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The World’s Finest Wooden Boats ®

Discover the, van dam difference.

Building boats exclusively from wood, Van Dam ensures craftsmanship lives on as an art form for you and future generations to enjoy. It is at the hands of our craftsmen that the magic of custom built truly happens. We invite you to experience the difference.

SPIRIT YACHTS

MODERN CLASSIC YACHT DESIGN & BUILD

Based in Suffolk on the east coast of the UK, Spirit Yachts has a portfolio of custom, wooden sail and power yachts ranging from day sailers to superyachts.

From humble beginnings in the Suffolk countryside, Spirit Yachts now operates from a large waterside facility with a team of highly skilled designers, naval architects, boat builders, cabinet makers, electricians and engineers.

Our portfolio of luxury sailing yachts and elegant power boats win awards, as well as regattas.

TIMELESS ELEGANCE

Spirit Yachts’ contemporary, elegant design style is world-renowned. Subtle variations on 1930s classic yacht design with long overhangs, low profiles and smooth lines, married to contemporary underwater profiles and the latest technology, are synonymous with Spirit’s modern classic cruising, racing , and power yachts .

Spirit yachts are designed to be as beautiful in 100 years as they are today.

“THE SPIRIT TEAM IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE BEST IN THE WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO A UNIQUE BUILD EXPERIENCE AND A TIMELESSLY BEAUTIFUL YACHT.”

WORLD-CLASS WOODWORK

Spirit Yachts comprises a talented team of craftsmen and women who are passionate about and dedicated to the highest standards of boat building.

Using hand-selected timber sustainably sourced from responsibly managed forests, Spirit Yachts incorporate the beauty of wood with the latest modern technology for sailing performance and a luxury guest experience.

SUSTAINABILITY

WOOD IS AT THE HEART OF EVERY SPIRIT YACHT.

Wood is a natural, sustainably-sourced boat building material offering beauty, a favourable strength-to-weight ratio, and durability. Spirit Yachts is committed to the environmental sustainability of its wood and is meticulous in sourcing the highest quality timber from responsibly managed forests and regulated suppliers.

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LATEST STORIES

Champagne sailing at spirit yachts’ owners regatta, spirit yachts announces q class commission, spirit founder honoured with lifetime achievement award, spirit c72 wins prestigious classic boat award, spirit yachts appoints australasia dealer, spirit c72 on display palma boat show, spirit yachts set to showcase new designs at boot düsseldorf, owner interview: my first season on a new spirit 72.

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Crafting Excellence Since 1933

The luxury wooden boat company, hammerhead widebody, custom models, preserving the art, of wooden boat building.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

How (and why) wood is making a comeback in yacht building

• Rupert Holmes
• May 30, 2023

Rupert Holmes reports on latest developments in wooden yacht construction, and why this ancient material is being used for hi-tech contemporary design

Why would a naval architect and structural engineer used to working with cutting edge materials for America’s Cup teams, including INEOS Britannia , and companies like Airbus, be excited about working with wood?

“It’s quite simple for me,” says French designer Thomas Tison, “Modernity does not neglect where we all come from – on the contrary it makes the best of it. In a way a boat is a heritage, so to ignore wood would be to ignore the essence of yacht design and building.

“Carbon fibre is only an evolution from this heritage and reinstating wood as a modern material increases the number of options a naval architect has for creation and performance.”

Tison designed the stunning, contemporary 48ft offshore racer Elida which launched last year, and currently has a timber/epoxy 40ft high-end daysailer on the drawing board. To optimise Elida ’s weight and stiffness Tison tested three different timber and glue laminates at an Airbus facility. “What we found was very interesting,” he told me. “The existing data was 20 years old, but now we can carefully select the glue and timber, so the figures for our laminates were stiffer than predicted, with the sitka spruce an order of magnitude better than expected.”

