Helping my brother Nelson build two Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) stand-up paddleboards was one of the first projects I started after retiring. We were building them for the best kind of friend—the paying kind. I guess I’m one of those guys who finds retirement much busier than work. In fact, I wonder how I ever found time to work. Continue reading
by Craig Bousquet
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I decided to build an Argie 15 boat. While not exactly a novice—I have owned a 21′ sailboat and am a tall-ship model builder—I’m not experienced in building sailing vessels. Continue reading
By Matt Assenmacher
I teach mechanical engineering at Hartland High School in Hartland, Michigan. As summer approaches, keeping students interested in learning while wrapping up the school year can be a challenging task. My students learn the principles of technical design while guiding through a fun, hands-on, year-end design project. Continue reading
Above: Align stitch-and-glue panels with a dowel rod. The wire connecting the panel edges passes over the dowel section on the inside of the joint, clamping the panel edges to the dowel.
Here’s a tip for when you need to align stitch-and-glue panels that we heard about too late to use on the Optimist prams, but one that we can’t wait to try. The tip comes from Dan Anderson of Fairgrove, Michigan via local boatbuilding instructor John Schmude. Continue reading
My oldest brother, Jeff, was searching for a small boat to take his kids out fishing and just messing about. Since he had more money than time, and I had more time than money, we pooled our resources. I would build two boats and he would buy the materials. We looked at numerous plans and finally found one of Harold “Dynamite” Payson’s (Phil Bolger’s design #516) Instant Boats that appealed to us. The Rubens Nymph is a beamy (4′ 6″ wide), 7′ 9″ long, double chined, rowboat. The Nymph looked easy and quick to build due to a modified stitch-n-glue technique. Continue reading
by Captain James R. Watson
You may have read my articles about how to build mail boxes, canoe paddles, wheels, tillers, how to get glue off clothing and so on. Somebody called the other day and asked, “You ever build a boat?” Well, it so happens I’m building one right now and it’s a good example for describing the latest stitch and glue techniques. Continue reading