See who’s coming in 2024!
If you have been accepted and do not see your boat below, please check back, as new boats are added all the time. We strive to have all accepted boats listed below by August 1
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AbishagHome Port: Anacortes, WAYear Built: 1970LOA: 28'8"Beam: 8'Owner: Emerald Marine CarpentryDesigner: Edmund Lincoln DevereauxDesign: Monterey TypeType: Power
Abishag was built by Edmund Lincoln Devreaux in Vallejo California and launched in 1970.
Lincoln was a retired shipwright from Bear Island, US Navy Yard.She is a modeled from a Monterey boat, but has no clipper bow, which the usual form. Her straight stem is better for punching through the short chop in the north SF bay, and some Montereys have historically been built in a similar manner.
Abishag has bent oak frames, yellow cedar planking, and a fir and teak deck. She is fastened with galvanized nails and bronze screws.
Lincoln also moved the deck houses together. This made more deck space and better placement for the single cylinder Hicks make-and-break engine, which has alway been her engine. The Yuba Hicks engines, from Sausalito, Ca. were among the most popular and dependable engines on the West Coast, when they were built in the 1920’s. Abishag’s was an early Hicks, from 1912: 8-11 HP, 6.5 “ bore. 7.5” stroke, 244 c.i. cylinder bore, 360 rpm @ hull speed, 6 knots. Gasoline fuel consumption at hull speed: 3 quarts/ hour.
Abishag was fit out to fish and did, for a season, before she was trucked to Anacortes.
In the late 80’s, with the builder’s passing, she was sold to John Anderson in Bellingham.
She cruised and fished the Salish Sea until John’s passing, when she was laid up, for sale at Colony Wharf, Bellingham.Elton H., who was the boat’s original engineer and installed the Hicks, suggested that Emerald Marine partner with him and save the vessel. Free boats not with standing, work begun in fall of 2022. Together we have: moved the vessel back to Anacortes, replaced the the after stem and a significant amount of the after planking and the garboard strakes, rebuilt the steering fittings, removed and rebuilt the Hicks, installed new tanks and wiring, and more.
We look forward to fishing, cruising and teaching about old engines and shipwrighting as we go along…
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AdventuressHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 1913LOA: 131Beam: 21Owner: Schooner Adventuress Sound ExperienceDesigner: B.B. CrowninshieldDesign: One-offType: Schooner
Sound Experience sails the historic schooner Adventuress to educate, inspire, and empower an inclusive community that works to improve our marine environment and celebrates our maritime heritage. Since her launch in E. Boothbay, Maine, in 1913, the B.B. Crowninshield-designed schooner has traveled the Strait of Magellan and the Bering Sea on an arctic expedition for naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews; served as a Bar Pilot vessel off of San Francisco; patrolled the west coast during World War II; and trained young sailors in seamanship skills in Seattle with Youth Adventure. Adventuress has sailed on the waters of Puget Sound for almost three decades under the stewardship of nonprofit Sound Experience, offering hands-on environmental education and leadership development to thousands of young people annually and partnering with youth-serving organizations to reach at-risk kids. Sound Experience offers programs for all ages and backgrounds and takes pride in providing many levels of training opportunities for volunteer and paid crew. Adventuress is a National Historic Landmark officially recognized as “Puget Sound’s Environmental Tall Ship.”
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Air SnipeHome Port: Ketchikan, AKYear Built: 1943LOA: 110' 10"Beam: 17' 11"Owner: Matt LevyDesigner: US NavyDesign: SC-497 ClassType: Subchaser
The Air Snipe (ex SC-1068) was laid down Dec 10th of 1942 as PC-1068 in Camden NJ by Mathis Yacht Building Company (later became John Trumpy & Sons); she was completed March 26th, 1943 and then reclassified and commissioned into the USN on April 13th, 1943 as SC-1068.
All told a series of small shipyards built 438 examples of this design, the SC-497 class subchaser : out of the 438 vessels of this type it is believed that less than 5 are currently still afloat! They were armed with a variety of ordnance, but the most common arrangement fielded a set of two mousetrap anti submarine projectors (four 37lb torpex filed rockets each), a forward gun (40mm Bofors, 3″-50 cal or 3″-23 cal), three 20mm Oerlikon auto cannons aft of the house, two K-gun depth charge launchers, and various roll off depth charge racks (Some smaller 30 cal and 50 cal machine guns have been reported as field fitted as well).
She served in the South Pacific during WWII conducting anti submarine patrols and assisting with convoy escort and screening of surface ships. The role of the Subchasers was expanded during this time to support numerous amphibious landings, provide offshore screening, and landing craft / beach control. After her time in the tropics, she was returned to the US mainland where she was decommissioned and transferred to the USCG on Feb 26th 1946 as an Air Class Rescue Cutter (WAVR).
The USCG used 70 of these vessels to perform search and rescue work as well as general “plane guard” for the large numbers of cargo planes and vessels returning home from overseas after WWII. Then on the 27th of Jan 1948 she was declared surplus and sold to a private owner.
After passing through three initial owners she came under the care of Albert Halvorsen on Sept 25th 1958, she was officially transferred into the Boyer Towing Fleet on May 13th 1959. Where she provided barge and freight service to Southeast Alaska. Becoming one of the very first vessels to establish barge service to Ketchikan, AK from Seattle, WA.
