Winter Boat Show (Day 3)

More from our virtual small-boat show...

Beetle Swan, Lonnie Black: “This is my refurbished 1947 Beetle Swan. Carl Beetle began fiberglass production that year. She behaves and performs very well, in typical catboat fashion. Though she may not look as sleek and modern as most, she's hard not to love.”

Mystery Boat, Will Clarke: “This boat has a checkered past! It was found, washed up, on the shore of Waquoit Bay, given to the Woods Hole Historical Society Small Boat Program, fixed up and sold, then sold again to someone that used it for a couple of years then didn't quite get it off the beach before Winter. She sold it to me for next to nothing and it came with a rudder, a sail and a boom but no mast. I more or less patched it up, added another set of oarlocks further forward and a seat in the stern so I could take my wife rowing. It rows very well! Last Fall, having failed to find an appropriate mast, I modified the mast step to accept the sailing rig from our Dyer Midget and it sails surprisingly well, even with that undersized sail. My winter project is to make the leg-o-mutton sail and spars called for in the plans. It's a great boat for 2 not very large people. My only complaint is that the centerboard trunk is often in the way. I'd like to be able to move the rowing seat a little further forward when rowing with a passenger. The photo is from the day I bought the boat.”

Flicka, Jon Unruh: “I would like to submit a photo and text of my Pacific Seacraft Flicka. An extremely seaworthy boat of course, and easy to single-hand. Very roomy, 5'11" headroom, with four berths and galley. There were 400 Flickas made, mine is hull number 4 built in 1978, so one of the very early one's, with a boomkin off the stern that connects the backstay off enter. Really handles well in heavy weather. But in order to maximize sail area the boom is so low on the mast that there is no room for a boom vang. Nor is there a traveller although I jury rig one up when needed. A bit difficult to maneuver in a tight harbour single handed, but with a few tricks you get used to it. Overall an awesome boat. “

Montgomery 15, Dan Phy: “I have owned more than a few boats in my life….especially these last 25 years. Here is my friend “the Maestro” Dave Bacon at the helm  (me crewing) of one of my all-time favorite boats (Montgomery 15) on the way to victory in the small-boat division, Monterey Cruiser Challenge 2014.. This particular Monty 15 was special. Bob Eeg built this “Six” for me in 2012….Carbon Fiber, full keel, custom rigging by Dave and I, custom sails by EP Sails—very light, very fast, pointed very high! Having said that, I am, at heart, a “small-boat cruiser”—I have spent up to two months cruising on a couple of my M15s over the years (all over the country). My opinion—the Monty 15 is the smallest boat I feel comfortable in all sailing conditions. Reef early and often, check your weather…re-check your weather, always wear your PFD!”

Vivier Morbic 12, Robert MacEwen: “Here is a photo of my Francois Vivier Morbic 12 that I built from a kit that I bought from Chase Small Craft in 2020. It took me almost two years to complete. Building the boat was a great Covid-19 project. The photo was taken in late September 2022 on Casco Bay in Maine.”

Jean Alden, Mike Higgins: “I built Jean Alden in my garage in Palo Alto California. The goal was a weatherly pocket cruiser that would maximize the use of my available shop space and fit on a trailer.  Mostly I built “by eye”. My shop is large enough for a 14-foot hull, so I scaled up the design for Bolger’s 12-foot Bobcat by two feet. I also wanted a traditional tumble home bow and a small cabin. This required changes to the forward hull sections and a different deck layout. Construction is basic stitch-and-glue using mostly 9mm Okoume plywood. The deck and coach top are straight grained Douglas Fir laminated over 6mm plywood. The cabin sides and coaming are ¾ inch tongue-and-groove staves capped by an Iroko rail.  All three spars are hollow, assembled using birds-mouth joints, and stuffed with aluminum foil to reflect radar. The sail plan is adapted from the Breck Marshall – a Crosby catboat in the Mystic Seaport collection. For luck I put 150 pounds of lead in the bilge. The auxiliary is a restored British Seagull, made the year before I was born. The three-year project ended with her launching in 2000. The result is a sweet sailing pocket cruiser that has brought our family much joy and satisfaction.”

Photo John Kohnen

Glen-L Minuet, Ron Andersen: “ My boat is a 15' Glen-L Minuet.  My wife and I built it in 2017 & 2018.  

Pros: The boat is fairly easy to build with very detailed plans from Glen-L.  It's light, easy to launch and trailer.  It's easy to sail, reasonably fast and very enjoyable to sail.

Cons:  The designer claims it holds 2 to 4 people and sleeps 2.  It's more comfortable sailing with 1 to 2 people aboard.  Even though the cabin sleeps 2 (we've done it), the cabin is a little tight.”

Custom Stevenson Vacationer, John Kocher: “Attached is a (IMHO) pretty good pic of my boat. I built her as a Stevenson Vacationer friendship sloop and eventually converted her over to trawler. She has upper and lower steering stations, enclosed engine room, bunk, head and galley. The cabin can be 100% open (as shown) or enclosed for cool or rainy weather. She cruises at around 4 knots with an outboard in a well and has a 200 mile range, perfect for the backwaters of the Chesapeake Bay.”

Custom Sailing Canoe, Carl Cozza: “I canoed for many years before owning a few obsolete daysailers; a Chrysler Lone Star, an 18-footer by Summner Boats and a 14-foot Bluefin. Through a series of misadventures in these boats I realized I loved the freedom my canoe afforded; getting into less frequented waters and I could always kneel in the canoe and paddle my way out of most situations.  However I loved moving on the wind.  I eventually married those two loves and the result is my hybrid.

I can sail; she can point to windward and cover ground even against a river current.  I carry different size sails for various conditions  I have my Torqeedo Travel motor at the ready.  Yes, I still paddle on occasion.”

Baby Doll, Bill Jacobs: “At 27 feet Baby Doll may be pushing the envelope as ‘small craft’ but her uniqueness among all of the boats I have owned over the past 60 years, she certainly qualifies her as one of, if not ‘The Best.’

She was designed and built in Sarasota by George Luzier, local boat builder in about 1965.  He built her for his own use.  She is strip planked of juniper on oak frames, has a centerboard and is 27 feet long.  George built hundreds of boats, all of wood, from Optimist prams to 44 foot ocean cruisers.

A few years ago I  became partners with Pat Ball who had owned her for about 10 years. A partner in a wooden boat is a good thing, as the maintenance costs are shared.  Her painted wooden hull, spruce spars, original bronze fittings, cranky centerboard and restored engine were all demanding.

But the rewards of sailing were a great return on investment. Fiberglass boats are practical, wooden boats are stunning. You first raised then trimmed the sails, pulled in her sheets and Baby Doll gracefully combined all of the physical forces into a symphony of motion as she leaned into the breeze. Wood meets water in a totally different way, not pushing her way forward, but melting in to the bow wave creating a musical sound as the water rushes by the hull. The helm soft, the sails full and by.

And later, back in her slip, a short nap on canvas cushions amid the aroma of wood, leather, oil and age, the gentle breeze through opened ports completed a day of sailing to always be remembered.”

Photo by Lew Lawrence