Category Archive

Gillmer’s “Blue Moon” resembles traditional British pilot cutters that worked the English channel in all weather. Dad loved the design immediately and built a “footie” model, finished 1952, before the first actual Blue Moon was built! Kids finally fledged, in 1988 he commissioned John Swain to bring his dream alive. Built on the Chesapeake, sailed on Lake Ontario for a …

I decided to build Melissa after visiting the 2012 wooden boat festival in Port Townsend. The inspiration was a lovely lapstrake version of Marc Barto’s melonseed skiff with a shiny black hull and bright deck. When it came time to source materials I was fortunate to find some very affordable genuine mahogany as an alternative to more commonly used western …

New 18 ft launch built in traditional lapstrake construction. Iroko frames marine plywood Alaska yellow cedar. This launch is powered by a 30 hp outboard achieving 25mph with two aboard. It is a great fishing platform or just day cruising around the Puget Sound. There is plenty of storage forward and aft an even room for a cooler under the …

This McKenzie Style Drift Boat has been run on over 100 Wild and Scenic Rivers, a dozen National Parks, and thousands of river miles. It is featured in the presentation by Greg Hatten on the Adventure Stage and after the Festival it is joining a group of wood boat enthusiasts from the U.S. and going (via container) to Hobart Tasmania …

Kathryn Lee was the result of 20 years of planning and 6 months building. She is the only boat worthy of the name of my first love who got away. Classic and traditional in lines and plank-on-frame construction, she has white oak keel and frames, parana pine planking, mahogany seats and trim, teak blocks, and bronze hardware. I designed her …

The schooner Suva has been owned by the Coupeville Maritime Heritage Foundation (CMHF) since the first part of May 2015. The CMHF is her sixth owner. She is manned totally by volunteers; captains and crew, maintenance workers, and dockside hosts. Suva was built in 1925 for Frank Pratt, a Massachusetts lawyer who moved to Whidbey Island in 1908. Pratt commissioned …

GLORYBE has survived a century of adventures. Her first was reported in Pacific Motor Boat in 1917. “Pounding on the beach several hours in the January storm in which several Tacoma boats were damaged or destroyed, “Glory B” suffered seriously. Six planks were pounded through, the skeg was torn off, the rudder and propeller twisted, and the companion door was …

26′ lapstrake open boat. Cat Ketch, unstayed masts, spritsails and topsail. Planked with Douglas fir over locust frames. Provided the image for the 1999 Wooden Boat Festival poster. Entered and completed the 2017 R2AK. Came home on her own keel. Twice voted best open boat in the Victoria Classic Boat Show.

Descant is a custom built glass over ply pilot house. She has a classic look, with the benefits of modern construction techniques and a high performance outboard. Her hull offers a fast and fuel efficient ride. She can travel from Kingston to Friday Harbor in a few hours, using less than 14 gallons of fuel. Likely, she is one of …

Flygburen is a Tumlare designed by Knud Reimers in the early 1930s. One of Reimers first and most notable designs, the Tumlaren established Reimers as a designer of gorgeous boats combining beauty, grace and function. Flygburen was built by Andy McConkey with the assistance of his father Richard in their yard in Kirkland, WA. They finished the boat in 1994, …