On the Newstand and Digital Library Now - May/June 2025 Issue No. 304 Preview
NIMBUS
Builder Name:
Ned McIntosh
NIMBUS is one of three Mighty Mac’s built by Ned McIntosh, younger brother of Bud McIntosh in 1961. Ned is well known for the dozens if not hundreds of Merry Macs he built in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Like the Merry Mac the Mighty Mac is a hard chine, plywood built boat, but more substantial.
CELERITY
Builder Name:
John Noon and Joe Taylor
John Noon built this 30′6″ Crocker Gull with Joe Taylor at the shop of Gordon (Swifty) Swift in Kensington NH for Carrie Hollingsworth of York ME. Swifty, a legendary boat builder was present for much of the construction but unfortunately passed away in February 2014.
KOBOLD
Year Built:
1965
KOBOLD was broken up by the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia after the storage building where she was located was sold, and no one wanted to take her.
PIXIE
Year Built:
1936
Built in the original Beetle Boat builder’s shop in the winter of 1935-1936. This is believed to be the oldest Beetle Cat still sailing. Only 1 other older boat is known to still exist (built winter of 1934-1935), and it is in the collection of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum.
TETHYS
Year Built:
1955
The colors she is painted are the colors she was delivered with to her owner in New Bedford, MA in 1955. A new plywood bottom was installed in 1986.
Wood Duck
Builder Name:
Charles Vetter
This 12 foot Wood Duck from Chesapeake Light Craft is a stich and glue design Kayak made from Okoume and Sapele marine plywood. My wife and I started in January 2014 and finished in July 2014.
FIASCO
Year Built:
1973
Built in 1973 new for my Grandmother. In 1973, Concordia Co. put together 3 “test” Beetle cats with bronze fasteners before switching over entirely from iron in 1974. This is one of those “test” bronze fastened Beetle Cats.
MONOMOY
Year Built:
c. 1948
Found in a barn in 2010, and restored to operational. The bottom has been fiberglassed. Built sometime in the late 1940’s.