – no wake
Your choice of deck and cabin layout

Rumery’s 38

A full service boatyard
Heated storage, custom construction
Repairs & restoration of wooden &
composite boats to 60 feet

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)*4503*$
$3"'54."/4)*1
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#PBUTIPQ

3FTUPSJOH
BOE
DPOTUSVDUJOH

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BOE
DMBTTJD
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CPBUT

BOATBUILDERS

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#PBUTIPQ
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3PVUF


4PVUIFSO
"EJSPOEBDLT

THE WATER IS WAITING
www.tumblehomeboats.com 518.623.5050
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 121

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25

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

BOATBUILDERS

P

E N D L E T O

YACHT•YARD

N

years of elegance, simplicity & quiet!

R e b u i l d e r s o f C l a s s i c Ya c h t s

525 Pendleton Point Rd. • Islesboro, ME 04848
(207) 734-6728 • www.pendletonyachtyard.com
www.quicksilvermaine.com

Budsin Wood Craft, PO Box 279, Marshallberg, NC 28553
www.budsin.com
252–729–1540

TRADITIONAL
BOAT WORKS, INC.
New construction & repairs on wooden boats only
Masts and spars a specialty
Superb craftsmanship by skilled professionals, at 
reasonable rates, in one of the few quality West Coast 
wooden boat yards. Fully insured, references.
ALTAMAR California 32 #2

CURRENT PROJECTS:
• Rhodes 33’ THERAPY
•  Knud Reimers 30 Square 
Meter VANJA VI
•  Luders designed/built 
commuter LAUGHING  
LADY                                                     
•  Nick Potter California 32
#2 ALTAMAR
ALTAMAR and LAUGHING
LADY are available as 
projects; ask for details and 
estimates

Douglas Jones, 3665 Hancock Street, San Diego, CA 92110 USA
Phone or Fax: 619 542 1229 • [email protected]

www.traditionalboatworks.net

Custom marine
WoodWork
Wooden boats
lines
HardWare
marine Joinery

(207) 299-5777
Call about Commissioning
your next boat.
63 Castine rd., orland, me 04472

WWW.ianJosepHboatWorks.Com

Giesler Boat Builders
Builders of finely-crafted traditional wood boats

18 models to
choose from
– starting at
$2,000
B. Giesler & sons

705.724.2648
www.gieslerboats.ca
[email protected]

122 • WoodenBoat 227

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“ YAC H T I N G A S I T WA S I N T EN D ED TO B E ”

32' Noank Schooner Restoration

Beetle Cat® Boat Shop
Traditional wooden boat building and restoration
from skiffs to 50' power and sailboats.

Sole Builder of the Beetle Cat Boat

MATHIS

&

MCMILLEN

MATHIS YACHT BUILDING COMP
ANY, LLC
YACHT BUILDING
YACHTS, INC.
COMPANY, LLC
FRACTIONAL YACHT OWNERSHIP

CLASSIC WOODEN NEW BUILDS
CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITE HULLS
www.mathisyachts.com

RESTORATIONS & MANAGEMENT
www.woodenyachts.com

New 12' Onset Island Skiff

We offer

Photos: Alison Langley

New Boats • Used Boats
• Storage • Parts
• repairs • Maintenance

BOATBUILDERS

Beetle, Inc.

Beetle Cat — Celebrating 91 Years

3 Thatcher Lane
Wareham, MA 02571
Tel 508.295.8585
fax 508.295.8949
www.beetlecat.com

Beaufort, SC (Main Office) • 843.524.8925
Newport, RI 401.846.5557 • [email protected]

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 123

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Celebrating 65 Years

Celebrating 65 Years
Storage available for the upcoming winter

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

BOATBUILDERS

Celebrating 65 Years

Offering a full range of services since 1946.
Storage available for this winter.
Register your Crocker Design at

www.CrockersBoatYard.com
Manchester, Massachusetts

•

888-332-6004

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Please Visit Our Website to
Register Your Crocker
www.crockersboatyard.com

Restoration
Preservation of
Antique and Classic
Wooden Boats
207.882.5038

Manchester, Massachusetts • 888–332–6004 and

C UTTS & C ASE
S HIPYARD

edgecombboatworks.net

a full-service boatyard

DESIGNERS & BUILDERS
OF
FINE WOODEN YACHTS
SINCE

1927

P.O. BOX 9
TOWN CREEK
OXFORD, MD 21654
410-226-5416
www.cuttsandcase.com
[email protected]

124 • WoodenBoat 227

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Seal Cove Boatyard, Inc.
BOX 99 / HARBORSIDE, MAINE 04642
TEL: 207-326-4422 / FAX 207-326-4411

You Will Find Us
Personable, Knowledgeable
and Skilled in a Broad
Range of Services

Same
Folks...It’s the
That’s Right,
Railway
She’s Off the

Boat.

APBY 20' CAT, 2009

SPENCER LINCOLN 38', 2010

APBY DAYSAILER, 2008

APBY 14', 2011

E-mail: [email protected] • www.sealcoveboatyard.com

www.areyspondboatyard.com
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Traditional Boat, LLC
Wooden Yacht
Construction ~ Restoration ~ Repair

BOATBUILDERS

DESPERATE LARK - Herreshoff, 1903.
In Our Care for Over 40 Years

www.mainetraditionalboat.com
207-568-7546 • Unity, Maine
ABYC Certified Marine Systems

For Sale

MP&G L L C

WOOD BOATBUILDING
YACHT RESTORATION
AMORITA

RECENTLY COMPLETED

NY-30

Structural upgrades
to Newport 29 ROGUE

SallyAnne Santos

Maintenance and
engine work on Fay &
Bowen Golden Arrow
CURRENT PROJECTS
Cabin, rig and
rudder work on
N.Y. 32 SALTY

929 FLANDERS ROAD, MYSTIC CT 06355
TEL

860–572–7710

Every Detail in a Custom Van Dam is
Handcrafted to be as Unique as its Owner.
~ Unlike Any Other ~
www.vandamboats.com

www.mpgboats.com

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

July/August 2012 • 125

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Meet the builder
of your next
dreaM boat

BOATBUILDERS

Recent Projects 2011-2012
• Replace fantail on 65' 1931 Chesapeake
buy boat passenger vessel
• Re-frame re-plank, reef, and caulk 38'
1929 Matthews
• Total restoration and re-power Navy
motor whaleboat
• Awlgrip paint job on 45' motoryacht
• Re-fasten frame and plank work on
20 ton sailboat
• These and many more projects in our
two locations, please call or e-mail to
inquire about restoring the boat that
you love.
• Other fine boats may be seen in person
or at www.cwbw.com

Our Secret Cove 24 is an elegant 1920s-style cruiser with
hidden 25hp outboard—an easily-trailered classic with
amazing accommodations. See our website for details:

www.islandboatshop.com

Nordland, WA 98358 – email [email protected]

June 29-July 1, 2012
Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT

435 Old Taughannock Blvd.,
Ithaca, NY 14850 607.272.1581

Let Us Build One For You

at
The 21stAnnual

Stay Informed:

www.TheWoodenBoatShow.com

hil Mitchell —
P
Wooden boat
restoration and

repair. All makes
cruisers, runabouts,
and sail. Major hull
work, small repairs,
refinishing.
­— Call 865-603-1418 —
Knoxville, Tennessee

www.restorationsbyphil.com
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

The West Point Skiff ®

Traditional pine strips and oak construction using SiBr throughout
16, 18 and 20 foot models available

Nichols Boat Builder LLC – Richard Nichols, Builder
300 West Point Road, Phippsburg, Maine 04562
www.westpointskiff.com (207) 389-2468

FREE E-Newsletter!

1. Go to www.woodenboat.com
2. Click
Stay in
touch
with ALL
we do!

126 • WoodenBoat 227

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KMI Hull #1

Under Construction and For Sale
18' 6" with 6' 6" beam
Cold-molded construction
4-cylinder diesel engine

Services

Lantana, FL 561–734–0012
www.kelleymarine.com

Marine Carpentry
Custom Boat Building
Interior & Exterior Refits
Teak Decks
Painting & Varnish

D.N. Hylan & Associates

Classic designs
rendered for the
twenty-first
century

Boatbuilders

Visit our website

You might discover that

Custom Design
&
Construction
is well within your reach
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

BOATBUILDERS

DHylanBoats.com

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Maine’s Premier Wooden Boat
pulsiferhampton.com
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

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KITS
KITS & PLANS
PLANS
Chesapeake Light Craft

1.

4.

2.

5.

3.

6.

Build your own wooden boat! Award-winning kits for kayaks, rowing boats, and smallcraft. Choose from 90 models!

1805 GeorGe Ave. AnnApolis, MArylAnd | 21401 | 410.267.0137 | clcboAts.coM
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

128 • WoodenBoat 227

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See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Build Your Own Boat
Thousands have, using plans from the most respected
name in boat designs for amateur builders since 1953.

• Full-Size Plans,
Patterns & Kits
• Boatbuilder Epoxy
and Supplies
• Steermaster Cables

KITS & PLANS

Glen-L Marine Designs offers over 300 designs in
sail, power and row from 5' to 55' that YOU can build.
• Inboard Hardware
• Raptor® Products
• Books & DVDs
• Bronze Fastenings
• Free Newsletter & More

Our online customer support community is second to
none. Experienced builders log in every day to help
you. Visit us online and see. Better yet, join us!

www.Glen-L.com/WB
Glen-L Marine Designs
9152 Rosecrans Ave. Bellflower, CA 90706 855-262-1317
Use key code WB128 for 10% off purchases thru Sept. 1, 2012!

