January
Projects

Glen-L Power Skiff
Interested in building this boat? Marc Bourassa built one and in this article he tells us what he thinks. There are some good construction tips here too.

Voyage to Recovery
Steve Bosquette got out of boatbuilding. Then he got back in. Here is his account of the first project of his second amateur boatbuilding career.

Navigator Launch
In the second such article this month, Martin Welby gives details of the launch of his John Welsford designed cruising dinghy.

The Moaning Chair
Have you seen the ad on TV that says: "Life comes at you fast"? Ed Einhorn knows that life can complicate deciding which boat to build.

The PD Pirate
The subtitle to this story is 'Hull #54 joins the fleet'. It looks like Shorty has a movement on his hands. Watch our calendar for the PDRacer World Championships

MotorScout
You can't get much simpler than this basic little boat. It was designed by Steve Lewis and built by Mark Karczewski.

Tolman Jumbo Launch
Bruce Armstrong sent us this account of the launch party given for Steve Dampier's Electric Yellow Tolman Jumbo - 'Shirley Lamar'.

Navigator Launch
Barrett Faneuf is building two of John Welsford's Navigators simultaneously. Here is a little about the launch of the first one - her Mother's.

Rifleman 4
Finally, the long awaited fourth installment of the outboard runabout project that our son Bonham and I are building together.

SPONGE
A 7-1/2 hp hydro with a kids cartoon character as a theme? What is the connection? Read the story to find out. There is a bonus movie clip too!

How To

Getting the Oars You Want
Jamie Orr shows you how to save a lot of money by making your own oars. He even makes stitched leathers with turk's heads.

Burton's Brilliant Bodge
There are a lot of tricks of the trade when it comes to boat building. In this short article, David Bramhall tells us about one that saved him a lot of grief.

Sailboat Drain Plugs
And you thought drain plugs just went in the transom. Shorty walks us through some of the permutations - some good installation advice is here too.

Nabors Furling System
Want a roller furling system for your PDRacer? Jason Nabors provides step-by-step instructions for making one from PVC pipe and a few other bits.

Gatherings

Kingston Messabout 2005
Every Two years, Bruce Hector puts on a fabulous messabout up near Kingston, Ontario. Steve Bosquette made the last one and filed this report.

Phil's Arkansas Messabout
Sandra and I were able to make it to Phil Lea's messabout last September - it was a hoot. Here is Max Wawrzyniak's account.

Minnesota Gaffer Gathering
I guess nobody loves a messabout more than Rob Rohde-Szudy. It makes sense since he edits our messabout calendar. Here is his take on this one.

SUCIA - Part 3
in which Greg Stoll concludes his account of the Sucia Island Small Boat Rendezvous last July 8th, 9th & 10th in the Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound.

Columns

Friends of the Shop
Ross Lillistone is an accomplished boat builder. He is also a good writer. In this essay he talks about some of the characters who have visited his shop.

Measure for Measure
Winter is a good time for odd jobs around the boatshop. Ron Magen has some tips for mixing very small amounts of epoxy that these tasks require.

A Fishing We Will Go!
If you ever have the good fortune of meeting Larry Pullon, you will notice that he is quiet with a wry and subtle sense of humor. Read this and you will see.

Lower Units - Part 1
Max Wawrzyniak makes a convincing argument that older outboard motors are not only easy on the pocket book but easy to maintain too.

Do Yachts Need to be so Expensive?
Roy McBride has been building boats in South Africa and knows what he is talking about. These lessons apply to Yachts of all sizes

On Pouring Lead
Paul Richmond takes us on a stroll down memory lane with a tale of pouring lead, not by boatbuilders, but by two young boys.

Pet Theories on Seaworthyness
This essay from John Welsford grew out of a discussion group debate about seaworthyness in small craft.

No Holiday For Auxiliarist Taking Charge of Floating Shelter
Wayne Spivak tells us more about the cruise ships being used to shelter hurricane victims.

Now For A Completely New Idea
John Cupp has a proposal that could change boat building as we know it. Read his essay, then decide for yourself. I'm convinced it would work.

HOMEMADE BOAT TRAILERS - Part II – Fabrication - Rob Rohde-Szudy continues his excellent series on boat trailer construction from the ground up. This one moves from welding through painting.

Outings

Currachs
Peter Page lives in Australia but his roots are in Ireland. Recently he made a trip there and sent us a few photos of the native Currachs.

Isla Mujeres
Here is another of Lee Martin's vignettes from his extensive cruising experiences. This time he and Katie sail to Mexico in their F-27 trimaran.

Designs

XCR - Expedition Double Sailing Canoe
With the 2006 Everglades Challenge just around the corner, Chris Ostlind has released another exdedition canoe suitable for such adventures.

Irreducible
In this reprint from "The Rudder" magazine, Wes Farmer tells a story to illustrate how he came up with the idea for this tiniest of inboard motor boats.

Evolution of Wings III
Part 3 of Dave Nichols' story about the design and building the sailing canoe "Wings" - the latest in his "Lutra" series of fly fishing boats

Reviews

Pirates on the Wall
Here is a great idea for Christmas. Joe Ditler has written a review of an unusual calendar - one with pirates and, more importantly, pirate ships.

Reports

January Reports
Every month on the 15th we publish a page of assorted letters, press releases, photos, news stories and so forth. We call it Reports

Letters

January Letters
Throughout the month we get letters that seem to deserve a wider audience. These are posted on the last day of the month. Take a look.