Launchings

Dean Lohse of Jacksonville, Florida, is a recent graduate from Warren Barker's Fundamentals of Boatbuilding class at the WoodenBoat school.

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.

Allen Kay and his sons (Colin on left, Ian on right) finished a 14′ Kaholo just in time for a short paddle in Maryland before hauling it to Lake Megunticook in Maine for two weeks to put it through its paces. “They love it,” Allen says.

Uncle John’s General Store, (www.unclejohns.com), offers easy-to-build Cajun Pirogue kits. Peter Mallory of Amelia Island, Florida, built one of these kits making a 15′6″ model with a 31″ beam.

When I retired from Coast Guard active duty in 2007, I made a promise to myself to build a boat. Purchased a pirogue kit and plans from Uncle Johns in 2008.

Eddie Peterman, age 14, indicated an interest in woodworking and building a boat. His first boat was a Sam Devlin design stitch and glue 8′ rowing pram that had a couple minor design changes.

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.

Flavio Simon had help from his wife, Marilia, and friends, Andy Jordan and AJ LeBlanc, in the construction of this 15'7" Whisp Skiff, TUPAN. Named after a Brazilian deity, TUPAN took nearly 200 hours of Flavio's time for construction.

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.

The Elizabeth II is a lovely Chaisson Dory, built in a glued lap plywood construction finished in mahogany.

We were commissioned to build this sweet rowboat for Douglas and Elizabeth Eckmann of Ft. Myers Florida to row and play around in the waves, which she does admirably.