Launchings

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.

Chris DeFirmian is a woodworker in Santa Barbara, CA who uses his dinghy LARK to transport himself and his tools to jobs about the harbor. LARK is equipped with a center-lifting hatch to keep his tools dry.

The Ruudi V is a Savo 575 , a Finnish racing rowboat designed by Ruud Van Veelen. It's a very fast single with a sliding seat, non-feathering oars, and very light weight .

For Christmas 2001, Tom Koenig's wife gave him Dynamite Payson's plans for Teal, a Phil Bolger-designed double-ended sailing skiff, 12' long and 3'6" beam. He spent the winter building the boat. For her launching in July 2002, he drove five hours from his house to Pamlico Sound, NC.

Based on the lines from the freedom 15 canoe design from bear mountain boats. Glued lapstrake marine plywood, fiberglassed inside and out, Epifanes polyurethane finish. Ash trim. Custom paddles and bowline. Very stable and a real head turner at the launch.

Jay Eugster writes "Here is a catboat I built in 2004 called COOL CAT, the plans of which were in your Fifty Wooden Boats to Build, it is a 11' dinghy by Charles Wittholz. It is 11' long, 5' beam with the gaff rig and dagger board.

Susan and Lisa Daiute are enjoying this new Glen-L 14' Power Skiff with their father Steven Daiute. Steven built SU-LI in his garage in 3 weeks during July 2003. They launched her in the Town Cove of Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts in August 2003.

James Gowen and his family launched this Catspaw Dinghy, BLUE LOBSTER, in their family pool at their home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.  BLUE LOBSTER was designed by Joel White, and is 12'8" long, with a 4'6" beam.  James planked the hull with white cedar on oak frames.

Scott Gifford's BLACK DUCK runabout can handle both the rough waters of Buzzards Bay and the shallows of the Westport River in Massachusetts. He framed the hull with white oak, then double-planked the bottom with eastern white cedar.