Launchings

Boatbuilder Douglas Brooks took these photographs of his friend Thomas Hickley, of Cornwall, Vermont, enjoying his new 7′9″ Sea Midge. Thomas built the boat from plans by William D.

Jaakko Toiviainen found in fall 2021 a neglegted Haven 12,5 bare hull in the corner of the boat hall where he kept his sailing yacht. It appeared that the hull had been built by a professional boatbuilder some twenty years ago, but for some reason never completed.

Built Six years ago in Perth Western Australia. Relaunched after health issues prevented sailing for a while.
Higher Freeboard, Self Draining Cockpit Deck and Sail furling added to Gary Deirkings design.

Joe Vines designed and built this small skiff that he calls SCOUT. She is propelled by a small trolling motor or a paddle. Joe launched her in June 2011, and paddles her on Orange Lake and Lake Lochloosa in Citra, Florida.

CHIME (it’s a little dinghy) is a Chesapeake Light Craft Passagemaker Dinghy. The kit was a family gift, and building help came from all of our children and kids, and Captain Hook (our dog, who endured many hours on the garage floor watching epoxy dry).

SPIRIT is the first wooden kayak that Rod Chelberg has built. He started with an ocean kayak kit from Newfound Woodworks in Bristol, New Hampshire. Rod used red cedar strips with accent strips of white cedar on the 44 lb. hull.

Peter Baldracchi recently built this 14′ dory skiff in a class at Lowell’s Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts. There’s a storage compartment under the sternsheets and room for gear and a couple of friends. The light grey interior, varnished seats, and dark hull make for a handsome boat.

Here is a Jeff Spira designed Pescadero I recently completed. It was designed as a light tackle tarpon hunter for the central gulf coast of Florida. The boat performs better than expected and makes an ideal fishing platform.

Armand Charlebois launched this steamboat SARA C in August 2004 on the Ottawa River in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Weston Farmer is the designer of the 25' x 7' 'Diana' model boat. Armand strayed slightly from the plans by strip-building the hull, rather than using carvel planking as called for.

TREEBEARD is a custom designed and built 20′ gaff rigged sail boat. I designed at the Arques School of Traditional Boat building, and built it in my garage over a period of 6 years. The frames are bent white oak, and the planks and decking are douglas fir.