Bruce Hector
https://www.brucesboats.com

PS - don't forget about the Kingston messabout

Chuck,
This is the link to the South Shore Waterfowlers Association's Annual Duckboat Show.

My son's & I went to this show and thoroughly enjoyed it.

They had duck boats that ranged from the deluxe down to a couple that needed a lot of tlc to float.

https://www.sswa.org/show2002/show02-1.html

Allen Read
Gaithersburg, MD

Hey Chuck,
Hear ya'll are going to the Canadian Messabout in Sept. We be go'n too! Get'n all ready but can't decide on which boats to bring. I'll bring 2...one will be the akette...haven't decide which of the others to bring like the original Yakoo...da yeller and white one, the Stealth....that's pretty beat up cause I use it a lot or the new skinboat. Wife wanted me to take the Featherwind!...the Bay-B-"K". No can do! It's bigger than the Tracker and the Teardrop put together! Finally got the damn rack welded up and mounted. Thing was a pain in the butt! ..not making but mounting and getting half way level. She'll easily carry two of these lightweighters.

they said that to bring all the old boat stuff, books, plans to a boating Yard Sale! Now that sounds like fun! I got to looking around and I got all kinds of goodies that folks could use! Brand new heavy duty oarlocks that I paid 42 buck for from Defender about 2 years ago! I'll never use them! Too much into the lazy type paddling with the double kayak paddle. All kinds of cleats, jam cleats, Kestal 1000 windmeter ..in the box, blocks, pulley, etc. and a New in the box Standard Horizon 260 VHS radio! Even got some sculling paddles and a new Featherlite canoe paddle about 4 feet long I've had laying around for years. Too much other nit shit stuff to mention, but I'm bringing it! Who knows....might even pay fer the trip.

Later - Richard Frye

Yup... she finally sails.

After about a month of struggling with a series of sewing machine problems, I finally sailed Doris complete with a 60sqft spritsail this evening in a F2 dropping through F1.

She sails pretty well, with a light weather helm - about 3degrees, so it's really quite light in these conditions but I don't expect it to change much in a blow. Going about is a stately affair, but I found that if I held on and accepted that she would not turn on a sixpence in the way a racing dinghy does she always got there in the end - and after several boat lengths. I must have gone about a dozen times and gybed a couple, and I did not once get stuck in irons.

Despite what you might have read about small dories, Doris does sail upwind in light winds perfectly respectably (45 degrees or less - really!), reaches at a reasonable lick and runs in a satisfying sort of way. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised to find how well she would go upwind, given that I have still some rig tuning to do (of course!). I should make it clear that even with tuning, she won't ever be a racer but that's hardly to be expected with a long slender boat's large wetted area and small sail plan.

What she'd be like in an F4 is anyone's guess, but my feeling is that she'll be just fine in an F3, and that reefing (scandalizing in this case) will be needed somewhere around F4-5.

I think I've got the boat I thought it would be fun to own: Doris is a very good rower and reasonable sailer, and will be a fine boat to explore some of our rivers and estuaries. No pictures yet, I'm sorry - I didn't have anyone to take them.

Cheers, Gavin

PS - I've started a discussion group for those interested in building my designs:

https://groups.yahoo.com/group/gmaboatbuilders/

Check this link for more information about the Schooner (Virginia) I'm working on

Mike Goodwin

Hi, Chuck-

We've just arrived back from Norway. Funny thing has happened to me during our journey. A few minutes after take off I saw Vistula river near Warsaw (at right) through jet's window. I took my camera and shot a few times, very glad of this opportunity. Half an hour and three hundred kilometers later, on eight thousands meters, I saw Vistula river again, in her delta area, showing one of her outlets to the Baltic sea near Gdansk (below). Remember my planned journey to northern system of canals? That's exactly what I told about! Pics are not perfect, but I didn't care for National Geographic in that moment. There are two of them attached.

Anyways, I'm back home to keep on building Campjon and see these places once more, maybe not so easy and quick, but surely much closer. Next pictures should look better.

Best regards.

-Wojtek

I hosted a messabout at my place on the Solstice weekend June 21. Here are some photos of it.
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/MessaboutW/files/Columbia/

Frank Mabrey created a web site for the messabout it shows my place.
https://www.dragonwall.net/solstice-messabout

We are behind Catapiller Island which is on Fishermen's Slough which is very sheltered. Caterpillar Island is a undeveloped park is about 75 feet from our dock and about one mile long. I have thought about building mouseboats to rent for people wanting to go to the island or just messabout in the sheltered slough. I would restrict them to the protected waters and not to go onto the Columbia. I do not know how if that could be enforced or weather it is a good idea or not. Liveries on the coast have high speed boats that if you go beyond the harbor mark they will come and tow you back

Lon Wells