Elida is built of diagonally planked sitka spruce covered with a 3mm mahogany veneer. Additional internal stiffening is provided by local layers of 200g carbon fibre. The result is a very stiff structure – projected forestay loads match those used on TP52s, yet the total weight of the 48ft hull shell is only 1,000kg.

Tison’s next project is a very high end 40ft daysailer. Construction will be an evolution of Elida ’s, giving a strong and stiff structure that meets Category A requirements, yet total displacement is only 3,700kg. He also has a concept under way for a 45m superyacht built in a similar manner.

Outlier is a cold-molded custom 55-footer designed by Botin. Photo: Billy Black

Traditional skillset

The enthusiasm naval architects young and old have for wood/epoxy composite construction is striking. Many of today’s stand-out new designs on both sides of the Atlantic are built this way and it’s often the best option for one off builds and short production runs. Key advantages include stunning aesthetics, stiff, lightweight structures and excellent longevity.

Today British yard Spirit Yachts is perhaps the most well-known specialist in this form of construction and their wood-as-art concept is well documented, including the sculptural approach taken with the Spirit 111 Geist . However, examples of other yachts abound, including Rob Humphreys’ Tempus 90 superyacht. This was built in Turkey, which unlike many countries never lost its wooden-boat building industry. As a result plenty of yards today are familiar with working with epoxy/timber composites. And many other top-notch recent wooden yachts have been built there, ranging right up to superyacht size, including Andre Hoek’s PC Yacht range and a number of his Truly Classic designs.

Britain has its own strong tradition of wooden-built designs: the Elephant Boatyard on the River Hamble has a long history of building, and maintaining, timber/epoxy yachts, including the Barracuda 45 built for Bob Fisher in the late 1980s.

Wood was the medium successful IRC raceboat designer John Corby made his name with in the 1990s and 2000s. And it was the choice of one of the UK’s most successful yacht designers, Stephen Jones, for his own 46ft one-off Meteor , launched in 2006. She was built in Grimsby by Farrow and Chambers, which also built two cedar epoxy yachts for former Yachting World editor Andrew Bray.

On the other side of the Atlantic, several New England yards are active in building new custom and semi-custom yachts in wood/epoxy. Notable recent examples include the Lyman-Morse 46, Brooklin Boat Yard’s Jim Taylor-designed 44ft Equipoise , and the Botin custom 55-footer Outlier . A long list of other notable recent launches include Anna , a 65ft Stephens Waring design built by Lyman-Morse and launched in 2020.

The beauty of wood inside a hand-crafted Spirit. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Build techniques

UK-based designer Rob Humphreys has a long association with this build method, having designed his first vessel in wood in the late 1970s, followed by a string of others, from 22-footers to superyachts, over the following decades. Humphreys remains keen to design more: “The only thing that’s holding us back really is an issue of market education,” he told me.

The medium is often poorly understood, with few people realising the benefits and many assuming it has the same drawbacks as traditional timber construction, or that the technology hasn’t moved on since cold-moulded wooden boats of the 1960s. These were built with resorcinol glues that were originally developed in the early 1940s, but required considerable clamping pressure to create a reliable bond and couldn’t be used as a coating to protect timber.

The epoxy revolution, driven enthusiastically by brothers Meade, Joel, and Jan Gougeon in Michigan in the early 1970s, marked a turning point for boatbuilding. “They got chemists to reconfigure epoxy to be runny enough to saturate the wood rather like a varnish,” explains Stephen Jones.

Even though epoxy doesn’t penetrate deep below the surface of timber, it sticks so well that, unlike paint and varnish, it forms a genuine barrier that keeps water out of the timber in the long term. As a result these boats have potential to last as long as any fibreglass structure.

Lyman-Morse 46 hull completed and being turned outside the boat shed. Photo: Alison Langley/Lyman-Morse

There was another key advantage. “It could also be thickened as required for glueing and, most importantly, gap filling,” adds Jones. This significantly speeds up the build process. These vessels are generally inherently stiffer and lighter than conventionally built fibreglass yachts and it was a preferred build method for performance yachts before cored composites became reliable.