July/August 2012 • 129

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FiberglassSupply.com

Materials:
Kits and Plans:
• Vacuum Bagging Supplies
• 11’ Hollow Wooden Stand Up
• Epoxies
Paddleboard, Kit Only

System Three®
• 18’ Hollow Wooden Unlimited
Paddleboard, Kit or Plans

WEST System®

MAS® Epoxies
• Surfboard Frame Kits for Strip
• Reinforcements
Plank Surfboard Building

Fiberglass Cloths
• And More!!!

Carbon Fiber
Check us out at:

Aramids
www.fiberglasssupply.com
• See our Full Catalog Online
Burlington, Washington - www.fiberglasssupply.com - Toll Free 877.493.5333 - Fax 360.757.8284

Instructions • Plans • Materials
Canoe, Kayak & Small Boat Kits
Classes with Ted Moores
Plywood Kayak Kits
Wooden Boat Restoration
Custom Building

G
FEATURIN
Peterborough, Canada

705-740-0470
www.bearmountainboats.com

ALL full length
bead & cove strips
•
Convenient
international shipping

KITS & PLANS

Experience the difference our quality makes

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

130 • WoodenBoat 227

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oughtred Wemyss rowing skiff kit

Kits for
the designs of
Paul Fisher
Duck Trap
Iain Oughtred
Crayke Windsor

Okoume plywood planking with traditional
precut scarfs and hull molds CNC machined by

Blue
Hill,
Maine

For pricing & ordering: [email protected] • 1-207-460-1178
www.cnc-marine-hewesco.com For kit details: www.jordanboats.co.uk
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

Your complete source for
cedar strip building
Plans • Strips • Epoxy • Seats
Fiberglass • Varnish or COMPLETE KITS!

KITS & PLANS

Bristol, New Hampshire

603-744-6872
www.newfound.com
July/August 2012 • 131

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CLASSIFIED
To place a Classified Ad, visit our website www.woodenboat.com
or call our Classified Ad Manager at (207) 359–7714.
Deadline for the September/October issue: July 6, 2012
JOHN M. KARBOTT BOATBUILDING.
Custom wooden boat building and
repair. Lobsterboat styles a speciality.
WoodenBoat School instructor. Member Massachusetts Marine Trades
Association. 789 Rocky Hill Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360. Phone/fax 508–
224 –3709, w w w.by-the-sea.com/
karbottboatbuilding.
D&H FINISH CARPENTRY AND
WOODEN BOATS. Traditional styles
cold-molded for efficient ownership. THE DORY SHOP—Custom-built
small boats and Lunenburg dories
MI, 810-287-0745.
since 1917. Oars and paddles too.
Call 902– 640 –3005 or visit w w w.
doryshop.com.
RATTY’S CELEBRATED QUOTATION
10 1⁄ 2' & 12' SK IFFS —Traditional with original illustrations featured
handcrafted plywood/oak, epoxy on our shirts and bags. 301–589–9391,
bonded, stainless-steel screws. Rug- www.MessingAbout.com.
ged but lightweight. Easy rowing and
towing. Stable underfoot. $1,150 &
$1,500. Maxwell’s Boatshop, Rockland,
HADDEN BOAT CO.—WOODEN ME. 207–390–0300, jmax@midcoast.
boat construction and repair to any com.
size; sail and power. 11 Tibbetts Lane,
Georgetown, ME 04548, 207–371–
2662.
MCLAUGHL
AN
IN
MI
EST.

1970

.
JR

DA

SATTER’S RESTORATION—Traditional wooden canoes and boats
restored. Quality woodwork, brightwork, repairs. Branchville, NJ, 973–
948–5242, www.sattersrestoration.
com.

S.N. SMITH & SON, boatwright/
CO
RPORATIO N
timber framer. Annual maintenance,
restoration, and building to 45'. Our
Custom Cold-Molded Boats and Yachts to 40'
goal is to make wooden boat owner41 years of experience DMCBoats.CoM
ship predictable and enjoyable. P.O.
Box 724, Eastham, MA 02642, 978–
290–3957, www.snsmithandson.com. REPAIR, RESTORATION, STORAGE,
and SURVEYS. Low overhead and
SALT CREEK BOAT WORKS, St. low rates, 35 years exper ience.
Petersburg, FL — Specializing in MICHAEL WARR BOATWORKS,
new construction to 30'. Materials + Stonington, ME, 207–367–2360.
$40 per hr. 30 years experience,
great references available. 727–821– LOW ELL BOATS — COMPLETE
5482, saltcreekboatworks.com. E-mail wooden boat restoration services and
marine surveying. GARY LOWELL,
[email protected].
Greensboro, NC, 336 –274 – 0892.
www.lowell.to/boats.

.

A career path is a journey
of many steps.
Take your first one here.

.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

MI A MI, FORT L AUDER DA L E,
FLORIDA KEYS—30+ years experience building, repairing, and restoring boats. Quality workmanship, with
composite construction expertise.
References. Call 305 – 634 – 4263, SAIL MAINE ABOARD MAINE’S
SALT POND ROWING —Special305–498–1049. rmiller35@bellsouth. oldest windjammer, “Lewis R. French.”
izing in glued plywood lapstrake and
net, www.millermarinesystems.com. Enjoy great sailing, lobsters, new
strip-plank construction. Rowboats,
friends, and fresh air (no smoking).
light dories, and recreational shells.
Sailing from Camden, 3-, 4-, and 6Designs by John Brooks, Joel White,
day cruises with only 22 guests, May–
Joe Thompson. Also rowing supplies:
October. Capt. Garth Wells, P.O. Box
oars, leathers, oarlocks, gunwale
992 W, Camden, ME 04843. 800–
guard, etc. www.saltpondrowing.com.
469–4635. www.schoonerfrench.com.
Sedgwick, ME, 207–359–6539.

www.themichiganschool.org
LEARN BOATBUILDING at The
Boat School—America’s oldest, comprehensive, waterfront, affordable
boatbuilding school in Eastport, Maine.
Focus on wood, composites or both!
GI Bill benefits available. 207-8532518 or 207-853-0990, www.theboat
school.net.

School
one- and Two-week courses in
Boatbuilding, Seamanship, and
Related crafts

June–September

—Offsite winter courses also offered—
For a complete catalog:
WoodenBoat School, P.o. Box 78,
Brooklin, ME 04616, Tel: 207–359–4651

or view the online catalog at

www.woodenboat.com

132 • WoodenBoat 227

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CLASSIFIEDS
RESCUE MINOR 20' MOLD with
plywood stations on excellent strongback. Ready for boat construction,
$5,000. [email protected].

TRADITIONAL BOAT GEOMETRY—
This instructional video explains
lofting, creating a lines drawing, and
developing geometry for traditional
wooden boats. http://idezineit.com/
index.html.

COMMISSION WATERCOLOR or
Oil Portrait of your treasured boat
by D.Hellums, classically trained,
award-winning artist. Submit photograph or on location. Any size, framed,
ready to hang. 713–443–0962, dale_
NAVTECH MARINE SURVEYORS’ [email protected].
course. Sur veying recreational/
THE FINEST WOODEN POND sailcommercial vessels. U.S. Surveyors
ers. Free brochure: 1–800–206–0006.
Association, Master Marine Surveyor
www.modelsailboat.com.
program. FL, 800–245–4425.

the
woodenboat show
june 29 - july 1

ELEGANT SCALE MODELS. Individually handcrafted custom scale
model boats. JEAN PRECKEL,www. CATALOG OF 40 SIMPLE PLYWOOD
REBUILT CHRIS-CRAFT 6-cylinder preckelboats.com, 304–432–7202.
boats, $4. JIM MICHALAK, 118 E.
engines: K, KL, KBL, KFL, KLC, M,
Randle, Lebanon, IL 62254. www.
ML, MBL, MCL. Assorted V8s. Mitch
jimsboats.com.
LaPointe’s, www.classicboat.com.
952–471–3300.

HERCULES ENGINE PARTS
Model M, ML, MBL, K, KL

HERCANO PROPULSION, LLC
Business Hours: M-F 8:30-4:30 EST
Phone: 740-745-1475
Fax: 740-745-2475

mystic seaport
www.thewoodenboatshow.com

THE BOAT INSURANCE STORE.
Insurance program for wooden boats.
LAWRENCE FOX AGENCY, 1–800–
553–7661. Our 50th year. www.boat
insurancestore.com.

1-800-762-2628
WWW.HAGERTYMARINE.COM

LOBSTERING UNDER SAIL. This
hardworking ancestor of the Friendship sloop was utilized by the lobsterm e n o f Mu s c o n g u s B a y. O u r
plank-on-bulkhead kit makes a dramatic display model. Can be radiocontrolled. Visit our gallery of ship
models. BlueJacket Shipcrafters, 160
E. Main St., Searsport, ME 04974.
800–448–5567, www.bluejacketinc.
com.

FREE—L.F. HERRESHOFF 11' 5"
frostbite dinghy (design No. 54)
building molds, located in Lottsburg,
BOAT COLLECTION—Old Town VA. To be transported by the recipiand Penn Yan beauties for the finest ent. See L.F. Herreshoff, “Sensible
boathouse or restaurant. 207–322– Cruising Designs.” cmj1006@earthlink.
7070.
net, 804–529–5003.

