Launchings

Rob Richard sent these photos, taken by Ray Forbes, of a Kingfisher canoe built at WoodenBoat School during the summer of 2003.

Paul Day of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, built this folding schooner, Phil Bolger design 268. WALTZING MATILDA is 31 feet long and 5 feet long. Paul reports she planes through the water at a 'scorching speed'. He and his wife launched her on a lake near their home.

Construction began in 2002 with a set of plans and a stack of wood and finally finished in 2018. Starting a business, raising three kids, selling a business all got in the way — excuses, excuses, I know. Lola was planked with okoume plywood with mahogany knees, inwales, skeg, and breasthook.

Last August, on Lake Erie, in Erie, Pennsylvania, Carl Longnecker launched his new 15′ Chester Yawl, built from a kit by Chesapeake Light Craft. The boat is stitch-and-glue construction. 

WOODEN NICAL is a Joel White—designed Pooduck Skiff built by John Newcomb. He built WOODEN NICAL with okoume plywood planking, with a white oak keel, stems, knees, and 'midships frame. The spars and oars are laminated spruce.

Rick Gower of Drysdale, Victoria, Australia, built this lovely dinghy from amoora and marine plywood. He made the knees from blackwood. Rick plans to teach his grandchildren to sail and row in THE SHIP off the beaches of the Bellarine Peninsula near his home.

The year 2002 was a busy year for Mitchell Skinner. He built three wooden boats. The smallest is an 8' sprit-rigged catboat SIMPLY MAGIC, that he designed for his wife to use with her dog, Magic. Since this photo was taken, a larger sail has been added.

John Storrow built his 7' long gaff catboat EMPRESS in his Boston apartment, completing her in September 2002. She was launched on October 20, 2002 in the Charles River in Boston. John uses a cart to transport Empress from his apartment to the river.

Jessie and Giles Kopfelt get plenty of seatime aboard their Gloucester Rocker built by their grandfather Svein Kopfelt. The rodker gots tons of sea miles under it already.

This is my first boat, a Penobscot 17 designed by Arch Davis. I built the boat with a bright finish cypress/teak deck, cypress faced sheerstrake, and white oak coaming, rub rail and flooring. A slight modification was made to the width and curve of the sheerstrake.