Launchings

Eric Blumhagen writes "I built SOLACE with the able assistance of my wife, my idea woman. After a year and a half of work, I launched it on November 12, 2000. It now hangs from our living room ceiling when not being used on Washington lakes.

18′ Farley Boat Works Port Aransas Skiff. Center console Plywood construction with Mahogany trim. Teal plank Decking with Evinrude 60HO two stroke engine.

Don Bishop of Sanibel Island, Florida, designed and built this trailerable 22′-6″ Gaff cutter to explore America’s coasts and to cruise the Bahamas. The composite 800 lb. lead/glass swing keel provides 18″ and 5′-5″ draft. The hull is cedar strip and glass.

Blanket Bay was built for my granddaughter, born today, May 27th. I wanted a design that got the cradle up off the floor (my daughter has three little dogs) and this design fit the bill. It’s clinker built of 1088 Hydratec Meranti ply, with solid Maple gunwales.

LILAH is a 15 ft CLC Peeler Skiff designed by John C. Harris and built this past Winter from a kit. She will ply the waters of Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee in Georgia for fishing and exploration.

G++nther Hencken built this Nutshell Pram to use as a tenter for his 43' yacht OSPREY, and as a sailing dinghy for his three grandchildren. G++nther used mahogany plywood and lumber for construction, cover everything with epoxy, and then varnished it inside and outside the hull.

Andre Cloutier took a course in March 2007 at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY with John Summers on how to build a 16/30 canoe. He took home the unfinished boat and continued working on it until the launch in early August 2007.

Lidgard Boatyard of Auckland, New Zealand, built and launched FIDELIS in 1964. She is a fast and beautiful boat with an impressive racing record. As is the way of aging boats she required an extensive refit in 2005.

A while ago I purchased Nick Schade’s book The Strip-Built Sea Kayak. From it I built his Guillemont. I also liked the look of the Great Auk but liked the speed and ease of ply construction stitch and glue.I drew up the forms and used these to get the general shape. All went very well.