ATKIN ILLUSTRATED CATALOG—
135 pages, with more than 300 Atkin
designs. Famed Atkin double-enders,
rowing/sailing dinghies, houseboats,
and more. $15 U.S. and Canada ($22
US for overseas orders). Payment:
U.S. dollars payable through a U.S.
bank. ATKIN BOAT PLANS, P.O.
Box 3005WB, Noroton, CT 06820.
[email protected], www.atkinboat
plans.com.
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

JAMES WHAR R AM DESIGNS —
World-renowned, safe, seaworthy
catamarans, 14'–63' to self-build in
ply/epoxy/’glass, from plans that are
“a course in boatbuilding.” wharram@
wha r r a m.com, web shop: w w w.
wharram.com.
BOAT KITS—PLANS—PATTERNS.
World’s best selection of 200+ designs
on our web site. Boatbuilding supplies—easy-to-use 50/50 epoxy resins/
glues, fasteners, and much more.
Free supplies catalog. Clark Craft,
716–873–2640, www.clarkcraft.com.
July/August 2012 •

WBClass227_FINAL.indd 133

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5/23/12 1:10 PM

CLASSIFIEDS

Jordan Wood Boats

P.O. Box 194, South Beach, OR 97366
541–867–3141

www.jordanwoodboats.com
******************

Distinctive Boat Designs
SHELLBOATS.COM—Sailboat kits,
handcrafted in Vermont. Check out
our web site, or call 802–524–9645.

Meticulously Developed and Drawn
For the Amateur Builder

CRADle BOAt
BABy tenDeR

BeACh CRuiSeR
FOOtlOOSe

LEARN HOW TO BUILD your own
cedar-stripped boat. Plans for dinghies, canoes, row, sail, paddle, outboard. www.compumarine.com. AZ,
520–604–6700.

GEODESIC AIROLITE DESIGNS—
Westport Dinghy, 8'10"; beam 431⁄2";
weight 29 lbs. Stow-aboard yacht
tender. Forget outboard, rows easily!
Monfort Associates. 207–882–5504,
www.gaboats.com.

BU I L D N.G . H E R R E SHOF F ’S
COQUINA, 16'8" sailing and rowing
boat. Under license from MIT’s Hart
Nautical Collection, Maynard Bray
and Doug Hylan have produced a
builder’s package for both amateur
and professional builders. PLANS—
11 sheets of detailed drawings for
both cedar and glued-plywood lapstrake construction. $200 + $10 S&H
U.S. ($30 international). CD—550
photos and text describing all aspects
of construction. $50 + $10 S&H U.S.
($20 international). Free downloadable study plans and information
about kits, bare hulls, and completed
boats are available at www.dhylanboats.com. Send check or money
order to: Coquina, 53 Benjamin River
Dr., Brooklin, ME 04616.

WO O D E N B OAT M AGA ZINES —
Issues 1–226. Missing 134 and 190.
Includes speciality issues. $350. FL.
321–779–2348.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

28 DESIGNS IN OUR $12 BRO CHURE, includes: rowing and sailing
skiffs, dories, prams, lake and river
boats. Plans and instructions for 13'6"
• 4'11" Nez Perce outboard (above)–
SMITHSONI AN INSTITUTION $50. Ken Swan, P.O. Box 6647, San
Plans from the National Watercraft Jose, CA 95150. 408–300–1903, www.
Collection, H.I. Chapelle drawings, swanboatdesign.com.
Historic American Merchant Marine
Survey, etc. Send $20 check to Smith- TOLM A N A L A SK A N SK IFFS —
sonian Institution for 250 -page V-bottom stitch and glue plywood
catalog to: Smithsonian Ship Plans, skiffs in three models from 18' to 24'.
P.O. Box 37012, NMAH-5004/MRC Plans are $40, and kits start at $2,970.
628, Washington, DC 20013-7012. www.saltwaterworkshop.com, 207–
w w w.americanhistory.si.edu/csr/ 837–0236.
shipplan.htm.
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show
NEWFOUND WOODWORKS, INC.—
Cedar Strip Canoe, Kayak, and Rowboat Kits. Complete kits or order
plan sets to build yourself; cedar
strips, epoxy, fiberglass, tools, seats,
and accessories. Sign up for our e-mail
newsletter. Go to www.newfound.
com for all the info. 67 Danforth
Brook Rd., Bristol, NH 03222, 603–
744–6872.

LONGTIME WOODEN BOAT FAN
offers 75 books, 70 magazines; 36"
ORCA BOATS—Strip/epoxy canoes
runabout model kit; signs, etc. A-1
and kayaks, plans, materials, courses,
condition. Asking $2,500 or best
repairs, and restorations, BC. www.
offer +shipping. Call Pete, 317–242–
orcaboats.ca, 604–312–4784.
9498.

IMAGINE THE PRIDE and Satisfaction you’ll feel gliding over the
water in the “classic” wooden boat
YOU created. Leave a voicemail
24/7—877–913–2116, for your FREE
“Consumer Guide to Building Your
Dream Boat.” www.Glen-L.com.
CLASSIC BOATING MAGAZINE—
The most popular and complete
publication on antique and classic
boats. Subscription $28, Canada $36
USD, overseas $78. Samples $5,
Canada $7.50, oversea s $12.50.
WANTED: MARINE CARPENTER/ Classic Boating, 280-D Lac La Belle
Boatbuilder; Finish Varnisher—Excel- Dr., Oconomowoc, WI 53066. 262–
lent opportunities with an iconic and 567–4800.
growing builder of mahogany boats,
located in one of the nation’s best WOODENBOAT ISSUES 1–133 —
recreational regions. See details at: First 88 in binders. Eight never opened.
hackerboat.com, “employment oppor- Also, 39 issues of Boatbuilder, 1987–
tunities.”
1994. Make offer: 360–598–4413.

C AJ U N PI ROGU E - JON BOATSKIFFS. Paddle, row, motor or sail.
Designed for first-time builders. Kits
and plans. www.unclejohns.com, or
call 337–527–9696.

THE GREAT LAKES BOAT BUILDING
School is seeking a full-time, yearround instructor with 10 years experience in traditional and wood/epoxy
composite wooden boatbuilding.
See www.greatlakesboatbuilding.org
for complete position and contact
information.

134 • WoodenBoat 227

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CLASSIFIEDS
CANOE HARDWARE: 1⁄2", 11⁄16", 7⁄8"
canoe tacks; 3⁄8" oval brass stembands;
clenching irons; 3⁄16" bronze carriage
bolts; canoe plans; clear white cedar.
Catalog $1. NORTHWOODS CANOE
CO., 336 Range Rd., Atkinson, ME
04426. Order, phone 888–564–2710,
SHAW & TENNEY, Orono, Maine— fax 207–564–3667.
Traditionally handcrafted spruce
masts and spars since 1858. 1–800–
240–4867, www.shawandtenney.com.
FINELY CRAFTED WOODEN SPARS;
hollow or solid. Any type of construction. ELK SPARS, 577 Norway Drive,
Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, 207–288–9045.

T H I S 20' C H R I S - C R A F T WA S
stipped in four man-hours. Environmentally friendly paint stripper.
For more information, call 800–726–
EPOXY-PLUS MARINE EPOXY, GL 4319. E-mail us at [email protected],
10 glue, and ESC 20 putty—A complete or visit our web site, www.starten.com.
premium epoxy system at discount
prices. Free supplies catalog. Clark LeTONKINOIS. All-natural varnish.
Craft, 716-873-2640, www.clarkcraft. Centuries-old formula. Long-lasting,
beautiful finish. Extremely usercom.
friendly. A merican Rope & Tar,
877–965–1800 or tarsmell.com.

JASPER & BAILEY SAILMAKERS.
Established 1972. Offshore, onedesign, and traditional sails. Sail
repairs, recuts, conversions, washing
and storage. Used-sail brokers. 64
Halsey St., P.O. Box 852, Newport, RI
02840; 401–847–8796. www.jasper
andbailey.com.

Composite fasteners for:
Strip Planking
Cold Molding
Fiberglass Layup
Foam Core Joining
Vacuum Infusion
RTM

TARRED HEMP MARLINE. Several
styles; hanks, balls, spools. American
Rope & Tar, 1– 877–965 –1800 or
tarsmell.com.

STAPLES  NAILS  BRADS
 Completely non-metal

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

 No need to remove
 Sawable, sandable, planeable, stainable
 No galvanic corrosion/electrolysis

W W W.DA BBLER SA ILS.COM—
Traditional small-craft sails. P.O.
Box 235, Wicomico Church, VA,
22579. Ph/f a x 8 0 4 – 58 0 – 8723,
[email protected].
DOUGLAS FOWLER SAILMAKER—
Highest-quality, full-seam curved
sails since 1977. Traditional sails a
specialty. White, colors, and Egyptian
Dacron in stock. 1182 East Shore
Dr., Ithaca, NY 14850. 607–277–0041.

 Bonds with thermoset resins

www.raptornails.com [email protected]
P (512) 255-8525
F (512) 255-8709

E XC E P T ION A L BRON Z E a nd
Chrome Hardware—Windshield
brackets; navigational lighting; Tufnol and ash blocks; fastenings, roves,
and rivets; repair, building, and kit
materials; oars, paddles, and rowing
accessories; decals, apparel, and
BRONZE CAM CLEAT with plastic traditional giftware. www.tender1
ball bearings and 1 ⁄2" fastening cen- craftboats.com. Toll-free phone:
ter distance. BRONZE WING -TIP 800–588–4682.
NAVIGATION LIGHTS with glass
globe. Side mount, stern and steaming. For our free catalog, contact us
at J.M. Reineck & Son, 781–925–3312,
[email protected].

