Launchings

This Didi 23 was built over the course of 2 years and 4 months. She was launched in October of 2022. She has a couple of modifications from the original design. First, I added a sugar scoop transom, extending her length by 20 inches.

When his grandchild Eden was born, Stan Swan started building her an Original Gloucester Rocker. After several more months than he anticipated, he finally finished it and presented it to one-year-old Eden on July 10th this year.

Lee Rea sent in his recently completed Ken Hankinson runabout, RETROSPECTIVE.

I’ve had a notion for a long time to build a wooden sailboat and teach myself to sail in it. I chose the Passagemaker Take-Apart Dinghy because I could build it and store it in my suburban two-car garage. I wanted the added complexity of a jib to make it more of a challenge to sail properly.

Sea Spirit was built over the past winter by members of the Ayle of Quinte Skiff Club. She joins her sister, Sea Shadow, Canada's first St Ayles skiff on the beautiful waters of the Bay of Quinte at the eastern end of Lake Ontario.

This is the “Sea Rover” from the Science and Mechanics Boat Builder Handbook (circa 1958). This was built over the past 2 years. It is plywood over oak frames. I had actually built the 15′ version of this boat when I was 13 years old.

John Stoudt restored this 1934, one-of-a-kind 50/800 Marblehead pond boat, that carries sail number 97. The 50 denotes the boats length in inches. The 800 denotes its sail area in square inches.

Ralph Fogle designed and built HONEY BEAR, a 9′8″ × 3′8″ rowing skiff. He planked the sides with 1/2″ tongue-and-groove spruce, and the bottom with 5/8″. He used stainless steel square driver screws for fastenings, and finished the hull in clear epoxy.

James McGorry of Aurora, Colorado, built this 17′ LOA kayak relying on information from Nick Schade’s two articles on building the 10′ Nymph kayak that appeared in WB 199 and 200. He made the hull and outer rail from basswood, and the  stems, seat, backrest, and inner rail from mahogany.

This is a Chesapeake Light Craft Petrel SG sea kayak. Construction is stitch and glue, fiberglass over stained Okuome ply. Custom changes to the kit included the soft pad eyes, dragonfly inlay, a carved skeg control housing and turned carrying toggles and paddle bead.