Launchings

After Alex had jokingly told his seven-year-old granddaughter, Hannah, that she’d have to make a speech at the launch of his 15′ Chesapeake Light Craft Skerry last summer, she took h

Twelve years ago, Bill Burns and his sons rescued an old cedar skiff that was being used as a lawn ornament in Oriental, North Carolina. The started restoring the 16′ skiff by replacing some rotted areas, including most of the transom.

When Mike Morris and Matt FitzGibbon discovered they both had a desire to build a boat, they decided to build one together. Using Canoe Craft by Ted Moores and The Stripper's Guide to Canoe Building by David Hazen, they constructed a 16' strip-built Abenaki model covered in Hazen's book.

This is a Ken Swan Design 15' Chica rowboat. Herb Fisher built it of fir marine plywood over mahogany frames, covered with WEST epoxy. He launched it on July 4, 2001 in the Toms River, NJ.

After a two year journey, My wife (Nathalie), Two sons (August and Graham) and I have completed building our Eastport Pram. We selected this boat due to its easy car-top transport, versatility and beauty. This is our first foray into wooden boat building, and hopefully not our last.

Brian Mardall, of London, England, designed and built this car-toppable rowing boat weighing just 65 lbs. He calls it an East Anglian Gun Punt, and likens it to a Louisiana pirogue. Brian used plywood, Douglas-fir, and mahogany in his construction of NORFOLK TURTLE.

Using just materials from his local home improvement store, Robert B. Holt built this flat-bottomed, double-ended rowing boat to his own design. He used 5/16" tongue and groove western cedar paneling for the planking, and 1x3 strips for the frames and floors.

John Campbell of Belton, Texas built a Charlotte canoe from plans created by Tom Hill, then he made some modifications.  John’s canoe now has an inboard motor borrowed from his weed trimmer.  The trimmer drives a 5″×6″ 5-blade propeller and can be removed when John’s lawn gets shaggy.

Paul Day of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, built this folding schooner, Phil Bolger design 268. WALTZING MATILDA is 31 feet long and 5 feet long. Paul reports she planes through the water at a 'scorching speed'. He and his wife launched her on a lake near their home.

Traditional wood/canvas canoe: Rollin Thurlow-designed 13 ft American Beauty. Class-built at WB School summer of 2013 and finished by owner.