STARS AND STRIPES PENNANTS.
Authentic historical design exquisitely
handcrafted in the most durable
fabrics. 4', 6', 8' and 12' sizes in stock—
other sizes and designs by custom
order. Custom design and fabrication
is our specialty. Also in stock, all sizes
U.S., state, foreign, historical, marine,
and decorative flags, banners, pennants, and accessories. 77 Forest St.,
New Bedford, MA 02740. 508–996–
6006, www.brewerbanner.com.
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

H AV E TOOLS W ILL TR AV EL .
Wooden boat builder will build,
rebuild, or repair your project on
site or in my shop. $20/hour. VT,
802–365–7823.

COPPER FASTENERS and riveting
tools, Norwegian and English boat
nails, roves/rivets, rose and flathead,
clench, threaded, decoration, and
more. 50+ sizes and types, 3⁄8" to 6".
Your leading source since 1987. FAERING DESIGN, Dept. W, P.O. Box 322,
East Middlebury, VT 05740, 1–800–
505 –8692, [email protected],
www.faeringdesigninc.com.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

MODERN MANILA. New Leoflex-X.
The latest rope technology. Looks
great, works hard. American Rope
& Tar, 1–877–965–1800 or tarsmell.
com.

Available in 316 Stainless Steel and Bronze

www.newfoundmetals.com
[email protected]

888–437–5512

July/August 2012 •

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5/23/12 1:10 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
STOCKHOLM TAR. Genuine kilnburnt pine tar. It’s the Real Stuff.
American Rope & Tar, 1–877–965–
1800 or tarsmell.com.
BLOX YGEN SAV ES LEFTOV ER
Finishes. Preserve expensive varnish,
paint. www.bloxygen.com, 888–810–
8311.

12/24V CABIN FANS—Teak, cherry,
or mahogany with brass/stainless
brackets. www.marinecabinfans.com.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

VACUUM-BAGGING SUPPLIES—
Fiberglass cloth, epoxy resins, waterb a s ed L PU p a i nt s , a nd more.
Technical support and fast service.
www.fiberglasssupply.com or toll free:
877–493–5333.

PLANKING A BOAT? FOR TIGHT
seams, order the rugged, dependable,
no-hassle Conant Clamps I’ve been
making in my Maine shop for over
25 years. Three sizes—PC-2, for dinghies, opens to 1" ($35/ea); PC-1, the
most popular, opens to 2" ($48/ea);
PC-1L, the largest opens to 4", closes
to 1 1 ⁄ 2" ($55/ea). C ont act R ick
Conant, 207–633–3004; P.O. Box 498,
Boothbay, ME 04537; rconant41512@
roadrunner.com.
®

FeatherBow® $29.95
FeatherBow® Jr. $17.95

FeatherBow

Build your own Strip Built Boat
FeatherBow.com • (860) 209-5786
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

SOFT COTTON FENDERS and classic knotwork. For catalog, send SASE
to: THE K NOTTED LINE, 9908
168th Ave. N.E., Redmond, WA 980523122, call 425–885–2457. www.the
knottedline.com.
HAVEN 121⁄2 complete high-quality
bronze hardware sets. See our display
ad elsewhere in the issue. For our
free catalog, contact us at J.M. Reineck
& Son, 781–925–3312, JMRandSon@
aol.com.

THE ORIGINAL SINCE 2001. The
smallest composting toilet in the
world! EOS, PO Box 5, Mt. Vernon,
OH 43050. www.airheadtoilet.com,
740–392–3642.

TALL SHIP—APPROXIMATELY
90' or larger traditional schooner or
square-rigger. To be used as spiritual
retreat for persons of all faiths in the
form of a floating non-denominational
sanctuary for seekers. Capt. Phil
Lacca will consider vessels of all types,
and in need of repair for possible tax
deduction on donated boats. Please
contact me at 617–794–4203.

GENUINELY MARINE LED LIGHTS,
made by Bebi Electronics. w w w.
bebi-electronics.com, [email protected]. US Agent—R. Ford,
727–289–4992, rogersf@bebi-elec
tronics.com.
CANVAS FOR DECKS and canoes.
Natural, untreated. No. 10, 15 oz.,
96", $17.50/yard; 84", 14.50/yard,
72", $12/yard; 60", $9.50/yard.
Minimum five yards, prepaid only.
FA BR IC WOR K S, 148 Pine St.,
Waltham, MA 02453, 781–642–8558.

Bantam air Hammer

Boat riveting Kit
Designed for
Copper Rivets
n Cuts Riveting Time up to 70%
n Superior Pneumatic

SLOW-GROWING, OLD-GROWTH
white oak (Quercus alba), up to 50'
long and 42" wide. Longleaf pine
(Pinus pilustrus) out to 50' long. Oldgrowth white pine, 22'–28'. Black
locust, American elm, and larch.
NEW ENGLAND NAVAL TIMBERS,
CT, 860–480–3402.
PLANKING STOCK IN LENGTHS
TO 32'—angelique, silver balli, wana,
angelique timbers. Call for quotes.
Gannon and Benjamin, 508–693–
4658.
See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

THE BROOKLIN INN—Year-round
lodging, fine dining, Irish Pub. Modern interpretations of classic Maine
dishes. Always organic/local. Winter
Getaway: $155/DO, dinner, breakfast,
room, Nov–May. Summer rate: $125/
DO (plus dinner). brooklininn.com,
ME, 207–359–2777.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

BOULTER PLY WOOD —marine
plywood 4' • 8' to 16', 5' • 10' to 20'
— 1⁄8" to 1" okoume, sapele, meranti,
teak, ash, khaya, teak and holly, teak
and rubber. Lumber—Sitka spruce,
teak, mahogany, green oak, ash,
cypress, fir, Spanish and red cedar,
teak decking—lengths up to 20'.
Milling services. Nationwide delivery.
w w w.boulterply wood.com, 888 –
4BOULTER.

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

TE A K , M A HOGA N Y, PA DAUK ,
purpleheart, white oak, teak decking,
starboard. Complete molding millwork facilities. Marine ply wood.
Custom swim platforms. SOUTH
JERSEY LUMBERMAN’S INC., 6268
Holly St., Mays Landing, NJ 08330.
609–965–1411. www.sjlumbermans.
com.

n

800-521-2282

www.superiorpneumatic.com

HACKMATACK SHIPS KNEES—
Architectural Knees. David Westergard, NS, 902-298 -1212, djwester
[email protected]. www.westergard
boatyard.ca.

136 • WoodenBoat 227

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CLASSIFIEDS

WWW.DIAMONDTEAK.COM—True
teak wood. Planing, sanding available.
Quarter-sawn teak for decking; tongueand-groove; veneer; custom work. Also
mahogany and Spanish cedar. Highest quality. We ship worldwide. 215–
453–2196, [email protected].
TEAK LUMBER FROM $7.50/bf and
teak decking from $.99/lf. Call ASI,
800–677–1614 or e-mail your requirements to rogerstevens@asihardwood.
com.

SPECIALIZING IN CLASSIC RUNabouts—Including Chris-Craft, Fay
& Bowen, Gar Wood, and Hacker.
Also a great selection of modern Elco
electric launches. Visit our virtual 42' ROYAL LOWELL LOBSTERshowroom at www.hallsboat.com, or boat—Mahogany over oak, 3306
call 518–668–5437.
Caterpillar engine, Very good condition. 978–794–3129.
CONCORDIA YAWL #103, “IRENE,”
1966—Excellent condition with con1969, 42' GR AND BANK S —New
tinual high level of maintenance.
aluminum fuel tanks. Good hull and
Dynel-and-epoxy decks and cabin-top.
mechanics. Located Mar yland.
Good recent sail inventory. Sea Frost
$22,000. 301–643–6476.
engine and AC refer. Full winter
covers. Current owner 27 years. WA,
$163,500. Douglascole7@comcast.
net, 360–961–6101.
JUST COMPLETED 18' RUNABOUT
—V6 Marine Power engine. Health
requires sale. Will sell for cost of
engine and transmission, $12,000.
503–364–2893.

ATLANTIC AND NORTHERN white
cedar and reclaimed teak, f litchsawn, wide boards, 16' lengths, mill- HARMONY 25 ELECTRIC Launch—
ing, premium quality, fair prices. CT, New cedar/epoxy construction to
203–245–1781. www.whitecedar.com. 100-year-old design. Cruise in silence
for 40 miles, recharge overnight.
GOOSEBAY SAWMILL & LUMBER Dennis Wolfe, 810–580–9404, www.
—Family-owned and operated. 603– wolfeboats.com.
RHODES 30'4" LOA, 1958 SLOOP—
798–5135, http://bit.ly/z1tpD4.
Fast sailing boat with many upgrades,
rebuilt hull, main sail, roller-furling
DOUGLAS FIR; WESTERN RED
jib, Atomic Four gas engine, two
cedar; western larch. Cut to order.
berths, head, stove, sink, icebox,
Call John, 208–290–4359.
wooden mast. Newcastle, ME, info@
fairtidefarm.com.

WHEELER 40', 1952 Sportfisherman—Twin diesels, excellent condition, located on Hudson River, NY.
$49,000. Details at w w w.wheeler
sportfisherman.com.

1965, 42' TRAWLER. 6-cyl diesel,
4K generator. Undergoing restoration, needs paint and cosmetic work.
TX, $27,000. Call for more details.
Joe, 713–851–1702.

