Launchings

Wendy Norwitz took just four months to built this stitch-and-glue Shearwater Sport kayak created by Chesapeake Light Craft.

A 100-year-old corncrib provided much of the wood for this 25' Chesapeake Skipjack. The keelson, frames, centerboard, and rudder are white oak. The cabin sides and trim are solid cherry. The builder, Lynn Miller, plans to use it for extended voyaging and cruising on the Great Lakes.

Neal Goman of Minneapolis, Minnesota, built this 12′ Wood Duck Hybrid kayak from plans by by Chesapeake Light Craft.

George Wolfe and Dan Hamilton built this Gypsy skiff from Dynamite Payson’s book Build the New Instant Boats. He said the plans were very straightforward, and the boat went together easily. He did not expect to spend quite so long sanding to get her mirror finish.

I built this boat from a kit purchased from Chesapeake Light Craft. I have built 4 wood strip boats previously. I built a kayak, a canoe, a row boat and a sail boat. My saying is “never build your last boat”.

NA HUI HUI A MAKA LILI is Hawaiian for "Seven Sister Stars". It is also the name of Ben Travis' sailing outrigger canoe. Built in April of 2001, it is 16' long with a 30" beam. The unusual sail was cut from a parachute. Ben calls the rig a sprit-half-gaff rig.

Taking just three years to complete this Karl Stambaugh designed centerboard ketch, Mort Hyslop launched the EMILY P on July 15, 2002 in Northern Lake Michigan. He used marine fir plywood for the hull, built over Douglas fir frames and covered with cloth and epoxy.

Jim Maas designed and built this 17'6" flat-bottomed skiff. Launched in the summer of 2001, it is the fourth boat he has built. He boats mostly in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River, but spent some of the summer at Lake Newboro, Ontario, where he says that wooden guide boats are not uncommon.

Jaap Kraayenhof of Groningen, Holland, took seven years to build this 16′ catboat. He says he spent most of the time reading WoodenBoat magazine, and considers WB to be his boatbuilding training. The boat is built entirely of recycled wood.

This is a Carolina Dory, designed by Jeff Spira (International) Boats. Built with (mostly) materials from the local Lowe’s/Home Depot store. Exterior hull is 1/2″ exterior plywood covered with 6 ounce fiber glass cloth and about 6 coats of MAS Epoxy. Very easy plans to follow...