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I cold molded a Cortez Melonseed and had no trouble with it.

Phil took his Ed Monk Curlew and found her to be a handful under the conditions. I built a Whisp about 18 years ago and keep her under my front porch roof, but she is built out of 4mm occume and is...

woxbox, I'm sorry, but non of us brought cameras. It was just a trip. Phil had his camera, but he dropped out because of a cold and because the wind was strong for his boat. Sorry

Just back from a 6 day cruise in two Marshcats, Kevin MacDonald's LITTLE T and Doug Oeller's COMFORT. I had intended to take my Haven, but she wasn't ready, so we left her behind in St Mikes,and I...

Tall Ships were very good to me. I did 8 years aboard the PROVIDENCE, but there are more out there, and they want volunteers

JACKAROO is finished and ready to launch. Jean and I fly to London for a conference (her) and then some travel, including the Scilly Islands, then back home on May 1 and ready to go.

How about the new propane powered outboards ?

It's still in the starting stage, but there is news from the whaleboat project at the Independence Seaport Museum. THere are several whaleboats being built at various locations, Philadelphia,...

Our boats are too small for nav lights to be required, but it would be a safety issue on a passage. It could be mounted on its own mast on a cat boat?

I built a copy of a local duckboat from New Jersey, a melonseed. I posted an article about it and on punt guns at www.traditionalsmallcraft.com

G.Sherman, welcome to the club. I built a laminate sprit boom for John Guidera's Tom Firth Jones 13.5 'seed. It lashes to the mast and is curved so it doesn't interfere with the set of the sail but...

It is the Chesapeake Crabbing Skiff, Jackrabbit III, and is in the "from away" section of www.traditionalsmallcraft.com

Doug Hylan has plans for a very similar sharpie. Burton Blais built her and it was featured in the latest ASH BREEZE.

I am restoring a Haven 12 1/2 under an 8 by 16 portable garage, and it works very well. There is room for a gallows frame in the tent so I can lift the boat and take out the centerboard. I tried...

My wife likes the SPOT. That's enough for me.

My small boat sailing started with a decked sailing canoe, and capsizes were routine. Recovery was easy, too. As my boats got wider, the capsizes were less frequent, but recovery was more difficult....

As long as you are planning ROMILLY, you should look at the WoodenBoat article in #231 about Paul Gartside's twenty foot Daysailer/Campcruiser. He has lots of good ideas and a singleberth layout for...

PDQAltair,
You are certainly right about the bugs, but not this time of year. There is a definite window in the spring and the fall. Summer depends on rainfall and other weathers.

It's coming, soon.

I went to visit John and Vera England when he was rebuilding F.D. CROCKET, and he told me a story that I've always treasured. When the Attack Transports and AK's returned to Little Creek after WW II ...

I found my old waterproof map of the area. It is GMCO Pro Series Map of Virginia Barrier Islands and covers Chincoteague to Cape Charles,but I didn't find it listed in the West Marine Catalog ? Mike

Stakes, silver tarp, wind and snow. Thank you.

I just bought and assembled a steel pipe and fabric Portable Garage from Harbor Freight. It is just what I need to restore my HAVEN 12 1/2 in the backyard. It went together quickly and easily and...

Thorne,

Only two masts! You're just starting. I broke two masts just last year, and more than that before.

John England says "The best thing about varnish is how easy it is to paint over. "

Beyond where the road ends, there was nothing. They were all small dry islands and plenty of wind. Maybe they got tired?

Emmanuel:

My idea would be for you to look at Selway Fisher's plans. Their Iona or Islay skiffs are similar.

For sailing, longitudinal bench seats with either the cockpit coaming or inwales for a backrest? You can shift position and move about pretty much at will. Benches mean that you aren't sitting with...

Kevin MacDonald, a regular, and a fine builder, went to Jamestown Distributers and used System 3 WR-LPU polyurethane enamel on his Marshcat build. She looks great, and he is very happy with the...

"There's no such thing as building just one boat"
You say "never again", take a blow, and then you are thinking about the next one.

"Proper preparation prevents ___ poor performance" ?

Josh Colvin has confirmed that Small Craft Advisor has delivered SCAMP plans to KMacDonald in Maryland. My job will be to sneak photographs of the build and post them here.

I built a Douglas mast for my melonseed, but it was too heavy. I planed it down to 1/4 inch and added a carbon sock to the outside. It's doing fine.

So you say. it's ROMILLY you're building. Give us proof. I'll bet dollars that you're really buiding SCAMP and are embarrassed to confess. You fell for the pram bow, big time.

A sailing buddy of mine built a melonseed mast out of cedar, just because he had it around, but he wasn't happy with the mast; it was too bendy.

Maybe the islands to the West are small enough so there is no fresh water ? Where did you stop on your cruise ?However, I love sailing Assateague Island, and there are plenty of bugs there. You've...

In life you encounter setbacks and disappointments, but It sounds to me as if that job had other compensations, too.

John Rousmaniere spoke at the American Schooner Association meeting on Saturday, and he mentioned that small boats accidents are especially dangerous if the boat turns turtle. The E Scow association...

Whatever you buy will get used. There always is another boat that catches your eye.

Could you count on a chase boat to rescue you if the weather were bad ? I guess it depends on what has happened that makes rescue necessary.

In the New York Times of January 29, 2013, Jared Diamond wrote an article in the Science Times about "Constructive Paranoia". He escaped from a dangerous situation the other morning. He survived his...

I am excited. I could almost say I am tempted to build one myself. Mike

I've used epoxy/graphite instead of bottom paint on the bottom and the cb case, rudder blade and board. Good results. I have a similar use pattern as you plan; seldom more than 4 days in the water....

Skegemog,
There is a meeting of the Deleware Valley Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association for Tuesday night at 6:30 at the Independence Seaport Museum. Bruce MacDonald will be...

My cockpit is open. I don't spend much time on the floor, and when I do, mostly downwind in light air, a square cushion seems to do pretty well. Wearing a lifejacket cushions my back against the...

Roger Allen designed the Cortez Melonseed for the Beetlecat rig, and it works very well. I've got about 300 miles on my MOGGIE now; she goes to windward well even with a deep reef tucked in .

I've heard that they were catboats because the two portholes in the cabin looked like cat's eyes ?

Any progress, Tim, or are you cowering over a computer and a cup of hot tea just like the rest of us ?

Yep. Block is a favorite place. Maybe early in the season with lots of warm clothes ?

I['ve raced PHRF on a local lake against a CS 17, and she is quite fast; I would guess she has more sail than the AWOL except for the reaching headsail rig.