Meade Gougeon’s 35ft trimaran Adagio , launched in 1970, was the first large all epoxy bonded and sealed wooden boat built without the use of mechanical fasteners (and is still sailing on the Great Lakes over 40 years on). Three years later the brothers built the Ron Holland-designed 41ft IOR Two Tonner Golden Dazy , ahead of a slew of further designs including a 60ft trimaran for Phil Weld’s 1980 OSTAR single-handed transatlantic race , before race organisers imposed an upper size limit. Weld subsequently had the 50ft timber/epoxy tri Moxie built by Walter Greene, in which he won the OSTAR.

Over the years precise construction methods have varied, although all but a handful of boats are built with several layers of timber with the grain running in different directions to create a stiff structure. Some have a purely cold moulded construction, with larger boats often employing four or more layers laid at around 90° to each other. This creates a lightweight and stiff structure that can be protected from impact damage with epoxy and glass cloth. The Lyman-Morse 46, for instance, is built of four layers of vacuum glued Douglas fir and western red cedar.

Hand-built expertise at the Spirit yard in Suffolk. Photo: Spirit Yachts

Others start with a layer of narrow planks, termed strip planking. This had been a construction method long before the use of epoxy, but it became much more popular thanks to the development of the Speed Strip technique by Sunderland timber merchant Joseph Thompson & Co (now renamed NYTimber) with help from Farrow and Chambers. The planks have a loose tongue and groove profile, allowing them to neatly conform to the hull shape and giving space for thickened epoxy glue.

Speed Strip also eliminated the need for scarfs to be cut where planks are joined and reduced the number of mechanical fasteners needed. This reduced planking time by a quarter, and clean up and fairing time by 70%. An additional advantage, Jones says, is the “predominance of fore and aft timber strips/planks increases global hull stiffness – the ability of the hull to resist rig loads.”

Around the same time Humphreys was also working on ways to reduce build times. The hull of his H22 sportsboat, which was available as a flat-pack kit with CNC cut components, could be assembled from scratch in a few hours by one person. I know of 40ft offshore racing yachts that were planked up in a week.

Strip planked boats can be built over laminated frames that become part of the final structure, and don’t require a mould that is subsequently discarded. These frames are surprisingly quick and easy to create – at Spirit Yachts, for instance, they’re assembled on full-size print outs of the boat’s plans laid over a plywood floor. This allows each piece of timber to be bent by hand into exactly the right shape and held in place using spikes driven into the floor. They’re then clamped together in situ while the epoxy cures.

The Lyman-Morse 46 interior shows off its timber construction, with plenty of white painted surfaces for an airy feel. Photo: Alison Langley/Lyman-Morse

Originally cedar was used for Speed Strip planks as it’s lightweight yet very resistant to rot, although other species with similar properties, including Douglas fir and sitka spruce, are also suitable. Typically two thinner outer layers of double-diagonal planking are added outside the strip planking.

In the case of Zest , our 36ft Rob Humphreys design built by Farrow and Chambers in 1992, this forms a 20mm-thick tri-axial construction with the grain of the timber oriented in three different directions. Larger yachts may have four or more layers outside the strip planking and a few boats have an additional transverse skin to help strengthen the area around the keel.

Impact protection

In all cases the whole lot is glued together and sealed from water ingress with epoxy. Therefore no more maintenance is needed than for a fibreglass hull and it will never succumb to osmosis.

Jim Taylor, designer of the 44ft Equipoise and 50ft Rascal , both recently built by Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine, says that in North America this construction is likely to be referred to as cold moulded, with the term referring to the outer layers, rather than the inner skin of strip planks.

