The Joy of it All
Small Craft Advisor|July - August 2021
Choosing a Boat Design
Ian Kirk
The Joy of it All

Sometimes a design is chosen because of familiarity, or in the case of sail, as a boat to participate in class racing. Some folk choose a design seen in a magazine such as Small CraftAdvisor because they admire its looks. Others may choose a design because they’ve been on the water in one owned by a friend. Then of course there is the Internet with its huge array of designs and general information. Sometimes large numbers of a particular design convince us they must be good, or because they have an active class association or builder/designer with excellent marketing skills.

Is the above criteria sufficient or should we carry out further research before committing to the building?

I had never built a boat but had owned and sailed Australian VJ’s, 16-foot skiffs, trailer sailers and keelers. I always felt that maybe I didn’t have the woodworking skills to build a boat from scratch. But then I’d always managed to greatly improve all the boats I’d owned, so there was some acquired skill in place. My wife Robbie and I had cruised the Queensland, Australia coast in a 25-foot Tophat keelboat. We then repeated the trip in a different manner in an 18-foot Investigator trailer sailer, covering a section of the coast, then backtracking on land to collect the car and trailer. The simplicity of little Sherlock resulted in Rob’s book, Keep It Simple, Sailor: Easy recipes for small boats without a fridge.

One of the benefits of the book to me was the realization that one could cruise in even smaller boats than trailer sailers. We live on an island in Moreton Bay, Queensland, so we continued to cruise locally for a few more years. But the ongoing desire to build a boat and to downsize even further led to the sale of our last trailerable, Bliss, a Clifton 23.

This story is from the July - August 2021 edition of Small Craft Advisor.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July - August 2021 edition of Small Craft Advisor.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SMALL CRAFT ADVISORView All
A HEAD FOR RUBATO
Small Craft Advisor

A HEAD FOR RUBATO

I dislike port-a-potties. I'm not too fond of poop in any form, really, being non-scatological by nature.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
THE ARTFUL SAILOR
Small Craft Advisor

THE ARTFUL SAILOR

Ain' nothin' new about using sails as nautical billboards. The ancients painted all sorts of signs and symbols on their sails.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
Twin Keels
Small Craft Advisor

Twin Keels

OUT WIHUEIRIJE with Howard Rice

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2022
Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet
Small Craft Advisor

Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet

Cartop Cruising

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
A New Trailer
Small Craft Advisor

A New Trailer

THE BIGHTS

time-read
9 mins  |
September - October 2022
PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free
Small Craft Advisor

PLAN STUDY: Fancy Free

If you're looking for a simple and inexpensive cruising sailboat with traditional character, our FANCY FREE should fill the bill. The sharpie-dory hull with flat-bottom, hard-chine form is ideal for the amateur.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2022
BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)
Small Craft Advisor

BOAT REVIEW: Rhodes 22 Revisited)

Overlooked by the masses, admired by owners—there are good reasons the Rhodes 22 has been in production for over a quarter century.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022
Another Favorite Mod
Small Craft Advisor

Another Favorite Mod

The always creative Tom Luque sent us details on one of his favorite modifications

time-read
1 min  |
September - October 2022
BLOODY TUESDAY
Small Craft Advisor

BLOODY TUESDAY

“Although the author if indeed he even used his real name) calls this story fiction, we arent so sure. You be the judge. Eds

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
CRUISING ISLE ROYALE
Small Craft Advisor

CRUISING ISLE ROYALE

I sle“ Royale on Lake Superior is one of my favorite places to cruise. Established as a National Park in 1931, Isle Royale is located about 20 miles off the North Shore of Lake Superior near the Minnesota/Canadian border.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2022