After living the life of a working tug for a number of years she was replaced in the fleet with larger and more modern ocean going tugs, however, she had gained a champion in her time as a civilian work boat. Kent Halvorsen became her biggest advocate and continued to care for the Air Snipe as she shifted roles from work boat to company “yacht”.
Keeping up on the maintenance and making repairs as the vessel aged; Kent oversaw the preservation and restoration of the Air Snipe for over half a century. In this time the Air Snipe became a fixture in Ward Cove and Ketchikan, AK; unfortunately as time marches on, Kent ended up having to spend less and less time on the vessel until his health finally prevented him from stepping on-board any longer. Kent’s son Pete had taken over the mantle of caretaker for much of this time as it became more difficult for Kent to fully care for the Air Snipe. Finally in Nov. of 2023 Kent ended up passing.
This left Boyer Halverson, namesake of Boyer towing with a dilemma; the Air Snipe needed someone that would keep her active and be able to maintain and care for the vessel. The thought of vetting new owners and finding the right fit seemed impossible. Through a series of happenstance Matt Levy & Kelly Thynes, who were actively involved in restoring the 1943 WWII 83ft USCG Cutter USCG-11 (83366) (which was a rescue boat off Omaha Beach during the D-Day Landings) were connected with the Halvorsens through mutual friends in Ketchikan, and after some discussion a plan was formed.
The Air Snipe was to head south again to allow the general public to explore and experience a very rare piece of WWII history which has also created it’s own Southeast Alaskan legacy after the war. As a tribute to Kent Halvorsen and all the hard working employees at Boyer Towing, who have preserved and expanded the legacy of the Air Snipe there is no better way to say thank you than to continue the work and share her story.
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ALEMBICHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 1960LOA: 48'Beam: 11'6"Owner: Steven TodorovDesigner: Sparkman & StephensDesign: One-offType: Sloop
Sparkman and Stephens designed the 48’ auxiliary cutter ALEMBIC to give her maximum windward ability (design #1479). Built by Chapman and Kalayjian, in Costa Mesa, CA, she was launched at Newport Beach in 1960, for the original owner, Dr. Gordon Alles.
Construction is mahogany, strip planked, over white oak frames. The box-beam mast is Sitka spruce and the boom Douglas Fir. Original trim is Honduras mahogany, much of which has been replaced with Sapele. She is bronze fastened and has bronze floors atop the deadwood. Decks are fiberglass covered ⅝” plywood. Below deck, ALEMBIC has been repowered with a Westerbeke 62 hp diesel and she carries 60 gallons of fuel and 140 gallons of water in monel tanks. Pulpit, pushpit and stanchions are all monel on bronze bases.
She has accommodations for seven, with two in the owner’s stateroom forward, and full berths for five guests. In the galley, which is situated aft on the portside, there is a propane stove with an oven, and an ice box. The light build, simple interior and expansive sail lockers are indicative of the owner’s focus on ocean racing. Dr. Alles, a research chemist, named the vessel for the ancient tools of alchemists called Alembics. These were used to derive the essences of perfumes from flowers or spirits from wines. Similarly, ALEMBIC will serve to distill the essence of sailing for all those aboard.
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AnandaFor SaleHome Port: Egmont, BCYear Built: 1932LOA: 32'Beam: 9'Owner: Charlie SyburgDesigner: Peter HansenDesign: Tri Cabin CruiserType: Power
Ananda is a 32’ Tri cabin cruiser built by Peter Hansen in Everett, Wa and launched in 1932. Ananda was built and designed by Peter Hansen for his personal use and was originally named the Margaret H (One account states she was named for his wife and another his grand daughter). Upon completion in his yard, Ananda was rolled on logs downhill to the launch site. She is currently moored in Egmont, BC and cruises extensively each season in the waters of BC… with regular trips to Princess Louisa inlet, Desolation Sound and the gulf islands.
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Argonaut IIFor SaleHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 1922LOA: 73'3"Beam: 14'8"Owner: Nicholas VerrochiDesigner: Menchions ShipyardDesign: One-offType: Power
For more than a century, Argonaut II sailed the waters of the Pacific Northwest and most famously served the remote native tribes and rural communities of British Columbia. Originally built as a corporate yacht for the Powell River Company in Vancouver, BC in 1922, the United Methodist Church purchased the boat in 1934 to serve as a Mission Boat until 1967. Originally named “Greta M,” the church rechristened the boat “Thomas Crosby IV” after a NW Missionary, and skippered by the famous Haida Chief Rev. Dr. Peter Kelly who was the first full-blooded Native American ordained in the United Church of Canada. Thomas Crosby IV operated as a fully-equipped hospital, servicing the remote lighthouses, canneries, logging camps, and isolated settlements, and carried more than 1000 patients a year. In 1967, the boat was renamed “Argonaut II” and has been a private yacht ever since, thankfully with many willing hands to continue its maintenance and upkeep.