Modern wooden builds created using latest CAD at Spirit Yachts. Photo: Spirit Yachts

Equipoise was built with a first layer of fore-and-aft tongue and groove larch planking which is epoxy bonded to the laminated keel, keel floors, bulkheads and ring frames. Outside of that two layers of diagonal 3/16in (5mm) paulonia were vacuum bagged at +/-45° to the initial planking. Then a further layer of tongue and groove larch was laminated over the paulonia, again in a fore and aft orientation. Outside that is a protective layer of epoxy/glass. Displacement is little more than six tonnes, despite an unusually large 44% ballast ratio, allowing a large rig without the drawbacks of excessive draught.

“There is a whole lot to like about this type of construction,” Taylor says. “The approach is cost effective and the result is extremely attractive on many levels. The boats are light, strong, tough, quiet and well insulated thermally. A bright finished inside skin can be integrated into an especially elegant interior, the construction materials are environmentally sustainable, and there’s not a lot of waste. They’re not as light as carbon skins over lightweight core, but they are much more liveable and not nearly as fragile or as expensive.”

The outer glass/epoxy sheathing can vary from light cloth for impact protection, through to heavier laminates that add structural strength in high load areas such as around the keel. A few boats have glass only outside, rather than additional layers of timber, but these heavier laminates need more work and filler to create a fair surface.

Carbon stiffening for Elida. Photo: Emeric Jezequel

Of course, if the outer sheathing is punctured, then it will need to be repaired quickly, but a quick application of epoxy filler is all that’s needed until a neat long-term repair can be made.

Developments and refinements over time include vacuum bagging the various layers of timber together, along with the external protective layers of glass cloth. At the high end carbon reinforcement is increasingly used strategically to add further stiffness where necessary, without a significant weight penalty.

Elida ’s varnished topsides look stunning, while those of the 1987 Humphreys-designed Apriori and 1988-built Old Mother Gun of 1988 still look great. There’s therefore a huge temptation for anyone building a wooden yacht to opt for similar finishes. However, it’s important to note in these cases the epoxy needs a more traditional varnish for UV protection and that can require a lot of maintenance. On the other hand, today’s polyurethane paints can last up to a decade in dark colours and Meteor ’s original white paint from 2006 still looks almost new.

L’Été is a new 40ft daysailer design by Thomas Tison.

Modern look

On the other hand, varnished bright work on deck and coachroof sides are subject to less wear and tear than topsides. Jones says these are easy to prep for varnishing if designed with simple surfaces without fiddly detail. The cleaner style of modern classic deck structures also reduces water retention, so surfaces dry quickly. “It can still look the part but becomes less onerous to keep,” says Jones.

Below decks it’s easy to fall into a trap of showing off so much natural timber that the interior becomes dark; a strategic mix of white painted panels and clear timber finishes gives a much brighter result. The Spirit 72 , for instance, has satin painted panels and a carefully planned LED lighting system to enhance the warmth of the natural timber.

The Spirit 111 has a sculptural cockpit and interior. Photo: Spirit Yachts

Hull windows are possible and, even if maintaining a classic external appearance is a priority, it’s possible to allow a lot of light in from the deck. Spirit Yachts’ trademark fantail window is an excellent example of this.

Alternatively, interiors can be absolutely contemporary in style, as seen in RM Yachts’ 29-43ft range of plywood/epoxy performance cruisers. Plywood also offers excellent stiffness in relation to weight and is an ideal medium for today’s chined hull shapes. At RM all the pieces for an entire boat are delivered on pallets, ready for immediate assembly. Hulls are built over frames of substantial chipboard set up on jigs. Assembling a hull is therefore a straightforward process that doesn’t require a full mould.

The Ace 30 scow bow short-handed IRC raceboat also employs plywood/epoxy construction. It’s an approach the builder says considerably reduces the carbon footprint of building each boat.

Matt Newland of Swallow Yachts tells me their Whisper 300 retro-style planing motor cruiser has demonstrated that at sizes above 30ft an epoxy/timber construction can compete directly on labour hours with conventional fibreglass boatbuilding. The company’s next model, the Bay Cruiser 32, will be a traditionally styled, but very lightweight and quick, 32ft trailerable weekender made of clinker-style plywood and epoxy.

