Articles

Best In Show

 Boatbuilding  Outrigger Canoes  Smallcraft

Congratulations are in order for Larry Haff who won Best in Show - Contemporary Class at the Mid-Atlantic Small Boat Festival in St. Michaels, Maryland. He entered his cedar strip-planked Ulua outrigger canoe, a design of New Zealand based Gary Dierking. Via Gary’s blog: Outrigger Sailing Canoes.

Larry Haff's Ulua

16 November 2014     0 comments.

Ocean Rowing Multihulls

 Human Powered  Trimarans

When sheer efficiency is required, it’s hard to beat a multihull. The trimaran configuration is gaining traction in open ocean rowing events and according to proponents, the tri has some considerable advantages over monohulls. Here are a few that have crossed the desk recently.

Samson

Samson is a two-position rowing machine designed to make the 3800 mile (6,116 km) Atlantic crossing from New York to Paris. The brainchild of…

Samson rowboat

11 October 2014     0 comments.

James Wharram Designs Mana 24

 New Designs  Catamarans  Designers

James Wharram Designs has a new boat on the drawing board, a 24’ trailerable catamaran that slots nicely between the venerable Tiki 21 and 26. The Mana 24 features some new wrinkles in the Wharram design evolution spiral, most noticeably a chined hull. The new design also features a cat ketch rig, which is well known on trailerable monohulls, and it is interesting to see it employed on a cat. No jibs means no head stay tension, giving…

Mana 24

08 October 2014     2 comments.

Newick Tremolino Hot Rod

 Dock Ranger  Trimarans

The Richard Newick designed Tremolino is one of our favorite designs: employing the hulls, rig and connective tubing from a Hobie 16 to create a small cruising trimaran - genius! This one is said to be a fiberglass factory trimaran by Tremolino Co., but using the larger and more powerful Hobie 18 hulls and rig. This example includes synthetic shrouds, asymmetric, bowsprit, outboard and trailer, and comes in the best color possible for…

Newick Tremolino

01 October 2014     0 comments.

Slightly Dangerous Commuter

 Just Launched  Catamarans  Power Boats

We’ve become very interested in lightweight, fuel-efficient power multihulls. Slightly Dangerous is a 26’ plywood commuter cat for the San Juan Islands, from Bieker Boats, built by the owners, Gordy and Judy Cole.

Slightly Dangerous is not a kit boat really, but all the plywood and foam parts were NC cut for easy assembly. The hulls are 9 and 6mm Okoume ply, finished off at the bow with a foam crash-box. The deck is 3” blue foam with…

Slightly Dangerous Commuter Cat

30 September 2014     0 comments.

The R2AK gold rush

 Reports  Racing

One topic on everyone’s lips at the PT Wooden Boat Festival this year is the Race to Alaska, a sail/row/paddle race from PT to Ketchikan, AK sponsored by the Northwest Maritime Center, and promoted by our friends at Smallcraft Advisor. It’s a 750 mile “Aquatic Iditarod” with no rules except no engines allowed but muscle and wind. First prize is $10,000, and there is no second.

The start is set for June 4, 2015, which is a notoriously…

Play button

21 September 2014     0 comments.

1980 sailing rocket w/ trailer

 Catamarans  Dock Ranger

Seeing a Stiletto catamaran in 2014 always causes a “what the hell happened?” moment. The Stiletto was launched in 1975, the first (and possibly the last) production boat moulded in an autoclave of prepreg epoxy fiberglass/kevlar over a Nomex honeycomb core. This was aerospace tech for the middle class, and the multihull future looked bright indeed back in the 70’s. The styling was pure aerospace as well, and the boat stoked my teenage…

Stiletto Catamaran

18 September 2014     5 comments.

A Victorian Catamaran in San Francisco

 Reports  Catamarans  History

This photo of a top hatted Victorian era gentleman sailing a catamaran named “Duster” by the San Francisco waterfront has recently come to the attention of the internet. After some initial uncertainty as to its vintage, the craft is now known to date from 1894, as in that year it participated in sailing regattas run at Sausalito, California by the San Francisco Yacht Club.

Unfortunately, beyond its name, not much more is known.…

Duster Victorian catamaran

17 September 2014     1 comments.

17’ Balinese Jukung in Victoria, BC

 Dock Ranger  Outrigger Canoes  Trimarans

Here is a 17’ Balinese double outrigger canoe available in Victoria, BC, Canada. From the seller:

17’ Balinese Jukung can be sailed or paddled. This is a very rare opportunity to own an original imported hand made Bali double outrigger dugout canoe with a large carrying capacity & great stability and speed in the ocean. Add a small motor for more versitality. Can be disassembled for transport. This a beautifully sculpted Natural…

Balinese Jukung

09 September 2014     3 comments.

Multihulls at the 2014 Port Townsend wooden boat festival

 Reports

Every year in September, Port Townsend turns itself into a virtual Victorian seaport bristling with wooden masts, steam funnels, pirates, boatbuilders and sailors, the smell of tar, varnish and frying cod, and thousands of tourists soaking it all in. The odd multihull is occasionally found nestled between the ratlines and the bow sprits… this is what I saw this year.

The only “multihull” to claim bonafide antique status was the 16’…

Festival overview

07 September 2014     2 comments.