Launchings

I built this boat in 1985 for my mother, and this past year did extensive rebuilding of bottom, transom, and converted it to a sprit rigged sailing skiff with a daggerboard. It sails well!

The Launchings section of WoodenBoat No. 225 featured Wayne Mueller's skiff BLUEBIRD, a 17′ 6″ design that Wayne based on Tom Hill’s Long Point skiff and Mark Murray's Sea Hoss skiff. BLUEBIRD was built from meranti and sapele marine plywood on sawn elm frames.

A Classic Gulf Stream fishing boat designed to be lightweight, and to take a following sea better than it’s Dory predecessors. The hull lines were from plans*, with some modifications to the interior. A laminated tow-rail and, fold-down seating in the cockpit among them.

My Chesapeake Light Craft Sassafras 16™ is shown here, in the Delaware Water Gap, on its first launch for an overnight cam

Rich Gaito is seen here sailing JAYLENE KERR off Merchant Island, just south of Stonington, Maine. JAYLENE KERR is a Joel White Shearwater design (16' x 53" beam) that Rich built during the winter of 2001-2002. He used plywood lap construction on laminated frames.

I had built some plywood boats before but after two weeks at the WoodenBoat School in August 2017 it was time for a more ambitious project. I begun building in October 2017 and finished LILY an year later.

Andy Bosworth used the book "Building Heidi" by Richard Kolin as the source for his 12'4" skiff, which he built as a 50th birthday present for his brother. Andy used Douglas fir, white oak, and mahogany, with marine plywood for the bottom.

Gloria Burge built this 6′6″ Philip Bolger Tortoise design and launched in in August 2012 in Searsport, Maine. She built the boat, glued and screwed, mostly, she says, in the living room of her camper.