Argonaut II was originally powered by a 3-cylinder Fairbanks Morse engine, but repowered in 1940 with an air-start 6-cylinder Gardner 6L3. The carvel-planked hull is made of 2 1/2″ Port Orford Cedar (and we are currently pulling original wood off the boat still in decent condition for its age). In 2023, local Port Townsend Shipwrights Peter Stein, Quillan Hunt, and Rowan Schatz supported a ten-week project replacing 37 Alaskan yellow cedar planks, 21 white oak frames, inner and outer sponson and purpleheart/ironbark guard on the Starboard side, as well as some modifications to the rudder and interior systems. The deck is made of fir, with a teak pilot house and teak railings. Below deck, the boat feels like a step back in time, maintained as it was during its times serving as a mission boat, with stained glass cabinets in the main salon, an aft state room with two bunks, and a forward stateroom ahead of the engine room.
Follow the ongoing projects, story, and adventure on YouTube and Instagram at mv_argonaut@
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BISHHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 2022LOA: 34'8"Beam: 9'2"Owner: Karl BischoffDesigner: Murray PetersonDesign: SusanType: Schooner
BISH is a Murray Peterson Susan schooner. Port Orford Cedar on steam-bent white oak frames. Teak decks on laminated doug fir deck beams. Hand crank SABB lifeboat engine. All standing rigging is galvey 7×7, parcel and served. Built by Karl Bischoff in Georgetown, Seattle. It’s taken 12 years so far. For each task, I had to do research and take classes… NWSWB for stream bending, surveying, planking… Brion Toss’ loft for splicing/parcel/serving. BISH was my dad’s nickname. He was an armchair adventurer… always studying the Canadien Voyageurs, Wolves, Tugboat Captains of Oakland California, etc. He also loved to start organizations like the American Whitewater Association, American Canoe Association, Square-dance Callers of America, and American Spelunking Association (cave exploring). After living aboard my 37′ cutter for 8 years, I started my first build, a 15′ Whitehall named Leslie Jean (named for my lovely wife). So now there is BISH. I think I’ll name the dinghy Helen (my mom). It’s all in the family. Check out the whole build process at bischoffboatworks.com.
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Black DogsFor SaleHome Port: Hillsboro, ORYear Built: 2007LOA: 22'6"Owner: Lark BrandtDesigner: William AtkinsDesign: Rescue MinorType: Power
A Northwest built version of a William Atkins “Rescue Minor” Article by James Thomas from Small Craft Advisor Magazine
For some years I’d heard stories about a boat an acquaintance of mine, Mark Nelson, a skilled carpenter and machinist had built to allow his wife Lark and he to take day trips on the Rivers and Lakes in Oregon. Knowing my interest in all things boats, my friend Lynn Fox, suggested I contact Lark to see the boat. Mark passed away a couple of years ago, and Lark was interested in my opinion related to selling the boat; so I called Lark.
She said it was a Rescue Minor, designed in the 1940s by William Atkins as a shallow water boat for rescues and salvage work. My usual interest is sailboats, but the name of a famous designer piqued my interest so we made arrangements for me to visit her in rural Washington County, Oregon outside Hillsboro. We’d look at the boat, she’d share some notes Mark had made during it’s construction and then we’d head into Hillsboro for pizza, beer, and some local jazz.
So on a Tuesday afternoon I drove out to Lark’s place. She’d pulled the boat, named Black Dogs out of it’s shelter where it has sat since Mark’s death. I could see the appeal to Mark in the design. With a big open unobstructed hull, there was plenty of room for taking friends on picnics and with the unusual shallow draft stern design with the prop tucked up into the hull, the boat would be able to navigate the shallow waters of the Columbia River estuary islands with ease and could be camped on in a pinch. I’d seen pictures of versions of this boat gussied up with center console and varnished decks, but Mark’s was the real deal; a simple, elegant, tiller steered open boat with mahogany coaming, but workboat finishes otherwise. Lark shared Mark’s notes after he’d completed the build and we headed to Hillsboro for pizza and jazz.
It’s always sad when someone lavishes years and countless hours on building a boat they hope will become longtime part of the family and their hopes are cut short by an untimely death. Later, when I’d had a chance to look over Mark’s notes, I was especially struck by the thought and effort he put into creating the powerplant for the boat as well as to translating Atkin’s drawings into this boat. Mark was a consummate craftsman who created a truly unusual historic craft I felt was worth sharing with my fellow small craft lovers. In that spirit, I’ll let Mark’s description of his boat and it’s engine build conclude this article.
