Marty, thank you for gifting us (oh dear, was that a verb?) with a delightful account of women seeming to take over the Takeover. And thanks to Duckworks for gifting them (oh no, another verb?) with the month of boat building and restoring. I am inspired!
If the takeover were available in this area, I might have attempted building Nereid on my own. I would have succeeded, but not executed the project as beautifully as it is being done for me.
Eric - Just wondering…where do you live, and do you know of an organization, company or boatshop that might be capable of hosting a Takeover event? - Marty
You might approach Adam Green at Rocking the Boat, in the Bronx. They work with students all year round at building and using boats. They also host WoodenBoat School programs on skills and boatbuilding. They have recently expanded their program to California. I will send him a copy of your article.
I live a couple of hours from them, in Central NJ.
Also, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum might be amenable to creating a program of this sort. They probably have an annual slack period when such a program could be welcomed.
Chesapeake Light Craft often thinks outside the box and might be interested in having youth build on their site.
Nereid is similar in overall dimensions to their Chester Yawl, but the resemblance stops there.
Eric - Thanks for the suggestions, which I’ll discuss with others at Duckworks. So, please tell me more about Nereid…I might have missed something, but I’m not sure which design you’re referring to…? - Marty
Nereid is a development from Fig. 72 in American Small Sailing Craft. She is 15' x 42" [43" if you include the rub rails]. I have had three Jim Thayer New York Whitehalls in the past. I liked them and, with Jim's collaboration, developed each a bit from the previous one. I decided that some significant changes were needed. One major change was to make the boat narrower and a bit longer. The length was to compensate somewhat for the loss of volume due to narrowing. We kept the same buttock lines and slightly increased the width of the forward stations to give the boat more lift under sail. The dimensions were derived from Chappelle's table of offsets [which were very difficult to read, even when enlarged]. We used his drawings as suggestive of various details.
My current plan is to publish the story of her construction and building in a coming issue of Small Boat Journal On Line. The lines and offsets will be available from Village Community Boathouse.
The molds have been passed to the Lower Raritan Watershed Project for their use.
The launching party will be 1 PM on April 27 at Pier 40 in Manhattan. If the weather cooperates, she will kiss the Hudson that day.
Love this writing and your focus on traditional craft. I’m working on a a project called A Traditional Boat Builder in the UK, documenting restoration work in the UK and efforts to keep the traditional maritime industry alive - love to see this kind of work being shared and kept alive elsewhere in the world - inspiring!
A quick note on the Small Boat Festival: I just posted an update to the list of co-sponsors, adding our new partner and supporter, the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Dinghy Cruising Association. As many readers know, the DCA is (by far) the fastest-growing organization in the world with an exclusive focus on small craft…and there are now a number of U.S. chapters including the Northeast, Northwest, Midwest and Chesapeake Bay regions, with more to come. Also, due substantially to the generosity of Small Craft Advisor readers, DCA President Roger Barnes will visit the U.S. for the first time this summer, speaking at the annual Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport, July 27-29, and sailing with DCA members in Maine and on Chesapeake Bay. In 2026 he is scheduled to spend time in the Northwest, joining Pacific Northwest DCA chapter members adventuring on the Salish Sea. (SCA will cover Roger’s U.S. visits and cruises, and our Shallow Draft column will soon offer details on the growth of DCA’s presence in North America.)
"Gift" is a noun and "gifted" is an adjective. "Gift" and "gifted" are not verbs. Period. I'm a paying subscriber, so please do not inflict this bulls#!t English upon me. This American culture is arrogantly ignorant enough without perpetrating this polluting of the language.
Marty, thank you for gifting us (oh dear, was that a verb?) with a delightful account of women seeming to take over the Takeover. And thanks to Duckworks for gifting them (oh no, another verb?) with the month of boat building and restoring. I am inspired!
If the takeover were available in this area, I might have attempted building Nereid on my own. I would have succeeded, but not executed the project as beautifully as it is being done for me.
Eric - Just wondering…where do you live, and do you know of an organization, company or boatshop that might be capable of hosting a Takeover event? - Marty
You might approach Adam Green at Rocking the Boat, in the Bronx. They work with students all year round at building and using boats. They also host WoodenBoat School programs on skills and boatbuilding. They have recently expanded their program to California. I will send him a copy of your article.
I live a couple of hours from them, in Central NJ.
Also, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum might be amenable to creating a program of this sort. They probably have an annual slack period when such a program could be welcomed.
Chesapeake Light Craft often thinks outside the box and might be interested in having youth build on their site.
Nereid is similar in overall dimensions to their Chester Yawl, but the resemblance stops there.
Eric - Thanks for the suggestions, which I’ll discuss with others at Duckworks. So, please tell me more about Nereid…I might have missed something, but I’m not sure which design you’re referring to…? - Marty
Nereid is a development from Fig. 72 in American Small Sailing Craft. She is 15' x 42" [43" if you include the rub rails]. I have had three Jim Thayer New York Whitehalls in the past. I liked them and, with Jim's collaboration, developed each a bit from the previous one. I decided that some significant changes were needed. One major change was to make the boat narrower and a bit longer. The length was to compensate somewhat for the loss of volume due to narrowing. We kept the same buttock lines and slightly increased the width of the forward stations to give the boat more lift under sail. The dimensions were derived from Chappelle's table of offsets [which were very difficult to read, even when enlarged]. We used his drawings as suggestive of various details.
My current plan is to publish the story of her construction and building in a coming issue of Small Boat Journal On Line. The lines and offsets will be available from Village Community Boathouse.
The molds have been passed to the Lower Raritan Watershed Project for their use.
The launching party will be 1 PM on April 27 at Pier 40 in Manhattan. If the weather cooperates, she will kiss the Hudson that day.
Inspirational!!! I'd love to see the shoe, but it's a bit far for me. Look forward to the online videos patrons will post! AllthebestRoy
Love this writing and your focus on traditional craft. I’m working on a a project called A Traditional Boat Builder in the UK, documenting restoration work in the UK and efforts to keep the traditional maritime industry alive - love to see this kind of work being shared and kept alive elsewhere in the world - inspiring!
A quick note on the Small Boat Festival: I just posted an update to the list of co-sponsors, adding our new partner and supporter, the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Dinghy Cruising Association. As many readers know, the DCA is (by far) the fastest-growing organization in the world with an exclusive focus on small craft…and there are now a number of U.S. chapters including the Northeast, Northwest, Midwest and Chesapeake Bay regions, with more to come. Also, due substantially to the generosity of Small Craft Advisor readers, DCA President Roger Barnes will visit the U.S. for the first time this summer, speaking at the annual Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport, July 27-29, and sailing with DCA members in Maine and on Chesapeake Bay. In 2026 he is scheduled to spend time in the Northwest, joining Pacific Northwest DCA chapter members adventuring on the Salish Sea. (SCA will cover Roger’s U.S. visits and cruises, and our Shallow Draft column will soon offer details on the growth of DCA’s presence in North America.)
Dear Marty:
"Gift" is a noun and "gifted" is an adjective. "Gift" and "gifted" are not verbs. Period. I'm a paying subscriber, so please do not inflict this bulls#!t English upon me. This American culture is arrogantly ignorant enough without perpetrating this polluting of the language.