BOAT COLLECTION—Old Town
and Penn Yan beauties for the finest
boathouse or restaurant. 207–322–
7070

2009 18' BAY PILOT, ARCH DAVIS–
design. 60-hp Yamaha, trailer. See
WoodenBoat’s Small Boats 2011.
$12,500. 941–493–8436, lainebob20@
verizon.net.

1917 HERRESHOFF 121⁄2 —Professionally maintained, excellent condition, successfully raced. 2001 Triad
trailer. Located MA. $16,500. 508–
560–0023.

USCG HISTORIC MOTOR LIFEboat—Designed for inshore surf and
bar rescue. Self-righting and bailing,
103-hp 471 Detroit GM diesel. Only
privately owned boat of its type for
sale. Wet demo until end of September. Reduced to $150,000, www.capt
ronscruises.com, 207–563–1387, capt.
[email protected].

20' SLOOP “NIMPHIUS,” BUILT
1987—Mahogany planking, teak
deck, BMW diesel. Generally excellent condition. A true little yacht!
Maine. $25,000. Visit http://tinyurl.
com/ 7nusv2d for more information.
207–236–6282, malone@midcoast.
com.

1932 ALDEN/FENWICK WILLIAMS
Catboat Yawl—28' • 12'6" • 3'8", 38'
LOA. Built by Bigelow, Monument
Beach, MA. Cedar on oak, bronze
fastened, extensively rebuilt. Standing headroom, sleeps five, large
cockpit. Kenyon stove w/oven, AdlerBarbour, B&G instruments, Garmin
GPS, Autohelm autopilot. Kermath
Sea Jeep engine, remanufactured
spring 2011. Excellent cruising boat.
L ocated Br a n ford, C T. A sk ing
$25,000. 203–214–7300, or neilcarolt@
sbcglobal.net.

NEW 18' H A MPTON SLOOP—
Simple, beautiful, functional. See
WoodenBoat’s 2012 Small Boats. Cedar
on oak, bronze fastened, Nat Wilson
sails. $37,000. 207–323–4217, www.
odonovandole.com.
July/August 2012 •

WBClass227_FINAL.indd 137

137

5/23/12 1:19 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
GENUINE HERRESHOFF 11' Dinghy—Needs extensive restorative
work. $2,000 non negotiable. 207–
322–7070.

34' 1966 CURTIS APPLEGARTH—
Built Oxford, MD. Excellent condition.
New interior and electronics. Located
Rockhall, MD. Asking $12,000. For
more photos, e-mail kevindalton9@
gmail.com. 305–360–2654.

22' SCHOONER, ATKIN HULL—
Custom rig, new North Sails, launched
2009. 5-hp Mercury outboard. CA, 26' 1972 MACKENZIE Cuttyhunk—
New mahogany bottom, 250-hp, low
805–815–0315.
hours, $9,500. Yarmouth, MA, call
508–364–8060.
CLASSIC MOTORYACHT—1926,
62' ELCO. Shown in WoodenBoat
No.171, March/April 2003, sketch
pg. 42. Survey one year ago June.
Twin diesels. $500,000+ invested.
Northern C A, A sking $149,000,
415–887–9932.

2005 TED BREWER-DESIGN, 21'7"
Cape Cod Cat—10' beam, draft 2'3".
Yanmar 26M20 fresh-water-cooled
two-cyl diesel engine, 374-sq-ft gaff-rig
sail with cover. Raymarine autopilot,
VHF, 20-gallon fuel tank, boom tent,
porta-potti, shore power, two berth
leather cushions. Marine ply over oak
frame hull, ash interior, bronze ports,
skylight, solar fan. Dickinson propane
heater, small galley, freshwater tank
and propane stove, large cockpit seats
with cushions. On trailer. New bottom
pa int. $12,0 0 0. 360 –754 –1063,
[email protected].

13' 2008 BRIGHTSIDES HAND liner—Westlake built, epoxy, stitchand-glue. Two pairs oars, all spars
lines, and sail. Brass hardware, custom
trailer. $4,600. lulu.guest@gmail.
com, 604–886–7696.

1964, 24' CARL ADAMS SKIFF—
Cedar on oak, Chr ysler Crown,
freshwater-cooled, stern controls,
mahogany interior. 215-885-3220.
1952, 26' JONESPORT LOBSTERboat with new 265-hp GM Vortec
engine, and electronics, $24,000.
Pictures and specs: http://daneosco.
com/boat, 207–522–3582.

THE APPRENTICE 15—Traditionally
built double-ended daysailer, designed
by Kevin Carney. Cedar on white oak,
lapstrake construction. Dynel deck,
white oak trim. Sitka spruce spars.
Nat Wilson sails. All bronze fastenings
and hardware. Launched June 2011.
$20,000. Apprenticeshop, Rockland,
ME. 207–594–1800.

BUZZARDS BAY 19 SLOOP—Pete
Culler design, Landing School 1997.
Excellent condition, glued lapstrake
epoxy hull, teak deck, freshwater
1951 CHR IS - CR A F T DOUBLE - sailed, Triad trailer, located Seattle.
Stateroom 38'—Complete restora- $16,0 0 0. DM Bergey @msn.com,
tion in 2001. Equipment includes: 425–646–9037.
twin Chris-Craft 283s, 5.0kW Kohler
generator, Heart Freedom 25 inverter, 17' W ITTHOLZ C ATBOAT with
Cruisair reverse heat/air, Sealand trailer and outboard engine. In excelVacuflush, Polar fridge/freezer unit, lent condition. $9,000. Located
deck wash down, Clarion cassette/ Brooklin, ME. NJ, 201–569–3787 or
CD stereo, and amp. Bennett trim 201–568–1441.
tabs, water heater, with teak and holly
flooring throughout. This boat requires
no restoration work, and is ready for
many summers of enjoyment. Seller
is looking for a caring new owner.
Asking $120,000 US/CAN. Contact:
[email protected].

38' PACEMAKER CLASSIC 1966,
Hull #719—Flying Bridge sedan,
twin 350 Crusaders. In renovation,
owner unable to complete. Many
items “new” onboard not installed.
Last haul, September 2011. Located
in Deltaville, VA. Always shed-kept.
$3,500 or best offer. 804–740–9539,
[email protected].

1957, 20' GREW SEAMASTER Inboard
Runabout. Lapstrake marine plywood
planking over steam-bent white oak
ribs. Comes equipped with fourcylinder Buchanan inboard engine
and double-axle trailer. Includes all
cushions. Vessel requires restoration
and refinishing. As is: $1,500 or best
offer. [email protected].

See Us at the WoodenBoat Show

48' HEAD BOAT—Cedar on oak,
riveted, heavily framed. 6 -71 GM.
Licensed and inspected. $38,000 or
best offer. 207–442–7616 or 207–
443–5764.

32', 1935 RICHARDSON CRUIS about—Two new custom 140 -hp
motors, new fuel and electrical systems. GPS, custom teak swim platform.
Recanvased deck and cabin tops. Full
cockpit enclosure, and much more.
See eBay for more pictures. $55,000.
[email protected].

1969, 30' HEALEY SLOOP—Wm. C.
Healey’s finest “Pago Pago.” Designed
for single- and shorthanded cruising
in Florida Keys, and Bahamas. 3'10"draft, 10'10"-beam. 30-hp Perkins
diesel. Key Largo, $18,500, tropic
[email protected].

138 • WoodenBoat 227

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5/23/12 1:22 PM

CLASSIFIEDS
LOW ELL’S BOATHOUSE SUR F
Dory 18'—Trailer, extras. Near mint.
$10,650 or best offer. 203–426–0885,
[email protected].

21' HERRESHOFF SLOOP—The
last wooden Marlin: 1947 (see Herreshoff Registry). Needs work; galvanized trailer. $6,600 non negotiable.
207–322–7070.

1954, 21' MONTEREY EXPRESS
Cruiser Chris-Craft kit boat. Built
1964 by professional builder. 350
Chevy V8, and aluminum trailer. All
hardware and goodies. $25,000.
941–751–6713.

LUDERS 16 —Needs lots of work.
Located Murphy, NC. $2,500. 828–
644–5714, 207–276–5270.
34', 1977 CHARLES WITTHOLTZ
“DAWN” Motorsailer—See WoodenBoat
article. 4-53 Detroit diesel burns one
GPH at 8 knots, 7.5 Kw Onan generator. Only one ever built. Needs
cosmetics. Great boat, only $19,900.
651–430–2132.
1969 LAPSTRAKE SAILING DINGHY
built by AC Landamore—13'8" LOA;
beam, 3' draft with board down. Gaff
rig with new mast, trailer. “Amazon”
was inspired by Arthur Ransome,
and is ready to sail. $15,000 or interesting trades. Lubec, ME. Contact
207–733–4442.

35' CHEOY LEE ROBB—10' beam.
Custom-built for actor Lee J. Cobb
in 1963. Solid teak hull in excellent
condition. New Universal 35B-propshaft; newer sails and upholstery!
Moored in Portland, OR. $38,500 or
make offer. [email protected].

30' LYLE HESS BRISTOL CHANNEL
Cutter—1997, sistership to t he
Pardeys’ famous “Taliesin.” Extraordinary craftsmanship. Mahogany on
oak. Teak cabin and decks. Hull so
fair many think it’s fiberglass. Amazing teak and bird’s-eye maple interior.
27-hp Yanmar. Well equipped: rollerfurling, storm trysail, spinnaker,
sea anchor, radar, chartplotter, autopilot, wind vane, refrigeration, VHF,
110V electrical, inverter, Force 10
heater, Force10 stove/oven, windlass,
9' Fattyknees dinghy with sailing kit,
much more. Pristine, like-new condition. Asking $125,000. Web site www.
tigress-bcc.com. Call 650–868–0348.