ENGINE CHOICE AND MODIFICATIONS
A significant amount of my time building the boat was dedicated to the engine build. The boat as Atkin designed it was originally powered by a 63 cubic inch Atomic Four engine. I converted a 1988 Chevrolet Sprint 61 cubic inch, 3 cylinder engine for powering the boat. This is identical to the Suzuki from which the Sprint was derived. The engine turns a 10” x 13” three blade propeller through a ZF-10 reverse gear with a 1.8 to 1 reduction. The carburetor is a single downdraft Solex carburetor from a Volvo Penta outdrive. A Seacamp heat exchanger provides for fresh water cooling for the aluminum block, head, and exhaust manifold. A Vetus muffler takes some the noise out of the exhaust, although it is louder than I had hoped when the engine is run at higher power settings. The raw water pump is from a Kohler generator set, and an ignition-protected Leece-Neville alternator provides charging current. The Sprint engine has more power than the hull requires, so the engine runs at fairly low throttle settings. Fuel consumption is typically under 1 gph. I have seen 18 mph on the GPS, but the boat throws a lot of spray at that speed and the engine is annoyingly loud. 10 to 12 mph is a more comfortable cruising speed. For the first season, I ran the engine without a cover. Adding the engine cover reduced noise a good deal. “USING BLACK DOGS:
“One of the pleasures of this boat is how easily and quietly it will slip along at about three knots. This is just right for keeping company with someone in a kayak or taking in the scenery in a backwater. The hull is so easily driven at low speeds that an electric motor could be an alternative if a limited range weren’t a problem.This is a much different boat than a modern 20 ft. fiberglass inboard designed to pull wakeboarders or go for a Sunday drinking party. The area under the foredeck holds the anchor, extra life vests and sand chairs. The 11 gallon fuel tank, spare parts, extra lines, etc. are under the stern deck. The battery and tools are under the bench seat. Current formal seating accommodates the pilot and two passengers, anybody else gets a folding chair.
There are any number of improvements that could be made, but at this point I am content to use it as a day boat on the rivers and lakes here in western Oregon. I chose to build the boat using plywood plank on frame because I was reasonably confident of a successful outcome since I was familiar with the method, but it could also have been executed in stitch and glue or using welded aluminum construction. A light removable top would give some protection from the summer sun and extend the cool weather boating season and removable bunk boards would let us sleep on the boat easier
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Blue PeterHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 1928LOA: 96'Beam: 18' 6"Owner: Chuck and Linda BarboDesigner: Ted GearyDesign: One-offType: Power
In 1928, the Motor Yacht Blue Peter was built for the Seattle architect John Graham Sr. at Lake Union Dry Dock, and drawn by the famous local naval architect, Ted Geary. Four 96 foot fan-tails were built in the Seattle area during the same time, and there are several local “Cousins” active in Local waters today. The yacht has gone through several major refitting’s over the 95 years of her service, with the latest work done by Port Townsend’s own, Haven Boat works. She is constantly maintained by a small crew, and is works our local waters from Olympia northward. Normally in private service, Blue Peter has recently begun offering charters for up to eight overnight guests and up to 12 guests for daytrips. Wedding parties, dinner and wine-tasting, as well as local cruising is available with limited schedules.
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Blue StarrHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 2005LOA: 50'Beam: 12'Owner: Alex JonesDesigner: Bill GardenDesign: One-offType: Schooner
Laid up in 1970, launched in 2005, two brothers working at the Nanoose Shipyards in Nanaimo (Vancouver Island) built Blue Starr with Bill Garden’s blessing. Garden, who lived on Toad’s Landing – his personal island not far away from Nanaimo, may have even asked the brothers personally to finish out their Alaskan Yellow Cedar on Oak “Walloon” hull as a Schooner, as he had decided the lines would be better suited as a Schooner rather than the 89 Walloon Ketches that had been built around the world. Either way, his signature rests on the modified draft designs onboard, where the cabin and rigging were modified before construction. Unfortunately, shortly after launch in Port Alberni (yes, a conundrum as to why she was launched on the other side of the island), one of the brother’s passed away and the boat was donated to SALTS in Victoria BC, where it was eventually bought by Rayford Chew, who now owns Schooner Tyrone in Maine. Captain Alex bought her in early 2022, and has been living aboard and refitting her while charting future courses beyond Cape Flattery.
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BoleroFor SaleHome Port: Bremerton, WAYear Built: 1965LOA: 40'Beam: 10'6"Owner: Jay SpearmanDesigner: Bill GardenDesign: One-offType: Sloop
Bolero is an original double-ended 40 foot sloop designed by the renowned N.A. Bill Garden and launched in 1965. Her distinctive appearance, clean lines, flush deck, and raking jack staff present a strong statement. She has been featured in numerous books and magazine articles.
Bolero was always one of Bill Garden’s favorites. He made many trips aboard her, with his close friend and builder/shipwright, Jim Hillman. Built as a potential live-aboard for Jim, she has a double cabin, with generous headroom throughout the main cabin. As an early design with port lights in the hull, it is possible to sit at the dinette and view the harbor from opened ports and deck hatches. She is of traditional Northwest construction. Hull material is Alaska Yellow Cedar with oak ribs. Deck is 2 layers of plywood overlaid with fiberglass. Mast is Sitka spruce. She sails well and sports new sails. A classic Puget Sound cruising boat that has sailed the waters of the Salish Sea, northern British Columbia, and has been as far north as Ketchikan, Alaska. Possibly beyond.
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Bright StarHome Port: Lake Oswego, ORYear Built: 2004–2006LOA: 27'Beam: 8'Owner: Ray BrownDesigner: Renn TolmanDesign: Tolman Alaskan Skiff Jumbo 24Type: Power
“Bright Star” is a Tolman Jumbo 24, from a design by Renn Tolman of Homer, Alaska. As are all the Tolman boats, she is a plywood stitch-and-glue wooden boat, and light for her size.
The Tolman Alaskan Skiffs began as 18′ open boats, built for fishing in Alaskan waters. The basic design has evolved. Most now are cabin boats 22′-24′ long, with a few built at 26′, and built by the people who plan to use them.
