July/August Water Craft magazine preview includes free boat plans – subscribe now!

JulyAugust Water Craft cover

Water Craft’s July/August edition is a cracker

The latest issue of Water Craft sounds like a real gem – probably the best I can recall.

For the first time, editor Peter Greenfield has included free plans for a 16ft pocket gaffer from boat designer Paul Gartside. I’m intrigued!

There’s also a piece about Honnor Marine’s Devon Scaffie, the final preparation and launching of the story of a newly built gaff-rigged pocket cruiser drawn by John Leather, and Water Craft staffer Jo Moran visits the UKs sailing schools.

Beyond that… In Newport, Rhode Island, Ian Scott finds students at the International Yacht Restoration School can start their two-year course on catboats and end it on the schooner Coronet, Kathy Mansfied meets the restored Sunbeams in The Med, and in a garden in Cornwall the editor has erected moulds originally made by Connie Mense as the first step towards building Phil Bolger’s lovely 20ft Chebacco Boat. Other good things to read are a review of the latest generation of epoxies, a feature on cooking in small boats, a review of Iain Oughtred’s new book, a preview of the Thames Trad Boat Rally, a feature on Francois Vivier’s ‘Folkboat of the future’, and of course an obituary of the great North American small boat designer Phil Bolger.

See the advert in the right-hand column of this weblog to subscribe to this splendid magazine. You won’t be disappointed!

Thames double skiff for sale

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

Skiff for sale 1

Skiff for sale 5 Skiff for sale 3 Skiff for sale 4

Skiff for sale 6 Skiff for sale 7 Skiff for sale 2

I fouled up badly at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show: my mistake was to believe the weather forecast and went to the show on the day it rained most.

On the following day it was supposed to rain from dawn to dusk – but instead the sun shone – I’ve seen photos to prove it. Every sailor, gardener, farmer, camper and boat show organiser has had the same kind of experience, and all one can do is smile and make the best of it, which in my case meant taking a lot of photos of gently rain-spattered boats and people.

I’ll be putting a lot more shots from the show up over time, but I thought I’d surprise the folks who came to the show to sell this splendid 1902 Thames skiff by putting up some shots of their boat – and perhaps helping them to find a buyer.

I told them I’d do it, but like so many others they were sceptical. I think they imagined I needed to be paid – but I don’t and it’s not in my plan. Give me a good story or some pics or both and I’ll put them up, though if they’re not, I won’t. Even if this site someday becomes truly commercial, I doubt I’ll ever want to charge contributors money for providing information for a good post.

Don’t miss something good – subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.

Modern sailing canoe Sara is for sale

[ad name=”intheboatshed-post”]

sara-for-sale

Sailing canoe Sara is for sale

I’d like to draw attention to a crop of interesting posts over at the Albert Strange Association website.

The first is a rather sad announcement but represents a great opportunity for someone. Due to poor health, ASA technical secretary Rick Powell has reluctantly decided to sell his 15ft, 4ft 6in beam sailing canoe Sara, which he designed and built a few years ago. She’s said to be a modern take on George Holmes’ Ethel concept; her construction involves ply-epoxy planking with strip-planked curved bilges, oak trim, hollow mast and boom, and built-in buoyancy. She has lots of stainless steel fittings Ronstan fittings, and comes complete with cover and road trailer.

ASA site editor Dick Wynne says she has been sailed just four times, and that her performance matches her good looks. She’s on the market at what seems to me to be a very reasonable price.  See more here.

The ASA site is always well worth a visit, but at the moment there are some corking stories about some legendary boats, including Eel,  Betty (the Strange boat that won the 1927 Fastnet Race), and Sea Harmony.

PS Dick tells me he’s very concerned about the loss of mud from the River Thames, which has led him to moor his boat away from its usual spot at the Greenwich Yacht Club’s moorings. There’s an interesting Wikipedia entry on the subject.

Do you have an interesting boat for sale? Please tell us about her: gmatkin@gmail.com .

Don’t miss something good. Subscribe for the free weekly intheboatshed email newsletter!