Launchings

SHEILA is a Derwent Skiff designed by Allan Witt of Hobart; she is named after my late mother.

These are 10ft flat bottom skiffs built by 5th graders at the Dennis Haley Elementary School in Boston. Materials are: 3/8″ fir, marine ply bottom, white oak stem, frames, knees, rails and keelson, old growth eastern pine planking, silicone bronze fastened.

Despite choosing a career as an auto mechanic, Joseph LaBella's lifelong dream was to build a boat as a dedication to his father, who introduced Joe to boating when Joe was just 3 years old. Joe used no plans in the construction, just a scale drawing of his desired outcome.

John and Barbara Strattan built these kayaks in 2003. They are Mill Creek 13 kayaks, designed by Chris Kulczyki of CLC. They use the pair on the streams and rivers of north central Kentucky.

In March of 2008 I completed construction of a prototype, single frame, light dory of my own design. It was my intention that this boat would be light enough to car top and at the same time capable of handling choppy waters.

Julian Swindell found the plans for this Portuguese-style dinghy, NELLIE GRACE designed by Hannu Vartiala of Finland, who has these plans available for free at his website, koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial.

RIVER PRINCESS was launched in June 2004. Builder and owner Rodney Collard writes "This design was drafted on paper from photographs from WoodenBoat magazine. We read up on stitch-and-glue construction.

After reading Geoff Kerr’s article about the W17 folding/trailerable trimaran in WoodenBoat Magazine #254 I was immediately interested and went to see and sail one.

Based on the lines from the freedom 15 canoe design from bear mountain boats. Glued lapstrake marine plywood, fiberglassed inside and out, Epifanes polyurethane finish. Ash trim. Custom paddles and bowline. Very stable and a real head turner at the launch.

When Bill Short designed the San Francisco Pelican in the 1970s, he made it 12′ long; later he stretched it to 17′ long, and called that version the Great Pelican. Brooke Elgie of Tenakee Springs, Alaska, extended Short's design still farther, to 19′6″, what he calls the Great Alaskan Pelican.