Robert Hoffman has been busy using his BETH sailing canoe that he built over a cold Polish winter.

There are now videos. I have also linked to all my videos on youtube – so you can see many storerboats sailing.

There is a new website for the Loire trip in France 2011.

It has been a bit traumatic putting it together, but it seems to be working now.

Jim Post in the USA sent me a USB drive crammed full of building and launch pics of the OZ Goose design – the Big Brother to the OZ Racer (formerly the OZ PDRacer).

Looking forward to some sailing reports!

Reprint of an article I wrote a few years ago for Watercraft magazine in the UK.

The article points out why I think most of the discussion about boat design being a “compromise” is rubbish and taking that point of view means that the design is sure to be compromised.

What happens if we don’t accept the compromise?

I built the Quick Canoe in a day and a half. This is way slower than some of my customers.

It is the first time I have been disappointed building a complete boat this quick.

The risk of high expectations!

But a day and a half with the problems I had is pretty good.

Is it revolutionary?

The Quick Canoe uses Duct tape to hold the plywood together while the glue or glass tape sets up. This can save a huge amount of time.

The Quick Canoe is designed to take maximum advantage from the method.

Slideshow and pictures resources to show some of the methods for building the Eureka Stitch and Glue Plywood Canoe.

Want to travel down the Loire River in France? A group on the Duckworks forum are planning to build a bunch of quick build boats, possibly including the Quick Canoe for a 14 day trip.

Everyone covers their own expense. Maybe September.

This page compares the two plywood canoes in my range. Both have detailed plans and are simple to build.

The page is to explain the differences and to help potential builders see if one of the boats suits their needs.

Lots of links to pictures, build articles and even videos.

The cla

Exciting News, John and David Goodman finished the Texas200 event in their lime green Goat Island skiff.

Five days and 200 miles up the Texas coast dodging huge barges and commercial traffic.

They had a great time and are very happy with the performance of the Goat

Another Quick Canoe built in less than a week. This time by Clinton.

He shows how quick and cheap the boat can be. Probably our friends from the Americas can build for about half this price for the same materials quality.

John in Texas built his Goat Island Skiff from a kit made by Clinton Chase. They are experimenting with a yawl version of the Goat.

They had a launch and a capsize by the dock.

The boat is a great lime green. I used to have a lime green NS14 dinghy that I enjoyed so much some of the design input went into the goat.

Bobwes has been using his Goat Island Skiff over the last weeks.

It is brightly coloured and looks pretty great.

Jim Post has built the hull of his PD Goose – a 12ft version of the OZ PDRacer.

He has done a nice job with a couple of nice additions. A seat in the middle and a stylishly angular splashboard on the foredeck. I am dying to hear how it sails!

Finally after many years of selling the plan I have a photo of a boat with the outriggers from the drop-in outrigger plan.

Every part of the outrigger is very light. The first one we built had each component under 10lbs.

It can make a canoe or kayak into a killer sailing boat. Or can convert a canoe, kayak or suitable dinghy into a stable fishing or diving platform for paddle or outboard.

Perttu is building his Quick Canoe in almost impossible conditions.

The middle of the Finnish Winter.

But the boat is going together well. He is building it very cheaply out of ply and polyester resin.

Clinton Chase in Portland Maine has just delivered a precut kit for the Goat Island Skiff to John in Texas who is building the boat.

The kit arrived in a big box.

This little article tells how his kids are involved in the boatbuilding starting with attaching the framing to the accurately cut plywood. He knows the rule that it is more important what the kids learn and experience than it is to minimise the use of wood!

Winter has been really harsh in North America.

It has even been snowing in Texas – and not just a little bit.

Kenny and family (more north than Texas) are really active on the PDRacer front but like many others are getting cabin fever from being icebound inside their houses.

So during one of the better days … there was boating to be done – but not boating as we know it, Jim.