• December Reports

Stitch-and-Glue
Ross Lillistone is a very experienced sailor as you will learn in this essay. He is also very knowlegeable about building methods. Here he discusses Stitch and glue boat building.

Free Plans - Gill 12 Tugboat
Yesterday we introduced Mike Gill's little tugboat with a story about its launch. Today, as promised, we are posting plans for the little boat. This may be just the project you are looking for.

Tug Launch at Koreshan State Park
Everyone loves those tiny Tugboats like the one Mike Gill has designed. The best part is that he is giving the plans away for free. We will present those tomorrow. But first the launch.

Jim Michalak's Newsletter
We are big fan's of Jim Michalak's designs and like to let you know when there is a new issue of his newsletter. This time, Jim discusses outboard transom height.

Building a Lake Skiff - Part 8
Being 95% done with only 40% left to do, Charlie Ewers was able to launch his lake skiff and motor a few miles. He reports that it didn't leak or fall apart. Read the rest of his story.

Around in Ten - The Floating Bear
As if entering the Around in Ten (a race around the world in 10 foot boats) were not enough, Steve Rinker is building a radical new design that flies a series of kites for his effort.

*#*EXPLETIVE*#* I broke the rudder
In this follow-up to yesterday's article, Skip Johnson talks about the broken rudder on the boat that he and Jeff Jouett paddled on the 2008 Colorado River 100 (mile race).

The 2008 Colorado River 100
I attemped this race with Skip one year and it nearly killed me. So I have a special appreciation for what Jeff Jouett went through. He has written a pretty good account too.

Electrical System Tricks - Addendum
Rob Rohde-Szudy's has just sent an important addendum to last week's column. The addtional material is posted at the end of the article, but this link will take you right to it.

• December Webwatch

Helping Build the Goat Island Skiff - Part 2
In this installment, our heroes, Gary Blankenship and Olivier Chamel, take Olivier's GIS from barely 3-D to rowing trials. Gary includes lots of details and photographs in his report.

Puddle Duck Racer, Hull 231
Ok, this is not the first PDR building report to grace these pages, but there is always something to learn and besides, Todd Wilkie does a really great job of telling his story.

Fasting, Prayer, and Perfect Ballance
In today's article, Paul Austin takes the otherwise dry subject of sailboat balance and makes it much more palatable. This is fun reading even if somehow you don't learn anything new.

The Pacific Pelican
The San Francisco Bay and Great Pelicans are synonymous with seaworthiness. Bill Short along with Ed and Jim Barlow developed the Pacific Pelican to fill the gap between them.

Electrical System Tricks
Rob Rohde-Szudy's modest way of describing his latest column is in the subtitle: A cautionary tale in which our hero over-complicates things and later sees the error of his ways.

• November Letters

The Cruise of the "Beyond"
Axel Schmid is a smart guy. Rather than invest in a big, expensive yacht, he built himself a tiny, economical cruiser and proceeded to use it for adventure on Europe's Lake Constance.

A Sexy Oz PDRacer
Do you think a PDRacer is just a plywood box that sails pretty well? Michael Storer has a report from Mike Claridge about one that he is building and this one looks, to quote Michael, sexy.

Sasshopper
Those of us who have been doing this for a while tend to forget the thrill of building the first boat. Joe Sass helped us out by sending in this clever report on his first boat buidling project.

• November Splash!

Schooners, a biggie Starlet, Durgan `dogs’,
fellows of fun and a Maroochydore flyer!
Mark Steele's monthly potpouri of model boat news.

Testing Chinese Okoume
If you ordered a significant amount of "Marine" plywood only to have it arrive with a 'made in China' stamp, you would be suspicious too. Roger Moncrief devised a test for his plywood.

First Annual Lake Vista Hoosier Regatta
If you are like the folks pictured on the left, you don't have a clue what a PDRacer is or what one is used for. Dave Gray reports on the latest PDRace, this one in Fishers, Indiana.

• November Reports

Lighter Than it Looks
Since I have known Skip Johnson, I have envied his feather-light paddles. Finally I was able to get him to spill the beans. Here, he tells how to build your own ultra-light double paddle.

Tacking the Dog, Captain Cordelia, Hope and Other Observations from the 17th Annual WoodenBoat Show
Recently, Bob Booth took his "Brouhaha" (which he has written about in these pages) to put on exhibit at the show.

Launch of the O&P Pod
Warren Messer is back with another of his lovely stitch and glue designs. This double-ender's name was inspired by the "Pea Pod" and the poem "The Owl and Pussy Cat" by Edward Lear.

Thoughts on Photography and Boating
One of Gary Blankenship's photos (of yours truely) was selected for the cover of Small Craft Advisor magazine a while back, so he does know a little about the subject of this story.

Building a Lake Skiff - Part 7
In this installment, Charlie Ewers turns his boat over by himself, with only a little excitement, and then after a few details, installs the bulkheads that will form the cabin.

We are the Fixers
If you're a boatbuilder, you are probably the person who fixes things around the house, right? Mike Connelly has some thoughts on this subject that I think you will enjoy.

• November Webwatch

Sou'wester - Design #182
Joe Dobler is gone but his boats live on. As an engineer, he saw the value of the stitch and glue technique and used it in most of his boat designs. Now his plans are available again.

Helping Build the Goat Island Skiff - Part 1
"Being addicted to boatbuilding can be a problem" is how Gary Blankenship begins this series. He goes on: "An ideal solution is to find a friend who wants a boat and then help... build it"

T2's First Ocean Voyage
First voyages in any homebuilt boat are always tough. Problems with sails, anchoring, seasickness, and general boat handling come up. Caroline Gould talks about her first in T2.

The 14th annual Gunkhole
Last month we posted Steve Chamber's "Wooboto on the Delta", an account of his participation in "Gunkhole 2008". Here is a pictorial essay about the same event from Kim Apel

Embers Watch in The Texas 200
Talk about an adventure: Bill Moffitt built the little boat at the left, hauled it a thousand miles and sailed it in the Texas200 with his son, Paul before it had ever been in the water.

Around in Ten - Why?
Why would anyone want to sail around the world in a ten foot boat? I'm sure there are as many reasons as there are participants. Here are Gilbert van Meel's thoughts.

Rudders and Boards – Yet Another Approach
Even though I think of myself as a somewhat experienced boat builder, I always learn something new from Rob Rohde-Szudy's articles. This time is certainly no exception. Read and learn.