Seahawk

For our inaugural installment, Devid Gelinas of Penobscot, Maine, wrote us seeking a powerboat “that can accommodate up to 10 adult-sized passengers for day outings on Maine’s Penobscot Bay.” David continues: “I want to explore islands, but not be constrained by the need to carry a dinghy to shuttle passengers ashore. Afternoons on the bay can have 20-knot breezes and 3–4′ seas. I won’t be driving hard in those conditions, but I want the boat to be safe and comfortable and still make a decent turn of speed.

“Currently I have a 21′ fiberglass outboard-powered production boat with a shallow-V bottom. It has two major shortcomings: It pounds in all but the slightest chop, and it is not big enough for the groups I entertain. I land this boat on island beaches stern-first, sometimes setting the hook off the bow and then backing the boat in to the beach. I’d like to continue with that method in my new boat, as I have found that using the stern-mounted swim platform is the easiest way to disembark passengers who are fit, but aging.”

David goes on to list a specific set of requirements, and the designers responded with the light and lovely Seahawk, a rendering of which we see here. Below is a rotating three-dimensional model of the boat. To read and view the full description of the design, pick up a copy of the July/August issue of WoodenBoat.