Shellback

Ray Gray of Newport, North Carolina, has loved boats for a long time but did not build one until recently. After months of research Ray Gray relied on issues 116, 117, and 118 of WoodenBoat magazine to build a Shellback designed by Joel White. He thought that design might be the exact degree of difficulty he wanted to test his skills. Ray used okoume plywood, white oak, and mahogany on the hull. He epoxied everything leaving just a few fasteners in the boat. He writes, “I cannot express enough how much pleasure and ease it was to build this dinghy and feel I can tackle lofting larger boats in the future. It gave me immense satisfaction to learn and put to use all the information provided in the WoodenBoat magazine. The boat turned out picture perfect and beautiful with sweet smooth lines. It rows nicely and sails with full control for me up to 15-knot breezes. Thank you WoodenBoat and Eric Dow for the article, and thanks to Joel White—his numbers were right on the mark,..., but always leave the pencil line!”