Ray built her on our backporch. It took 2.5 years, from delivery of plywood to launching. We customized ours as a cabin cruiser, for cruising and fishing. Recently, we switched from a chemical toilet to a composting one, and are well-pleased at how it works. Two sleep and live comfortably on Bright Star, and last year we created a bed space for a family member to join us. It worked very well.
The boat is powered by a Cummins diesel MerCruiser 1.7L, 120hp, inboard/outboard. Cruising speed is 18 mph and cruising weight, fully provisioned and stowed, is 3800 pounds. Being light for its size, Bright Star is easy to tow. We use a Dodge Ram diesel 4-door pickup.
This boat gets great fuel economy. With two 36-gallon tanks, we have a range of 300 miles, at speed. So far, we have 7900+ statute miles under our keel. Note: This is at WBF appplication time. More cruising happens in the 2023 season.
Local home area day trips and cruising have been in the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. But most of our cruising has been up north, in salt water. Having a trailerable boat allows us freedom easily to go farther, and get into salt water in Washington and BC. As former long distance offshore sailboat cruisers, we find it great fun to get to places faster, and have more time for fishing, exploring, and in ports for seeing the smaller communities.
We’ve explored the South Sound, spent a lot of time inside, along Vancouver Island, in the San Juans, more time in the Gulf Islands, went up the Fraser River, and north on the BC mainland side. We cruised in the Broughton Archipelago, taking the ferry Coho over to Victoria and driving up to Port McNeill to launch. An outside trip from Port Townsend to Walters Cove, almost to Brooks Peninsula, taught us that when the fishing boats are filling the harbor in Tofino, we should stay put. Ask us how we know this boat can fly.
Cruising was put on hold during 2020 and 2021. With more time at home, Ray began building another boat. Based on a Tolman hull design, it is a 21′ open speedboat, modified to be all-electric, with solar panels and Tesla batteries, built for use on a lake.
More information on the building of cabin boat Bright Star — www.backporchboat.org/
— Ray Brown
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BuʔqʷHome Port: Olympia, WAYear Built: 2022LOA: 17'Beam: 5'Owner: Michael BuseDesigner: Tim Lee, John Gardner, SmithsonianDesign: One-offType: Row
Buʔqʷ, pronounced approximately like ‘poke’ but with a ‘b,’ which is Lushootseed for duck (as in the bird), is a 16 foot replica ship’s small boat from the 19th Century. She is a replica of what I believe was the smallest ship’s boat carried by the USS Massachusetts in April of 1850, when the Massachusetts became the first American, and the first propeller driven, steamship on the waters of the Salish Sea. Through Buʔqʷ I will tell the story of the Massachusetts and her crew. Why should people today care? Ultimately it was American steamers that influenced the Salish Sea the most, and the screw propeller proved to be the most effective way of transmitting the power of an engine to the water…look at Point Hudson, Boat Haven, Port Townsend Bay or Admiralty Inlet…almost all of the vessels you see have screw propellers today. Steamboats facilitated travel and commerce, encouraging settlement of non-Indigenous peoples, but they also aided in the destruction of the environment and the way of life of Native Americans. Although my project focuses on the Massachusetts, Buʔqʷ can play many roles and is not merely a boat…she is a time machine. She can slip back to the 1790s and accompany Vancouver, she could have been carried by a fur trading vessel in the early 19th Century like the Guatimozin (which may have been the first non-Indigenous American ship on the Salish Sea), she could have been carried in 1841 by the US Exploring Expedition under Charles Wilkes, she could have been used by the Hudson’s Bay Company, she could have been tied up in a creek to help people get around the Sound, and she is also a great boat in the present. I would like to make folks who attend the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival aware of this incredible and influential history that few people know about today. Thank you.
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Camas MoonHome Port: Victoria, B.C.Year Built: 2022LOA: 24'Beam: 6'6"Owner: Alex ZimmermanDesigner: Tad RobertsDesign: CoPogy 18Type: Yawl
Camas Moon is the first boat built to Tad Roberts’ new CoPogy 18 design. She is 18’ LOD, 24’ LOA, 6’6” beam, and 9” draft. She is rigged as a gaff yawl, with an off-center pivoting centerboard, and has a 6 HP outboard motor in a well. Designed as a trailerable mini-motorsailer for one or two people, she will be equally at home motoring all day in the calms or sailing when the wind serves. Construction is stitch-and-glue around structural ply bulkheads, hull and deck is marine ply, with Douglas Fir for most other elements, including the spars. Extensive watertight storage compartments make the boat unsinkable. Construction began not long after the start of the pandemic and was completed in June 2022.
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CeridwenHome Port: Port Hadlock, WAYear Built: 1993LOA: 39'Beam: 10'Owner: Matthew McClearyDesigner: William AtkinsDesign: Little Maid of KentType: Schooner
Ceridwen was lofted in the Fall of 1982 at Magner & Sons Boatworks in Carlsborg, WA. Matt McCleary with the help of John and his son Kevin, started building the Atkins’ “Little Maid of Kent” Schooner. Poured 2500lbs of lead for Keel, Balua Keel Timbers, Oregon Oak floor timber’s and steam-bent oak frames, Port Orford Cedar planking, old-growth Douglas Fir cabin sides, Honduras Mahogany Taff rails, laid Teak decks over plywood sub deck, mahogany covering boards. All tankage (water and diesel), electrical system, and Diesel engine were installed. Pete Langley of PT Foundry cast most of Ceridwen’s deck and Spar hardware. Hassey-Petrich sails were built. Launched in August 1994, and then masts, bowsprit, and spars were finished and rigged.
