Using Pigment Pastes
Not many people know about this method for fairing boats - it involves using pigment in successive colors with your fairing compound. Warren Messer reports.

A Drop-in Sail Rig
Michael Storer designed a simple drop-in sail rig for a canoe or kayak more than ten years ago and finally he is getting some good feedback from Trevor Killmier.

An Easy Canoe/Kayak Cart
My friend and neighbor, Steve Lansdowne, has talked about many of his clever Gizmos in these pages before. Here is a closer look at his Canoe/Kayak Cart.

Adjusting Rowlocks Vertically
At 6'-5", Chris Partridge is about "average" size. But no matter what size you are, you need to pay attentiion to this often overlooked aspect of rowing.

Retro Tech Sails
Bob Booth needed a cheap, new sail for a fiberglass Cape Dory 10 he had rebuilt. After much research he decided to make it out of cotton. Here is his story.

Seaworthyness & Trailerable Sailboats
Our Friends at Small Craft Advisor Magazine asked that we post their Seaworthyness test. Gaetan Jette made the test interactive for us. Take it. It's fun!

Foiled Again
All the articles this year about foil sections on rudders and leeboards finally inspired Gary Blankenship to try to improve his Oaracle but with some new twists.

Universal Comfort Station
Here is an idea for a folding toilet that can be built into almost any boat. Harold Duffield describes how it works and even offers plans for just a few bucks.

Oaracle Gets a Carbon Fiber Mast
Everyone is talking about Carbon Fiber spars but not too many home builders are making them. Here, Gary Blankenship relates his adventures in mast building.

Passive Radar Reflectors
Anyone who has ever thought of taking a boat offshore at night has thought about this subject. Tom Schultz has done way more than think about it.

Epoxy Scales Revisited
It's been a while since Joe Tibulato first presented his epoxy scale here so even if Pat O'Leary did not have refienments we should remind folks how easy it is.

Making a Scorpion Tailed Bench Hook
Since we introduced sailmaker's hooks to our store a few years ago we have had many letters thanking us. Bob Booth even found a way to improve this tool.

An Outboard Motor Fairing
Well known multihull designer, Gary Dierking noticed that outboards mounted beside a double-ended hull rather than behind a transom tended to ventilate.

Semi Automatic Leeboards
Canoes and other small boats will leeboards can benefit from this clever system of managing leeboards. John Tompkins explains with pictures and diagrams.

New Rudder
We have had a lot of different takes on rudders lately but I don't think we have scratched the surface. Bob Means presents his take on this essential job.

Construction of Rudders and Daggerboards
Here is another take on making foil section rudders and daggerboards. Bernd Kohler is a very experienced designer and builder who knows what he is doing.

Lapstrake Clamps
We build boats for fun, right? Larry Pullon seems to be having more fun than most boat builders. He even makes it sound funny when he nails a finger.

The Dacron/Xynole/Epoxy Matrix
In his efforts to perfect the skin-on-frame kayak, Ross Miller has tried a number of different skin materials but he thinks a combination of Dacron and Xynole is best.

Easy To Build Underwater Boards
There have been several articles lately on shaping underwater foils, but Pat Patteson - ever the practical builder - has his own ideas and shares them here.

Making a Better Butt Joint
The problem with butt joints in plywood is they tend to fail at the interface between plys. John Clayton recognized this and devised this neat solution.

The Effects of Ultra Violet Light and Moisture on the Strength of Sail Materials
This is kind of dry for Duckworks but Kyle McMillan presents much good information about sail material.

An Easier Weighted Rudder
Whether you want to avoid casting lead into your rudder because of the bother or the danger, Bill Paxton offers an easy alternative that seems to work.

Skate Sailing
In this article, Donald Freix describes how to make and use a crabclaw sail for Skate sailing. Never heard of it? Neither had I but it sure looks like fun!

Fast Blades
We have posted several articles on rudder foils, but this one by Alan Glos talks about his experiences working within the restrictions of one design rules.

How To Make A BHSB
In this article you learn that BHSB stands for "Big Honkin' Sandin' Block" and Erin Scott shows exactly how to make one. You may want two or three.

Tying the Gripper Hitch
In his spare time, Warren Messer does some interesting things - like trying to improve the Icicle Hitch. Here is what he has come up with:

Installing Glue-on Studs
Most people have never even heard of glue-on studs. I had not until recently. So when David Nichols sent me pictures of installing some I had to post them.

Small Improvements
Gary Blankenship has put a lot of miles on his Oaracle and in the process, made a number of upgrades and improvements. Here he shares a few.

More on Foils - Foilstrip
We have had several great articles lately on NACA foils. Fortunately, Tom Hamernik has created this free spreadsheet to help calculate these things.

More on Scrapers
Donald Freix was kind enough to contribute this article on sharpening scrapers as a sort of addendum to Paul Butler's article from last month.

On The Virtues of the Fuselage-Frame Skin Boat
If you think Skin-on-Frame kayaks are old fashioned, listen to what Ross Miller has to say. It seems that with modern materials, this is not your father's boat.

Designing NACA 0000 Foil Sections
In the third part of Warren Messer's series on making Rudders and Daggerboards he goes into the theory and the software he used in designing the shapes.

Building Bimini Frames
Need a bimini for your boat but don't think you can make one? Lee Martin shows you the hard parts and gives a bit of encouragement for the rest.

Trailer Repair
Before Lee Martin headed for the questionable roads of Mexico, he needed to upgrade and repair the trailer under his new Dovekie. Here is what he did:

Just Scraping Along
Long time boat builder and DIY writer Paul Butler has sent us this definitive article to help us introduce the addition of scrapers to our store.

Two Quick Tips
Here are a couple of pointers from Donald Freix and as a life-long boating aficinado and professional carpenter, he should know what he is talking about.

Rudder & Daggerboard Foils - Part 2
Merry Christmas! In case you are at your computer today, we have one more gift: Part 2 of Warren Messer's series on making foil rudders and boards.

A Wood Slat Seat
When Glynn Sirmans wrote about his Toto XL - Angler Edition last year in Duckworks, he had no idea there would be such demand for plans for the seat...

Oar Leathers
Normally we don't reprint articles from other websites, but Paul Gartside's article was recommended by a reader and it is extremely well done.