Launchings

Doug Crane spent 10 years building NOKIDO, a Lyle Hess 29.9 cutter, only to be diagnosed with terminal cancer late in the process. Friends and family helped him finish the boat just in time to spend his last summer aboard.

Ed Vickery helped to build and repair boats for quite a while before he built his first wooden surfboard. He built it from several woods including bamboo, black walnut, fir, aframosa, and paulownia; then covered everyting with a layer of 4-oz fiberglass.

Rex and Kathie Payne of Spring Hill, Florida, just launched an 18′ No Man’s Land boat based on the plans that Howard Chapelle documented of an 1882 No Man’s Land boat built by Beetle, Inc., and published in his book, American Small Sailing Craft.

Wood Duck 10 hybrid with cedar deck

1942 Halvorsen Cruiser. Purchased in Sydney, trucked to Hobart and spent 2.5 years out of the water, undercover rebuilding. Cabin sides and windscreen had been damaged by rot. Double diagonal oregan planking on the hull which when stripped back was in excellent condition.

Exactly 2 months from the day I began my kayak building adventure at The WoodenBoat School, I christened and launched my Shearwater Sport on Lake Champlain. What a joy to finally see it in the water!

In July 2003, Rob Douwes launched his 17'6" Gentlemen's Runabout KNOCKABOUT on Lake Westeinder, Aalsmeer, in the Netherlands. The plans (#76 from WB), by Hacker and Zimmer, call for a 16' hull, but Rob extended the boat's length by spreading the frames apart just a little bit.

This is my Egret launched in August of 2011.

Relaunched: Phil Bolger designed Gloucester Light Dory built in 1987 by David Bush guided by ‘Dynamite’ Payson (4 x 16 marine ply, bronze ring-shank nails into red oak chine logs & glass /epoxy).

I started building my Melonseed Skiff in 2017 and finished it in 2021. Because I do not have a garage or large shed, I did work outdoors from May to November (living in Sherbrooke, Québec).