Maiden voyage was in August 1996 from Port Angeles Marina to Port Hadlock Marina, Ceridwen’s Home Port to this day. Ceridwen’s custom interior was finished over many years from my garage shop in Hadlock. 20+ years now of adventures with family and friends in the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands, BC.
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ChloeHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 1960LOA: 26'Beam: 7'3"Owner: Brandt FaatzDesigner: Jac Iversen and Tord SundénDesign: Nordic FolkboatType: Sloop
Chloe was launched in 1960. Details are sketchy until the late 1970’s when she was purchased by Greg Smith in Rowayton, CT. A survey identified her as having been built in Norway, but her builder is unknown. Because the original mahogany planking had deteriorated, Smith had the hull re-planked with bronze-fastened Alaskan Yellow Cedar by a shipwright called Pieter Den Hartog of Hamilton Woodworking. Greg sailed Chloe on Long Island Sound until 1985 when he moved to Seattle.
In the early 1990s, Chloe’s deck and sheer plank were damaged by a storm in Port Hadlock. A second restoration was undertaken by Greg’s brother, Charlie Smith, former captain of Neil Young’s 100′ Baltic Schooner, Ragland. The deck and house were replaced, and a self-baling cockpit was installed.
After many family adventures in the Salish Sea, Greg donated Chloe to The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle in 2018. Brandt Faatz, then Executive Director at CWB, purchased Chloe. She was in fine condition but needed cosmetic work. After a haul-out to refresh bottom and topsides paint, Brandt stripped and refinished the mast in December 2019 using Awlwood. The house and comings were refinished as a spring 2020 lockdown project. Chloe sailed Seattle’s Lake Union through the summer of 2020 and relocated to Port Townsend in November. She now resides in Port Townsend’s Boat Haven.
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CompadreYear Built: 1929Owner: Rick RandallDesigner: Stephens BrothersDesign: Stephens 43Type: Power
Compadre is a 43-foot bridge-deck cruiser built in 1929. She is one of three yachts built to this basic design by Stevens Brothers in Stockton, California. Her hull is Port Orford cedar on white oak frames, and her house is solid teak. She was originally powered by twin 6-cylinder Lathrop Mystic gasoline engines and was recently repowered with twin 80hp Yanmar diesels. Her interior layout and cabinetry are nearly all original. She was built for Mr. Leland Adams of San Francisco, a vice-president of Leslie Salt Co. She spent many years cruising the sheltered waters of San Francisco Bay and the San Juaquin River delta. She relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2007. Compadre is her original name.
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ComradeHome Port: Everett, WAYear Built: 1930LOA: 38' 6"Beam: 10' 6"Owner: Kathy Weber & Bill ShainDesigner: H. C. HansonDesign: Custom Cabin CruiserType: Power
Designed by H.C. Hanson, Seattle
Custom built for Herbert William Davis, Jr, Seattle
Built by Franck & McCrary, Seattle
Current owners- Kathy Weber & Bill Shain
Renewed by Haven Boatworks, Port TownsendThe renewal of Comrade retains the spirit of the past and prepares her for her next century of cruising. She recently completed a multi-year revitalization. The August 2022 new hull includes 88 oak frames, all new cedar planks, and a purple heart stem and knee!
Why? When Kathy and Bill bought Comrade from the Birdseye family in 2017, they were buying her back into the family. Kathy’s great grandfather H.W. Davis, Jr had her designed and custom built to his specifications. He was recently widowed and had two teenage sons at home in West Seattle. We think that’s why Comrade originally had 3 bunks and lots of headroom.
We are grateful to both generations of the Birdseye family and the Carl Bolin family for decades of caretaking Comrade. She lives in an Everett, WA boathouse when she is not cruising. She has cruised from Olympia to Nanaimo as of this writing and likely further north by the time you read this!
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Deja VuHome Port: Fox Island, WAYear Built: 2024LOA: 15' 1"Owner: David LesterDesigner: Joel WhiteDesign: Catspaw DinghyType: Row & Sprit Sail
The original Catspaw Dinghy is a traditional planked boat designed by Joel White. Deja Vu is an adaptation of the design to strip plank construction which consists of 1 X 1/2 inch yellow cedar strips edge glued together covered by fiberglass cloth. The transom and seating is constructed from Khaya (also know as French Mahogany). There is no internal frame so that this a very smooth, uncluttered interior. Another design change was to bring the sides of the rear seat forward to form side benches to sit on while sailing. Previous experience with sailing the Catspaw showed that the only place to sit while sailing was on the floor.. The builder constructed the traditional Catspaw many years ago and so has revisited building the boat – hence the name.
