Changing Times
Small Craft Advisor|January - February 2020
As a kid, I was drawn to the idea that wa-ter was not a barrier, but an enchanted pathway if you had the right boat for the voyage.
Mike Smith
Changing Times

My first fixation came at age 12, after seeing a kayak. I had to look it up in our Webster’s Illustrated Dictionary, which had an old engraving of an Eskimo in his craft. There weren’t enough details to build one, so I had to wait a few years until Popular Mechanics showed how to make a folding pumpkin-seed-shaped kayak out of a sheet of vinyl paneling.

The simple kayak was within my budget and skill level at age 15, and my first attempt actually floated light as a feather on our little backwater corner of San Francisco Bay. What a thrill to feel the water pass under a single layer of waterproofed canvas that made up the keel of this collapsible shell. The boat folded up into a bundle 12" x 2" x 8,' so my parents weren’t able to resist my pleading to take the kayak along on extended trips…just in case there’d be some waterway to explore.

That led me to connect with the guy from NASA who experimented with new-fangled materials like fiberglass. In 1970 he had a mold for a kayak, which he lent out to kids who wanted to build one. All the resin and glass was offered with it like a kit, with instructions, and the total cost for a 13' boat was $50.

When I left home at 18, I went straight to the old Aeolus Boat Shop on the foggy northern coast at Davenport, California, where I wheedled my way into a job. Bill Grunwald, who ran Aeolus Boat Shop for 40 years, was a man of few words. The interview consisted of being pointed to a stack of lumber and a station laid out with a strong back for a boat. “Get started,” he said, “and if it takes you more than a week and a half to build, you get to keep the boat, but no job.” I made it in time, and though I only worked at Aeolus one summer, 45 years later I still have with me the 18' lumberman’s bateaux.

Bu hikaye Small Craft Advisor dergisinin January - February 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

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

Bu hikaye Small Craft Advisor dergisinin January - February 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

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

SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
September - October 2022
Twin Keels
Small Craft Advisor

Twin Keels

OUT WIHUEIRIJE with Howard Rice

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

Cedar Key 2022 Windy Boat Meet

Cartop Cruising

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

A New Trailer

THE BIGHTS

time-read
9 dak  |
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 dak  |
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+ dak  |
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 dak  |
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+ dak  |
September - October 2022