2011, 18' WEST POINT SKIFF— 2011
30-hp Evinrude E-TEC outboard with
tiller steering, and trailer. Turnkey
operation, ready for the water now.
$23,000. See www.westpointskiff.com
for more information, 207–389–2468.

LAKE UNION DREAMBOAT 1928,
42' —Excellent mechanical and
structural condition. Isuzu diesel.
Beautiful boat, ready to cruise.
$80,000. Seattle, 206–212–0568, www.
oursunshineboats.com.

SHE IS NOT A BOAT FOR JUST
anyone—For the right person, this
is the chance of a lifetime to have
an original Herreshoff Buzzards Bay
15. You can’t get on the computer
and see her; you will want to come
and see her, sail her, and discuss
ownership of her. She’s in Watkins
Glen, N Y on one of the beautiful
f inger lakes. Call Ray Coleman,
814–258–7270 for arrangements.

1988 HACKER TRIPLE 35'—Fresh
water boat. Built for movie “The
Inlaws,” starring Michael Douglas.
Refinished with new, never relaunched
triple mahogany. 5200/West System
bottom frames, chines, keel, transom,
by Hacker Boat in 2011. Freshwatercooled twin 454 Crusaders with reduction gears. Tows well on triple-axle
trailer. $85,000 or best offer. George
Kreissle, Hampton Bays, NY, 941–
720–0758.

HAVEN 121⁄2 , 2005—Cold-molded
mahogany, with trailer, sails, full
cover, safety gear. Like-new condition.
$14,995 or best offer. For pictures,
specs, email [email protected].

HERRESHOFF ROZINANTE, 1983—
Excellent condit ion, Hondura s
mahogany on oak, correct build.
$37,500, WA. [email protected],
425–894–2240.

NEW, WOODEN NUTSHELL PRAM.
9'6", 100 lbs, carved oars, brass fit1952 TOW N CL A SS 16 SLOOP.
Rebuilt in 2000. Very good condition, 28' L. FR A NCIS HER R ESHOFF tings. Sail, custom cradle included.
with trailer. $3,500, 207-332-3386. Rozinante—Built 1973 by Hank Joel White design. $3,000. Mystic,
Chamberlin. Professionally main- CT, 860–974–0620
tained; very good condition; six sails;
small wood stove. Located Maine.
$32,000. 207–326–4249, jdraber@
verizon.net.

1940, 19' CHRIS-CRAFT BARRELback—Meticulous, extensive restoration just completed. Model M engine.
Bugatti windshield. New planking,
chrome, wiring, and leather. A “no
stone left unturned” rebuild. Beautiful mahogany, 5200 bottom, custom
trailer. Very rare, absolutely stunning
boat. View photos at Flickr.com; input
MahoganyBoatGuy under “people”
search. Seattle, WA. $115,000 or best
offer. [email protected],
425–503–0710.

40 COVEY ISLAND LONGLINER
under mid-life refit/conversion to
serious liveaboard trawler. Spencer
Lincoln design. Built by Covey Island
14' “ SM A L L” DI NGH Y— FA ST, Boatworks. Cold-molded, wood epoxy,
stable, meticulous construction. Tan- stabilizers, commercial engine and
bark, trailer. See at Mystic. $6,600. drive. Nova Scotia, 902–875–1276,
www.novatrawler.com.
401–524–6048.
July/August 2012 •

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REDUCED—1970 VAGABONDIA
38' Teak Ketch. Philip Rhodes design,
Kinley Shipyard, Hong Kong. 11⁄4"
teak planks on yacal frames. Well
maintained. Motivated. $39,000.
305–849–2458.
1953 HINCKLEY #881 36' SLOOP—
Recent refit, all new frames. 2009
Spirit of the Race award winner,
Nantucket Opera House Cup. $45,000.
Contact Chad, 305 –923 –4030 or
[email protected].
2008 12' 3" R IF F LUG -R IG GED
Daysailer—Gartside design. Cedar 1957 CHRIS-CRAFT 18' SEA SKIFF
strip, West System, trailer. Asking lapstrake utility. New front deck,
$2,300. PA 570–326–1339.
upholstery, folding top, and side
curtains. Original 95-hp K engine
restored, 12-volt electrics. Freshwater
family boat in use every summer.
Complete and ready to go with cover
and tandem trailer. $9,000. 905–727–
8671 or [email protected].

20' CENTURY RESORTER 1954—
Fully restored classic wooden speedboat. Original Graymarine engine.
West System bottom. Fully varnished
mahogany deck. The ultimate lake
boat. Asking $17,500. 610–787–2968,
[email protected].
ORIGINAL HERRESHOFF 15 —
Built in Bristol, RI, early 1900s. 25'
LOA, needs some refastening. $16,000.
Call Bob, 508–567–1185, rkbuffs@ FULLY RECONSTRUCTED 1927
aol.com.
Alden 30' Malabar Jr. Yawl #326 -E
—A truly unique offering! Extensively
reconstructed over seven years to the
highest standards. Yanmar diesel.
Very well documented including
copious photos. Excellent survey.
$99,500. E-mail Lou for details: muri
[email protected].

GREAT FUN! FLAT BOTTOMED
Skiff with a single sail. 11.5' • 54" all
marine plywood that is safe and
manageable in protected waters.
Handbuilt at Maritime Center.
Oars included. $3,000. Buffalo and
Boston. 716–886–7429 or allanhaye
@gmail.com.

1974, 31' BAYHEAD FLYING BRIDGE
—Complete restoration to entire
boat to include interior, exterior,
wiring, water systems, running gear
and engines. This classic boat is waterready for offshore fishing trips or an
overnight cruise. Additional photos
upon request. Call 508–428–6900 or
e-mail [email protected]

“SOPHIA” IS FOR SALE—Original
owner is offering 1965 Chris-Craft
Custom Ski Boat with 283F engine.
Low milage Eagle trailer, and custom
cover with side skirting. Last operated
in 2011; does not leak, and motor
runs strong. Restored in 1995, all
bottom screws replaced. This boat
only used in freshwater. $20,000.
47' C OLU M BI A R I V E R PI LOT
970–819–8211.
Vessel, 1937—North Sea double-ended
trawler-type hull. 2" cedar over oak
frames, new planks, refastened, deck
covering, new wheelhouse. Three-year
total restoration by Walt Schulz/Shannon Boat Co. to new condition. Award
winner at Mystic 2010. Sleeps 4–6, stall
shower, new galley. Factory rebuilt
Detroit 6-71 diesel, new electric, plumbing, fuel and water tanks, cushions,
windows, etc. Bow thrusters, Espar
36', 1969 CHINESE OFFSHORE heater, inverter, windlass, stove, pumps,
Junk—Authentic solid teak construc- steering. New radar, GPS, depth, autotion, fore and aft masts. 106-hp Volvo pilot. Fascinating history, a rugged
diesel, head, galley, dinette, V-berth. sea boat. $200,000. RI, 401–253–2441.
300 gallons fuel, 500 gallons water. Full specs and photos available at
Needs minor TLC. Interesting history. www.pacific-pilot-polaris.com.
$34,900, 651–430–2132
29' COLUMBIA RIVER Bowpicker
—“New boat” from old keel, built
1998 by David Green, Warrenton, OR.
Keel-cooled, 318 Chrysler, low hours,
$10,000. 907–399–1966.

1937, 35.9' LOD “SEA W ITCH,”
A ngelman Ketch, hull #1. Documented. Circumnavigated twice, won
Transpac, second 1949, first 1951,
corrected time. Gaff-rigged, new
electrical wiring, navigation, paint
and mahogany on oak, full lead keel,
Dynel-sheathed, 6' dinghy. Well maintained. WoodenBoat, March/April
1999. Titusville, FL www.heritech.
com/seawitch/sea_witch.htm.
“DEVA”—PRICE REDUCED FOR
quick sale! L. Francis Herreshoff
design #65. The only one ever built.
See the feature article in WoodenBoat
No. 157; and also see Herreshoff’s
The Common Sense of Yacht Design, p.
269. This pedigreed ketch is a beautiful sight to behold, and sail. LOA3 6' 6", b ea m - 8' 6", d r a f t- 4' 9",
displacement- 16, 50 0 lbs. Fully
equipped. Located Brooklin, ME.
$58,000. 207–359–4651, carl@wood
1914 FAY & BOW EN SPEC I A L
enboat.com.
Launch 26'—Completely restored
and repowered in 1986. Rare awardwinning boat in excellent ‘show’
condition. Offered at $119,000. www.
hallsboat.com.

18' LAUNCH, BASED ON 1920’s
Cushing “Imp” design—Built 2008,
perfect. Universal 25-hp flathead,
trailer. $18,000. Nordland, WA.
Details, www.islandboatshop.com.

1959 FOR R E ST JOH NSON J R .
Prowler 19'—Completely restored in
2000, with original racing numbers.
New MerCruiser 350-hp engine with
30 hours. Offered at $65,000. www.
hallsboat.com.

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1934 MARCONI-RIGGED 16' CATBOAT— Manual Swartz built. Completely restored by Gannon and
Benjamin. Trailer, new electric motor.
$20,000. 508–693–1725.

