WoodenBoat is the bi-monthly magazine for wooden boat owners, builders, and designers. We are devoted exclusively to the design, building, care, preservation, and use of wooden boats of all types: commercial and pleasure; old and new; sail, power, paddle, and oar. We work to convey quality, integrity, and involvement in the creation and care of these craft; to entertain, to inform, to inspire; and to provide our varied readers with access to individuals who are deeply experienced in the world of wooden boats.
WoodenBoat publishes approximately 60 feature articles per year, from many parts of the world. Many are unsolicited, submitted by both amateur and professional writers. We also have a number of magazine departments to which we invite contributions. Our primary interest is to publish informative material, so writing style is often secondary when we consider an article for publication. While our ideal manuscript is informative and smoothly written, we expect to do some editing, and occasionally lots of it, to make an article suitable for publication.
We’ll consider your ideas in all forms, from a short query to a detailed outline, from a rough draft to a finished manuscript. Our preference is to receive a detailed article proposal of about 300 words accompanied by a sampling of images that will be available for illustrations. We prefer that you not e-mail your proposal to us, but instead use the online submission-manager Submittable, to which we provide links in each of the following category descriptions.
Feature Articles
Our feature-article coverage is wide, varied, detailed, and informative. It ranges from historical and contemporary profiles, how-to build articles both short and long, photoessays of boats and regattas, and narrative accounts of boatbuilding and restoration projects. The common theme among these varied approaches is that they deliver a lesson in the construction, rigging, use, or understanding of wooden boats. To gain familiarity with the types of articles we tend to publish, take a careful look at a few recent issues of the magazine. Please know, however, that we welcome other ideas and approaches, and encourage you to share your thoughts on creative and innovative projects. Most of our feature articles run from 1,000 to 4,000 words.
If you don’t have photographs or drawings to illustrate your article, that’s okay. We work with a number of talented photographers and illustrators who are happy to take assignments.
To submit a proposal for a feature article, please click the Submit button, create a Submittable account if you don’t have one, and fill out the feature article submission form.
You may also email your proposal to Editorial Assistant Elaine Gokey, at elaine@woodenboat.com.
Departments
Currents
“Currents” is a column of news and short articles published in each issue of WoodenBoat magazine. “Eclectic” best describes its contents, which run the gamut from straight news concerning all aspects of wooden boat construction and ownership to news about museums, magazines, books, organizations, events, maritime preservation and politics, interesting products, tools, yards, and people.
“Currents” is edited by Senior Editor Tom Jackson, who obtains information from various sources. Some of these sources are professional journalists; others are enthusiasts who enjoy sharing news about the goings-on in their area. Boatyards are encouraged to submit news of significant projects and such things as new facilities or capacities.
All material is credited to its source, and published contributions are paid for upon use. Payment is based on word count and size of published image, at the rates detailed below.
Click the Submit button below to submit your currents material.
You may also email your material directly to Tom Jackson at tom@woodenboat.com.
Launchings
Launchings is a department of WoodenBoat magazine dedicated to sharing recently launched wooden boats built or restored by our readers. If you’ve launched a new or restored boat within the past year, we’d like to hear about it. Submissions to Launchings should include the following information: (1) the boat’s length and beam; (2) the name of its design class or type; (3) the names of the designer, builder, owner, and photographer; (4) your mailing address along with an email address or phone number; (5) the port or place of intended use; (6) date of launching; and (7) a few sentences describing the construction or restoration. Please include no more than five photographs (jpg images at least 300 dpi).
Submit your material by using the Submit button below.
You may also email us at launchings@woodenboat.com, or write us at Launchings, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616. If you use postal mail, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like anything returned.
Design Reviews
We seek all manner of boat plans (traditional and radical) for our “Designs: Review” column. If you would like to have your work considered for review, please submit digital files of the complete drawings, specifications, and designer's commentary using the button below.
We cannot return unsolicited material, so please do not send us your original drawings. Plans that we don't publish immediately will be filed for future consideration.
Click the Submission button below to submit your design material.
You may also email your design-review material to Editor Matt Murphy, at matt@woodenboat.com
Product and Book Reviews
Our WoodenBoat Review department presents critical essays on books, tools, equipment, and all manner of gear related to wooden boats. We are constantly on the lookout for little-known products and tools—and for reviewers capable of writing critically about them.
Click the Submission button below to submit your review or proposal.
You may also email book- and product-review material to Editor Matt Murphy, at matt@woodenboat.com
What Happens Next
We have a relatively small staff, and the task of reading through each proposal takes time if it is to be done carefully. We will acknowledge receipt of your editorial submission soon after its arrival (please check your spam folder—especially if you use Submittable), but we beg your patience until a decision can be made. This typically take four to eight weeks. Once accepted, articles may have a lengthy wait before being published. Because we are a bi-monthly magazine, we must plan issues well in advance. We ask that you bear in mind the possibility of delays of up to eight months (if not more) before publication.
When we’ve decided to publish your article, we’ll ask you to sign a copyright statement. This grants us specified rights to your material while ensuring your subsequent rights to it.
Payment
We pay upon publication. We will send you a check, any original art, and a copy of the new issue as soon as it is available. The following are our usual rates:
Feature Text: $250–$300 per 1,000 words.
Photographs:
- Cover $350
- Full page $125
- 3/4 page $100
- 1/2 page $75
- 1/4 page $50
- Spot $25
Professional Drawings and Illustrations: Depending upon the size and complexity of the work, payment for drawings ranges from $50 to $400.
You may also mail proposals to: Editor, WoodenBoat, P.O. Box 78, Brooklin, ME 04616. Material directed to Mike O’Brien (Designs) or Tom Jackson (Currents) or Jenny Bennett (Launchings) can be flagged with their names.
If you are inclined toward writing or reporting, and understand the objectives of WoodenBoat, we hope you’ll share your ideas with us.
Matthew P. Murphy
Editor