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DiscoveryHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 1963LOA: 47'6"Beam: 11'6"Owner: Tor and Jessica BjorklundDesigner: Bill GardenDesign: DiscoveryType: Sloop
Discovery was custom built in 1963 for James McCurdy. She has benefitted from caring and diligent ownership throughout her life. The Bjorklund family are her third owners and we look forward to continuing this tradition.
She has one of the first extruded aluminum masts on the West Coast of the United States (shipped from England) and still has her trusty 1963 Perkins diesel engine. The Vic Franck Yard on Lake Union in Seattle was well known for their Yacht quality construction, and use of the best materials available.
The Bjorklund family has owned the vessel for nearly three years and looks forward to voyaging near and far on this well-constructed piece of NW maritime history.
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DiscoveryHome Port: Seattle, WAYear Built: 1963LOA: 47'6"Beam: 11'6"Owner: Tor and Jessica BjorklundDesigner: Bill GardenDesign: DiscoveryType: Sloop
Jim McCurdy had Bill Garden Design Discovery for his 40th Birthday. She was built to Yacht standards by the Vic Franck yard on Lake Union in Seattle in 1963. She is strongly built of 1 3/8″ Yellow Cedar Planking on 2 1/8′ x 2 1/8″ steamed white oak frames on 12″ centers. She still has her original 100 HP Perkins 6.354 Diesel engine ticking away under her center cockpit.
Discovery’s raised salon cabin was a Garden innovation allowing occupants to sit comfortably and dine with a view of the water, a very novel concept for traditional sailboats.
The Bjorklund Family have owned her for the past 6 years. A good deal of work has been done including a new transom, deck repair(s), repainting, new windlass and windows and a new teak cockpit. We also refastened reefed and recorked everything below the waterline.
She has taken us on many adventures including round trip Seattle to Glacier Bay AK. She is comfortable, seakindly and fast (both Sailing and Motoring).
We live aboard her full time at Shilshole in Seattle Washington.
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Dog PaddlerHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 2020LOA: 13' 6"Owner: Steven SmolinskiDesigner: Bedard Yacht DesignDesign: One-offType: Kayak
This is a unique, sit-on-top wooden kayak I constructed that is designed by Bedard Yacht Design. It is a very stable kayak that is ideal for fishing, photography, or paddling around with your favorite pet. Its construction is a combination of the stitch-and-glue technique with reinforced stringers under the deck for strength and reinforcement.
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Dragons FlyYear Built: 1989LOA: 47' 1"Beam: 15'Owner: Scott & Stacey BurrellDesigner: Bob FinchDesign: One-offType: Cutter
Dragons Fly was built in Bellingham WA, by Brown and Elder. A Bob Finch one off, 4 layer cold molded mahogany, over 2″ stringers. She has long chord fin keel, skeg hung rudder. She carries 170 gallon diesel in her keel, 200 gallons water of water in 3 separate tanks, and 2 propane tanks for cooking. 61’8″ mast, double spreaders re-rigged with Dyneema under the guidance of Brion Toss Riggers (thank you much!). Shallow bilges and easy engine/engine room access. Huge aft cabin. Bunks in forepeak and redesigned salon with fold down table built by current owners. Upgraded to Lithium batteries and Victron charger/inverter with expectation to add solar and wind power as budget allows. COVID clarified dreams for us and we found her in Ucluelet, BC 3 years ago. Blue water dreams lie ahead.
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DreamerYear Built: 1987Owner: Tom TallmanDesigner: Build-a-Boat Plans of Sydney, AustraliaDesign: Graduate 25Type: Sloop
This is the Graduate 25, design #712, from the Build-a-Boat Plans catalog from Sydney, Australia. It was built near Portland, Oregon at Heydon Island on the Columbia River in 1987 by Garry Weber. The hull is of Cold Molded Construction with the first/inside layer of 3/8″”Alaskan Yellow cedar and 3) 1/8″” diagonal layers of Red Meranti, the deck and house are plywood, the entire vessel is covered and sealed using fiberglass cloth and epoxy. The fin keel sports a lead ballast of 1670 pounds and combined with the spade rudder is very maneuverable. The masthead sloop rig sail area is 300 square feet and all inboard. Auxiliary power is by a single inboard diesel. The cockpit foot well is self draining.
After launching, Garry lived aboard for 7 years and cruised up and down the coast. One cruise took Garry from Astoria to San Francisco in 5 1/2 days. Then it was down to the Sea of Cortez for a winter of exploring the rugged coast as far as Bahia de Los Angeles. He traveled north into British Columbia every season and always made being in the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival part of his sojourn.
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Electric PhilosophyHome Port: Olympia, WAYear Built: 2021LOA: 41'7"Beam: 15'5"Owner: Edward & Eileen PauleyDesigner: Sam Devlin/Ed PauleyDesign: Solar CatamaranType: Power
Electric Philosophy is a solar electric catamaran designed for comfortable, extended self-sufficient cruising by a couple and one or 2 guests. The concept for Electric Philosophy grew out of the owners’ use of solar electric power on their Airstream travel trailer, and visits to the Wooden Boat Festival where the idea of independent solar-powered propulsion on a boat was presented as a possibility.