Other forthcoming projects include a range of 45-70ft modern classics by Stephen Jones and illustrator/designer Jonty Sherwill that will be built by the Elephant Boatyard.

These boats will also be more sustainable than their contemporaries built using conventional glass fibre or more advanced composites. The quantity of epoxy used for the build is small and bio-sourced resins can be used without the requirement for a full size mould. The result is that the carbon footprint associated with building the Ace 30, for instance is 1.9 tonnes, but would be more than three times that value for a boat of conventional construction, even before accounting for building the moulds.

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Spirit Yachts has once again struck a perfect balance between a classic wooden sailboat and a contemporary yacht.

The British yard’s newest model, dubbed the  Spirit 72DH , pairs an elegant mirror-varnished mahogany exterior with a decidedly modern interior. The 72-footer was designed for a European client looking to cruise, race and charter in the Mediterranean.

As you might have gathered from the DH designation, the yacht is one of Spirit’s Deckhouse designs that are characterized by long overhangs, flush decks and a raised coachroof. What sets it apart, though, is everything down below.

“The 72DH is the first Spirit deckhouse without a ‘mid-level’ seating and navigation area linking the cockpit and the main interior space,” Spirit’s CEO and head of design Sean McMillan said in a  statement .

The contemporary interiors. Mike Jones / Waterline Media

Essentially, the team opened up the interior to create a larger, brighter central entertaining space. In addition, white satin panels and LEDs were installed to meet the owner’s request for a “more modern style.” Of course, there is still a healthy amount of natural timbers to please the purists.

At the center of the yacht, the spacious saloon is fitted with a comfy sofa and an eight-seat Mahogany table that can be lowered to create space for an extra bed. The well-equipped galley is located port side, while the navigation area and chart table can be found starboard.

Elsewhere, there is one crew cabin and three guest cabins with en suites. The owner’s suite is equipped with a king-sized bed, a banquette sofa, a handcrafted dressing table with an integrated jewelry cabinet and a large en suite. To top it off, the cockpit sports a large table, 10 seats and a built-in drink fridge that ensures refreshments are at arm’s reach. Of course, there’s also plenty of storage space for water toys and tenders.

Up top, the 72DH sports a Bermudan sloop rig comprised of a carbon mast and boom from Hall Spars, nitronic rod rigging and electric Lewmar winches. In addition, the sailboat packs a Yanmar engine and Mastervolt alternator that together propel her to a maximum speed of 10 knots or 8 knots while cruising. She also has a small generator that can recharge batteries or power the electric oven and A/C.

Summer in the Mediterranean has never looked better—for one European seafarer, at least.

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Spirit Yachts launches ‘timeless and elegant’ P70 wooden motoryacht

Spirit Yachts may be best known for their stunning sailing boats, but in a remote corner of Ipswich docks, they have created a beautiful 21.7m motor cruiser

The P70 was recently splashed and, as these exclusive images reveal, she is every bit as stunning in real life as the renderings promised. The yard adds that her interior fit-out will now be completed ahead of the P70’s imminent sea trials.

Nigel Stuart, managing director of Spirit Yachts , said: “The launch of the P70 is a significant milestone in Spirit Yachts’ history. Whilst the core business remains sailing yachts, we are seeing increasing demand for motor yachts tailored to suit an owner’s cruising plans.

“We are responding to that demand with innovation and expertise devoted to the power range. Spirit Yachts is renowned for elegant design, build quality and engineering expertise; with the launch of the P70 the company has proven it can successfully deliver world-class motor yachts alongside its portfolio of sailing yachts.”

With regards to the design of the yacht, Spirit Yachts founder and chief designer Sean McMillan explained: “The owner will keep the P70 in the UK and cruise to the Baltic in the summer, so the yacht had to be capable of undertaking long passages in comfort but aesthetically stay true to Spirit’s timeless style and classical elegance.