C L I N K E R - BU I LT DEC K E D
C a no e — Hull built with marine
plywood, yellow cedar, mahogany,
gumwood. Ash frames, seats laced
with rawhide babiche. Foot-operated
rudder, and inlaid brass nameplates.
Lovingly detailed, and in excellent
condition. $4,900 includes lateen 21' BOOTHBAY H A R BOR ONEsailing rig. 604–339–5025 or e-mail Design Sloop “Osprey”—Built by
[email protected].
WoodenBoat School in 2010 & 2011
under Eric Blake’s direction. Coldmolded planking over steam-bent
white oak frames, producing an interior identical to the original plankon-frame boats, but with the strength,
low maintenance, and durability of a
laminated skin. New spars, rigging,
and sails. Ballast keel, rudder, and fin
were transferred from the original
boat, so “Osprey” retains the low sail
number (26) of the original. Great
boat for kids, with flotation compartments forward and aft. This is a sister
to “Eight Bells” shown on the cover of
WoodenBoat No. 199 and described
within, as well as in Small Boats No. 1
20' CHEBACCO CAT-YAWL, launched (2007), and was constructed over the
2004, excellent condition. Brazilian same building jig. Lovely to look at; a
mahogany, epoxy, light grey hull, joy to sail. [email protected]
Sitka and cypress spars, fancy rope or 207–359–8593.
work, carvings, and many extras.
$22,000, Yves Robichaud, ymr@rogers.
com, 506–532–3161.

1964 CELEBRIT Y SLOOP #575—
19' 9", cold - molded ma hog a ny.
Restored using West System. Galvanized trailer, $4,800. 609–466–0345.

“OWL,” 34' ALDEN/CASEY CUTTER,
1941—Completely rebuilt 1985 to
present. $50,000, Cannell, Payne &
Page. [email protected], www.cpp
yacht.com/wood.html.
FULL RESTORATION OF CUSTOMbuilt 1962 International 500, 32'
mahogany sloop. Over $140,000
invested, completion in 2011. May
consider selling when complete; WILL
sell now to someone to complete
restoration and get exactly what they
want. Visit www.WhiteHawkForSale.
com for info.

NEW MAHOGANY RUNABOUT—
Wood/epoxy construction, 85-hp
Subaru, new trailer, $24,900. More
information, pictures, www.mahog
anyheartthrobs.com. 615–890–9227.

ROYAL LOWELL 30' Wooden Lobster Yacht—Cedar on oak, bronze
fastened. Available at present stage
of completion or with option for
completion. $75,000. Traditional
Boat, LLC, 207–568 –7546, w w w.
mainetraditionalboat.com.

LIGHTNING #2963—“KTAADN” was
built in 1947 at Saybrook Yacht Yard,
CT. Have official measurements and
drawings. Restoration needed, but
sound. Cedar bottom. Complete with
sails. Call 607–869–3338.

Attention MarketPlace Advertisers:
H AV EN 12 1⁄ 2 , NEW—Joel W hite
design, cedar on oak, bronze fittings,
sails, full mooring cover. $15,000
firm. $17,500 with trailer. Jack at
401–625–5769.

10 for $25

MarketPlace advertisers are now eligible for a 10-word ad
with a ‘link’ to their MarketPlace listing, placed in
WoodenBoat magazine’s classified pages for $25/issue.
Example: GOOSEBAY SAWMILL & LUMBER—Family-owned and
operated. 603–798–5135, http://bit.ly/z1tpD4.

Contact Tina Dunne, [email protected]
or call 207-359-7714
“BADGER”—OUTSTANDING Herreshoff BB25 2001, built by Pease Boat
Works. Cold-molded with standing
back-stay, stored indoors, seldom used.
$145,000, offers encouraged. 508–
945–7800, [email protected].

WoodenBoat MarketPlace

For Buyers and Sellers of Products and Services of Interest to the WoodenBoat Community

www.woodenboat.com/business
July/August 2012 •

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Order Form for Classified Ads
Please circle the issue(s) in which this ad is to appear
Ads received after the deadline may be placed in the following issue
Issue Date — Mar/Apr
Deadline — Jan 5, ’12

May/June
Mar 5, ’12

♦ Boats advertised for sale must have wooden hulls.
♦ One boat per ad.
♦ “BOATS FOR FREE” ads are FREE!
♦ Please print clearly—WoodenBoat is not responsible
for errors due to illegible copy.

Suggested Ad Category

July/Aug Sept/Oct
May 7, ’12 Jul 5, ’12

Nov/Dec
Sept 5, ’12

Jan/Feb
Nov 5, ’12

♦ Phone number = one word; email or web address =
one word. All else: a word is a word. WoodenBoat
does not use abbreviations such as OBO, FWC, etc.

♦ Please spell out words for maximum clarity.
♦ Please use proper punctuation, it is free.

_______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

All Ads Must be Prepaid
Bordered Display Ads:

n Check n M.O. n Mastercard n Visa n Discover n AMEX

Payment must be in U.S. funds payable on a U.S. bank.

Please call for information.

Line Ads: (Line ads are unbordered paragraphs.)

Card No: ______________________________________________

Total words x $2.75 (Min. 15 words or $41.25) = ________

Line Ads with Photo or Illustration:
________

+ $ 100.00 per photo/illustration =
Times number of issues =

________

Total Payment Enclosed

Expires ________________________________________________
Name _________________________________________________

Total words x $2.75 =

(Example: Mar/Apr is one issue)

Method of Payment

Company ______________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________

_________

City, State, Zip _________________________________________

__________

Signature ______________________________________________

WOODENBOAT CLASSIFIEDS

P.O. Box 78 • Brooklin, Maine 04616
Phone: 207–359-7714, Monday thru Friday, 9am to 5pm • Fax: 207–359-7789
Email: [email protected]

Place your ad online at www.woodenboat.com/wbmag/advertising.html

Rates expire November 5, 2012
142 • WoodenBoat 227

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Index to AdvertIsers
AdhesIves & CoAtIngs

Entropy Resins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .entropyresins .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Epifanes North America . . . . . . . . . . www .epifanes .com . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover II
Gorilla Glue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .gorillatough .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Interlux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .yachtpaint .com . . . . . . . . . . .Cover Iv
Marshall’s Cove Marine Paint . . . . . . www .marshallscovemarinepaint .com . . 34
System Three Resins, Inc . . . . . . . . . . www .systemthree .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tetra Teak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .tetramarine .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
West System Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .westsystem .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

BoAtBuIlders

Adirondack Guide Boat . . . . . . . . . . www .adirondack-guide-boat .com . . . .
Arey’s Pond Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . www .areyspondboatyard .com . . . . . . .
B . Giesler & Sons Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .gieslerboats .ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Beetle, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .beetlecat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Billings Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .billingsmarine .com . . . . . . . . . . .
Budsin Wood Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .budsin .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cayuga Wooden Boatworks . . . . . . . www .cwbw .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choptank Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .choptankboatworks .com . . . . . . .
Crocker’s Boat Yard, Inc . . . . . . . . . . www .crockersboatyard .com . . . . . . . . .
Cutts & Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .cuttsandcase .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D .N . Hylan & Associates, Inc . . . . . . . www .dhylanboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Devlin Designing Boat Builders . . . . www .devlinboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dutch Wharf Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .dutchwharf .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edgecomb Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . www .edgecombboatworks .net . . . . . . .
French & Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .frenchwebb .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Haven Boatworks, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . www .havenboatworks .com . . . . . . . . . .
Ian Joseph Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . www .ianjosephboatworks .com . . . . . . .
Island Boat Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .islandboatshop .com . . . . . . . . . . .
Kelley Marine, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .kelleymarine .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
McMillen Yachts, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenyachts .com . . . . . . . . . . . .
Moores Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboatrepair .com . . . . . . . .
MP&G, L .L .C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .mpgboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nichols Boatbuilder, LLC . . . . . . . . . www .westpointskiff .com . . . . . . . . . . . .
Northwoods Canoe Co . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodencanoes .com . . . . . . . . . . .
Pease Boatworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .peaseboatworks .com . . . . . . . . . .
Pendleton Yacht Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . www .pendletonyachtyard .com . . . . . . .
Restorations by Phil Mitchell . . . . . . www .restorationsbyphil .com . . . . . . . .
Reuben Smith’s Tumblehome Boats . . www .tumblehomeboats .com . . . . . . . .
Richard S . Pulsifer, Boatbuilder . . . . www .pulsiferhampton .com . . . . . . . . .
Rumery’s Boat Yard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .rumerys .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seal Cove Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .sealcoveboatyard .com . . . . . . . . .
Stonington Boat Works, LLC . . . . . . www .stoningtonboatworks .com . . . . . .
Traditional Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .mainetraditionalboat .com . . . . . .
Traditional Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . www .traditionalboatworks .net . . . . . . .
Van Dam Custom Boats . . . . . . . . . . www .vandamboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wooden Boat Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboatshopinc .com . . . . . .

Brokers

Arey’s Pond Boatyard . . . . . . . . . . . . www .areyspondboatyard .com . . . . . . .
Concordia Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . www .concordiaboats .com . . . . . . . . . . .
David Etnier Boat Brokerage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
David Jones Yacht Broker . . . . . . . . . www .davidjonesclassics .com . . . . . . . . .
Devlin Designing Boat Builders . . . . www .devlinboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S/V MAGNOLIA/Sid Imes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Metinic Yacht Brokers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
S/Y MISTRAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .classic-yachts .de . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sandeman Yacht Company . . . . . . . . www .sandemanyachtcompany .co .uk . .