Electric Philosophy is a custom design and built by Devlin Designing Boatbuilders, in collaboration with the owner, Ed Pauley, who designed and built the solar electric propulsion system. The construction is traditional Devlin stitch and glue wood/epoxy while the catamaran boat form was driven by the requirements for a large solar array and large battery banks. After a year and a half of construction, it was launched in July 2021 and began extended coastal cruising in the Pacific Northwest. As of June 2022, it has traveled over 1500 nm in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Future plans include British Columbia and the Inside Passage to Alaska. Typical travel speed in calm conditions is 5-6 kts, max is 8.5 kts. It is designed for continuous use without shore charging because all power needs are supplied by solar charging the large battery banks. Without any solar input (due to weather or darkness), it is capable of 2-3 days of travel on battery capacity alone.
The need for a large unobscured roof for solar panels (9500W array) drove the catamaran size and shape and placement of the radar pylon. The hulls are dedicated to the four independent Lithium Iron Phosphate battery banks (two 24V banks for house needs, two 48V banks for propulsion) and twin electric motors. The hulls also provide ample room for large fresh water and holding tanks. Propulsion is provided by 20kW motors in each hull. All living accommodations are on deck level, with a queen master berth, convertible queen dinette, electric galley, and separate head and shower. The solar roof provides covered walkways and cockpit area.
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FAMEHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 1910LOA: 40'6"Beam: 8'1"Owner: Todd FeinrothDesigner: Rice BrothersDesign: One-offType: Schooner
Schooner FAME was the personal boat of the designer, BB Crowninshield. She was built in 1910 by the Rice Brothers yard in Maine. FAME was completely restored by Dennis Conner in 2010 in time for her centennial birthday. FAME’s homeport is Port Townsend.
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FlygburenHome Port: Bainbridge Island, WAYear Built: 1994LOA: 27' 3"Beam: 6' 3"Owner: Frank BrennanDesigner: Knud ReimersDesign: TumlareType: Sloop
All it took was standing in her cockpit.
Her mast was not stepped and she was supported by the static steel of boat stands rather than the undulating sea, but I could still sense the elegant movement and speed, Even perched there above the green lawn, her lines and proportions seemed to resonate the English translation of her Swedish name; “Airborne”
I bought her on the spot.
It was the spring of 2021 and I had been in the backyard of her prior owner, Mark, who had done a fastidious renovation of the boat just a year or two prior. The original boat had been built just East of Seattle by Richard and Andy McConkey in 1994 using original plans from the desk of Knud Reimers for his 20 square meters “Tumlaren”. While the hull of this boat is cold molded rather than planked, the execution of the design remains true to the original.
The Tumlaren was a design intended for racing on the deep water fjords and bays around Sweden in the 1930s, but the thoughtful design soon caught on in other places and there are clubs and regattas for these boat events today. Her narrow beam and high aspect rig are common among “skerry cruisers” and similar designs built for the northern waters. These elements give the boat speed by combining the relatively long waterline with the small sail area limit of 20 square meters required by the rules of the class. The tall mast and short-footed sails were intended to take advantage of higher wind speeds above the water in lighter airs and give the boat a distinctive profile with a headsail tack well aft of the bow. Although her low freeboard makes her vulnerable to heavy seas, her tumblehome hull shape, ballast ratio, and small cockpit help keep her stable and dry in demanding conditions. The fractional rig, equipped with both an adjustable backstay and running backstays provides for shaping her canvas to maximize any point of sail. Flygburen also benefits from the addition of a modern roller fuller as a convenience for single-handed headsail management.
Her most prominent limitation is that the cockpit and cabin are designed for racing and day sailing, providing little space for companions on the boat, although this may not be a drawback depending on your perspective. While many of these boats were built with little more than sail storage below deck, Flygburen sports beautifully finished and comfortable, if spartan, accommodations below deck.
While the technical details describe her capability, they do little to describe the elegant and thoughtful way the elements are combined in comforting proportions and an accessible, efficient layout. It is a true pleasure to sail, a willing partner on the water whether racing or just cruising.
She is no stranger to Port Townsend, having shown well in prior Wooden Boat Festivals under prior ownership and her most renovation has utilized custom bronze fittings, sails, and covers from the Port Townsend community of artisans and craftspeople.
I have truly enjoyed my first full season as her owner, sailing her on the waters around Bainbridge Island. I hope to continue the committed stewardship of this enchanting boat.
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Flying EagleHome Port: Port Townsend, WAYear Built: 1963LOA: 33'Beam: 9'6"Owner: Kevin O'SheaDesigner: Vinal BealDesign: Maine lobster boatType: Power
A workboat with beauty of purpose, was designed and built by local Maine lobstermen for their specific geographic conditions. These rare wooden watercraft are known by historians as the best working form ever constructed and most beautiful and fastest lobster boats of their time. This is due in part to their skeg construction. Although a visual and spiritual inspiration to many, most of these beauties were left to rot with the advent of fiberglass. Hull forms grew in dimensions as more powerful engines developed and mechanized means of hauling traps became common and the graceful lines of lobster boats with shear and low freeboard soon disappeared forever. Other than a lightweight 2013 383 Mercruiser gasoline V-8, Flying Eagle is quite original, including the hull color of Newport Green and her name. The loving care and restoration, including an overland trip from Maine to Washington, done by Rick Strollo has been kept intact with the new owners, Kevin and Kathy O’Shea.