Launchings

In May 2012, Jay Thomas launched his 15′6″ Voyager Solo canoe in Coot Bay Pond in Everglades National Park at the southern tip of Florida.

Joseph Krajewski got a wonderful birthday present from his wife, a WoodenBoat School class held at Chesapeake Light Craft (www.clcboats.com) in Annapolis, Maryland. He and his son, Jason, spent five days building a 12′ plywood-and-epoxy Wood Duck kayak.

After building a kayak for himself, and one for his son, Geoff Meissner's wife wanted him to build a canoe for her. He picked a Nipmuc kit from Newfound Woodworking. At 17' long and 35" beam, it was big enough to hold all three of them and the dog.

The plans are a Platt Monfort Classic 12′ that I stretched out to 13′. I beefed up the backbone a bit from the mast step to aft of the daggerboard trunk anticipating its sailing life. The lug sail, spars, daggerboard and kick-up rudder came from CLC BOATS as a kit for their Passagemaker Pram.

Matthew Sheffield built this Sand Dollar dinghy designed by Arch Davis in 2004. He keeps in the Ware River in Gloucester, VA, where he uses it for fishing and crabbing. He writes that it is as much fun to use as it was to build.

A Chesapeake Light Craft Northeaster Dory with a sloop rig. Hull was built at the WoodenBoat School last fall under the tutelage of John Harris. Completed fittings and finished in my garage in Falmouth, MA. Launched in West Falmouth Harbor, on Cape Cod, MA.

Bob Chaput and Dick Dowdell built this Peeler Skiff from a John Harris-designed Chesapeake Light Craft kit. She will carry children and grand children fishing and digging clams in the salt waters of Southern New England.

Customized Wee Lassie IIThe canoe was built in 2009. The overall dimensions are of the Wee Lassie scale with the modification made adding 1″ in height to the gunnel. Length 13′4″.The hull is made from Western Red Cedar in continuous strips (not scarf jointed from smaller pieces).

13 foot sport kayak to be used on Nantucket Sound and the harbors and backwaters of Cape Cod.

Construction began in 2002 with a set of plans and a stack of wood and finally finished in 2018. Starting a business, raising three kids, selling a business all got in the way — excuses, excuses, I know. Lola was planked with okoume plywood with mahogany knees, inwales, skeg, and breasthook.