122
125
122
123
120
122
126
127
124
124
127
123
121
124
124
127
122
126
127
123
126
125
126
127
127
122
126
121
127
120
125
124
125
122
125
124
118
118
118
118
119
117
118
119
117

events

Antique & Classic Boat Festival . . . . www .boatfestival .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Boatbuilding & Rowing Challenge . barc .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Bayfront Maritime Center . . . . . . . . www .bayfrontcenter .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Design Challenge IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Family BoatBuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .familyboatbuilding .com . . . . . . . . 26
Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival . www .lpbmaritimemuseum .org . . . . . . . 102
Sultana Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .sultanaprojects .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Wooden Boat Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
WoodenBoat Regatta Series . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
The WoodenBoat Show . . . . . . . . . . www .thewoodenboatshow .com . . . . . . . 6-7

hArdwAre & ACCessorIes

Atlas Metal Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .atlasmetal .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Barkley Sound Oar & Paddle Ltd . . . www .barkleysoundoar .com . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Boatlife Division Of Life Industries . www .boatlife .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
CC Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .ccfasteners .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Hamilton Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .hamiltonmarine .com . . . . . . . . . . . 12
J .M . Reineck & Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .bronzeblocks .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keystone Spike Corporation . . . . . . www .keystonespikes .com . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
New England Ropes . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .neropes .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
R&W Traditional Rigging & Outfitting . www .rwrope .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Shaw & Tenney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .shawandtenney .com . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Top Notch Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .tnfasteners .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
West Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .westmarine .com . . . . . . . . . Cover III
Wooden Boat Chandlery . . . . . . . . . shop .woodenboat .org . . . . . . . .103 & 107

InsurAnCe

Heritage Marine Insurance . . . . . . . www .heritagemarineinsurance .com . . . 27

kIts & PlAns

Arch Davis Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .archdavisdesigns .com . . . . . . . . .
Bear Mountain Boat Shop . . . . . . . . www .bearmountainboats .com . . . . . . .
Chesapeake Light Craft, LLC . . . . . . www .clcboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dudley Dix Yacht Design . . . . . . . . . www .dixdesign .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fiberglass Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .fiberglasssupply .com . . . . . . . . . .
Francois Vivier Architecte Naval . . . www .vivierboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Glen-L-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .glen-l .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Guillemot Kayaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .kayakplans .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hewes & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .cnc-marine-hewesco .com . . . . . . .
The Newfound Woodworks Inc . . . . . www .newfound .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Noah’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .noahsmarine .com . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parker Marine Enterprises . . . . . . . . www .parker-marine .com . . . . . . . . . . .
Pygmy Boats Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .pygmyboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Redfish Custom Kayak & Canoe Co . . www .redfishkayak .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tippecanoe Boats, Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . www .modelsailboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . .
Waters Dancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .watersdancing .com . . . . . . . . . . .
West Satsop Boatworks, LLC . . . . . . www .westsatsop .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

luMBer

Anchor Hardwoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .anchorhardwoods .com . . . . . . . . 104
Joubert Plywood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .joubert-group .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

MuseuMs

The Antique Boat Museum . . . . . . . www .abm .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cape Cod Maritime Museum . . . . . . www .capecodmaritimemuseum .org . . .
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum . www .cbmm .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Columbia River Maritime Museum . www .crmm .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
H . Lee White Marine Museum . . . . . www .hleewhitemaritimemuseum .com .
Independence Seaport Museum . . . www .phillyseaport .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum . www .lcmm .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lowell’s Boat Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .lowellsboatshop .org . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mystic Seaport Museum . . . . . . . . . . www .mysticseaport .org/visitbyboat . . . .
The Mariner’s Museum . . . . . . . . . . www .marinersmuseum .org . . . . . . . . . .

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PrInts & PuBlICAtIons

Marine Artist Art Paine . . . . . . . . . . . www .artpaine .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
MotorBoats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
WoodenBoat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
WoodenBoat E-newsletter . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

sAIls

E .S . Bohndell & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Gambell & Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .gambellandhunter .net . . . . . . . . . 104
Nathaniel S . Wilson, Sailmaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sailrite Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .sailrite .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Sperry Sails, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .sperrysails .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

sChools & AssoCIAtIons

The Apprenticeshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .apprenticeshop .org . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Center for Wooden Boats . . . . . . . . . www .cwb .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Great Lakes Boat Building School . . www .greatlakesboatbuilding .org . . . . . 106
HCC METC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tech .honolulu .hawaii .edu/marr . . . . . . 17
International Yacht Restoration
School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .iyrs .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Landing School . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .landingschool .edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Northwest School of Wooden
Boatbuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .nwboatschool .org . . . . . . . . . . 24, 105
Westlawn Institute of Marine
Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .westlawn .edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
WoodenBoat’s Directory of
Boat Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboat .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
WoodenBoat School . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .thewoodenboatschool .com . . . . 14-15

vIntAge BoAts & servICes

Antique & Classic Boat Society . . . . . www .acbs .org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Morin Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .morinboats .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Newell Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .newellcoach .com . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Townsend Boat Works . . . . . . . . . . . . www .townsendboatworks .com . . . . . . .
Wooden Runabout Co LLC . . . . . . . www .woodenrunabout .com . . . . . . . . .
YNOT Yachts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .ynotyachts .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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MIsCellAneous

Atlantis WeatherGear . . . . . . . . . . . . www .atlantisweathergear .com . . . . . . . . . 1
Beta Marine US Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .betamarinenc .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Diamond Teak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .diamondteak .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Half-Hull Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .halfhull .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Massachusetts Dept of Conservation . mass .gov/dcr/stewardship/curator . . . 39
M/V Olympus Charters . . . . . . . . . . www .yachtolympus .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Panerai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .panerai .com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Saltwater Farm For Sale . . . . . . . . . . www .saltwaterfarmdowneast .com . . . . . 36
Schooners North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .schoonersnorth .com . . . . . . . . . . 101
Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation . . www .woodenboatrescue .org . . . . . . . . . 34
WoodenBoat Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www .woodenboatstore .com . . . . . . . . 96-98

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5/24/12 12:07 PM

POCAHONTAS

A Cutter-rigged Atkin “Ingrid”

by Maynard Bray

O

ndine lies afloat in Palatka, Florida, all rigged
and nearly ready to go. She’s been cared for by
the same owner for over 40 years, but his health and
age require that this double-ended, Colin Archer–type
cruiser be passed on. Although she’s been idle for
about three years, her sheathed, cedar-planked hull
should be worm-free, and according to her owner, her
upperworks have but two small areas of rot that need
attention. (She was completely rebuilt in 1978, given a
new deck in 1983, and her hull was splined and epoxyand-dynel sheathed in 1993.)
Like the other Atkin ingrids, Ondine was originally a ketch, but her present owner converted her to
a cutter, which among other things involved relocating the new mast farther aft. You can check out her
design (except for the rig) on the Atkin website. The
equipment list is long and includes usable sails, abundant ground tackle, a sailing dinghy, and a couple of
inflatables. Photographs indicate that Ondine has
been well cared for. She’s not free like some of the
previous boats i’ve featured, but the asking price is
reasonable.
For more information or to inspect OnDIne,
call owner Ralph Gibbs at 386–467–9211
or write him at 126 Peninsula Dr., Crescent
City, FL 32112.
Ondine
Particulars
LOA
37' 6"
LWL
30'
Beam
11' 4"
draft
5' 6"
displacement
25,000 lbs
Power
36-hp Volvo Md3B diesel
designed by
William Atkin
Built in nova Scotia by an unknown
builder, 1954

A Yankee One-Design Sloop

Y

ou may have read about these wonderful boats in WB no. 221, and
believe me, they are indeed one of
the finest daysailers ever created.
POCAhOnTAS is one of four YOds
recently up for sale. (You can find
some of the others on Sarah
howell’s comprehensive website, www.yankeeonedesign.
com.) Broken frames have
plagued these mahoganyplanked hulls since the
very beginning, and the
best fix i know of is to
replace the originals
with slightly larger
frames, kerfed and
riveted. Besides needing new frames, this boat
has a rotted trunk cabin and few floor timbers that also
require renewal. her planking looks good, her sheer
is fair, and her main deck has been sheathed in fiberglass and is watertight. She’s afloat and rigged, and her
varnished spars look fine. She’s really quite original and complete, still having all her custom bronze
hardware, so would
make a great restoPOcahOntas
ration candidate. At
Particulars
under $5,000, she’s
LOA
30' 6"
a bargain.
Beam
6' 6"
draft
4' 6"
Sail area
312 sq ft
displacement
4,775 lbs
designed by W. Starling Burgess
Built by Quincy Adams Yacht Yard,
Quincy, MA, 1945

KAThY BrAY

ONDINE

For more information or
to view the boat, contact
Chuck McGhinnis, Deltaville (Virginia) Maritime
Museum, 804–776–7200
or 804–694–6449 (cell).

MARION M, A 1932 Chandlery Lighter

A

nd, finally, here’s a late arrival that’s in immediate jeopardy: South
Street Seaport Museum in new York City is actively seeking a good
home for the 1932 chandlery
lighter MAriOn M, 62' LOA ,
22' beam, 5' draft. The museum
acquired her for service as a
passenger vessel, a duty she could
yet perform after significant
repairs and certification.
Contact Capt. Jonathan Boulware,
waterfront director, 212–748–8772
or [email protected].

144 • WoodenBoat 227

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, Interlux® the AkzoNobel logo and all products mentioned are trademarks of, or licensed to, AkzoNobel. © Akzo Nobel N.V. 2012.

5/22/12 9:01 AM