Launchings

Passagemaker Dinghy. May 27, 2017, Lake Moultrie, SC.

KNIPAN is the name of a black seabird with a dark green head, and of this 14′ boat built by Larserik Blixt, of Yxlan, Sweden. They launched her on May 7th amidst friends and family and warm spring sunshine.

For Christmas 2001, Tom Koenig's wife gave him Dynamite Payson's plans for Teal, a Phil Bolger-designed double-ended sailing skiff, 12' long and 3'6" beam. He spent the winter building the boat. For her launching in July 2002, he drove five hours from his house to Pamlico Sound, NC.

Landlocked in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, we built our Skerry in spare time over four years from a Chesapeake Light Craft kit. The only stitch and glue boat we’ve ever seen is the one we built. Still don’t know if she’s right, but she seems to sail and row just fine.

At the age of 12, Kevin McDonnell decided he wanted to build a boat. He sought advice from a family friend, Steven Schoeck, who had already built several boats. Steven agreed to help, provided Kevin did the work.

When designing The Ashes Solo Day, I imagined a boat where the paddler could stand to look over brush, or apply leverage to push through a mat of grass.

Here is a Jeff Spira designed Pescadero I recently completed. It was designed as a light tackle tarpon hunter for the central gulf coast of Florida. The boat performs better than expected and makes an ideal fishing platform.

I acquired this kit from a friend on Whidbey Island, and further investigation revealed it to be a 13ft “Pandamaran” — an unusual design by famous dinghy designer Jack Holt in the 1970’s, done in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, whereby part of the proceeds of each sale was donated to

HORNET is a 1981, 18' Hankins sailing skiff, recently relaunched by Damian Siekonic of Privateer Media Built by Charles Hankins & sons of Lavallette, New Jersey, as hull number CHS-812-M81G, HORNET has appeared in three films since being bought by Siekonic in 2000.

Jerry Hamilton launched SONG, a Bay Skiff 15 designed by Karl Stambaugh at Eagle Nest Lake near Angel Fire, New Mexico on September 4, 2010.