Launchings

Wood Duck 10 hybrid with cedar deck

Wolfgang Müller of Beckdorf, Germany, recently launched this Gloucester Rocker that he built for his nephew Jannis. Though only a year old, Jannis took command of his first ship with pleasure.

Colin Williams built this Mill Creek 13 kayak from plans by Chesapeake Light Craft. He uses her mainly in the estuary of the Crookhaven River and in Lake Woolumboolah near the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, near Jervis Bay.

Jonathan Alvarez, a Rhode Island resident, built this 17′5″ Cirrus kayak over four-and-a-half years and launched her last Labor Day.

Jim Force writes that it took him three years to finish the 12' semi-dory he won in the draw at John Karbott's WoodenBoat class in 1999. The lapstrake planking is mahogany marine plywood (okoume bottom and transom are pine; stem and frames are oak.

Christoph Harlan of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, kept a blog of the six-month construction of his Night Heron kayak kit that he launched in April.

MYSTIC was designed and built to be used in the thin waters of Westport MA. She is hard chined, flat bottomed, and has a full keel with an inboard rudder. She was built with local woods and re-purposed hardware. All of her rigging was hand made.

Relying on Nick Schade’s book The Strip-Built Sea Kayak, George Nourse built this Expedition single kayak from a kit by

Richard Hudak, of Hilo, Hawaii, built this gleaming 16′ canoe from sugi cedar. He cut the tree down and milled the wood himself. He made the gunwale and seats from sprice, and the rails, stems, and breasthooks from koa. He made the paddle from Portuguese cypress, spruce, and sugi cedar.

In early August 2004, the 18'6" White Guide Canoe first touched water on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH where her owner, Matt LaMarche, spends his summer weekends. ELLIE BELLE took 4 months to build, being strip-built of cedar, ash, maple, cherry, and rosewood, cover with cloth and epoxy.