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“He liked the design of our existing power boats, so we combined the flared bow and tumblehome stern from the Spirit P40 with the 1930s-style of our sailing yachts and applied it to a larger motor yacht design. We added deep bulwarks to allow guests to move around the decks safely, particularly when underway out at sea.”

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£3350000

A challenging brief

Known only by its project name of P70, this motoryacht was commissioned by an experienced owner who was born in Norway but lives in Britain. He currently owns a semi-displacement Fleming and wants his new yacht to exceed the seakeeping, engineering and build quality the Fleming offers, but with the soul of a wooden craft built to suit his precise needs.

If this doesn’t sound like a challenging enough brief, his key requirements are that it has to be capable of cruising comfortably at 18 knots non-stop for 1,000nm through the North Sea.

That’s because although it will be based on the Hamble most of the year, he wants to be able to cruise to the Baltic for the summer months without having to worry about refuelling en route. And in case you’re wondering, he doesn’t bother with crew either; it’s usually just him and his wife or a few good mates to help with rope and fender duties.

It’s the kind of brief that would have most production yards thanking the customer politely for their enquiry before suggesting that they might like to look elsewhere. Not Spirit Yachts. Head designer and CEO Sean McMillan enjoys a challenge and the beauty of building in wood is that the usual constraints of fixed moulds don’t come into play.

Behind the scenes at Spirit Yachts

It’s not the only advantage; when used properly wood is remarkably light and strong with excellent insulation properties against sound and cold, as well as being infinitely repairable and environmentally friendly. Nor does it suffer from the leaks, rot and constant need for maintenance that wooden boats of old used to.

The trick is to use it and treat it in much the same way as the layers of gelcoat, glassfibre and foam cores that make up a conventional GRP sandwich construction.

The process starts with the creation of a set of ring frames made up from multiple layers of sapele, shaped and bonded to the exact dimensions specified by a computer program from Sean’s original hand drawings. These are fixed into position on a laser-levelled jig and planked over longitudinally with 27mm-thick strips of interlocking Douglas fir screwed and bonded to the ring frames.

Once the glue has set all the screws are removed and the holes filled to make sure there are no mechanical fixings to corrode. If this sounds worrying, bear in mind that Boeing bonds the wings of a 747 to the body of a plane for the same reason.

With the main structure now secure, between two and four layers of 3mm-thick kaya wood veneers are laid diagonally over the planking in opposite directions, marked, cut and attached using plastic staples, which are then sanded off, before being bagged and vacuum infused with epoxy resin.

Kaya looks similar to mahogany but has a more open grain, which allows it to soak up the epoxy in much the same way as woven roving glassfibre matting. Last but not least, a thin layer of transparent GRP scrim is added to create a perfectly smooth and watertight finish that can be painted or even varnished to show off the wood beneath.

The end result is a totally inert structure with much the same strength as carbon-fibre but without that material’s brittle, unforgiving nature that transmits sound and vibration almost as efficiently as a drum.

Spend a few minutes talking to Sean and you begin to wonder why more yards don’t build in wood. His answer is as telling as it is believable: building in wood requires exceptional skill and experience to achieve the necessary strength and finish expected of a high-class yacht as well as a lot of man hours. In other words, it’s neither easy nor cheap. But the best things in life rarely are.

Being a Spirit Yacht it also has to look the part. Its sailing yachts are inspired by the elegant proportions of J-Class yachts but the P70 has no obvious forebear to pick up on. It does share some of its design cues with the handful of Spirit P40s already built, such as the flared bow and tumblehome stern, but the size and volume needed to accommodate the owner’s wish for three double cabins, a covered wheelhouse, saloon and dining/galley area meant some fresh thinking was needed.

The exterior profile alone went through 22 different iterations before being signed off. The end result has a recognisable 1930s motoryacht aesthetic but with its own distinctive style and layout. The length-to-beam ratio of 4.5:1 is much slimmer and more efficient than the 3:1 ratio of most modern motoryachts, while its dry weight of 24 tonnes is almost half that of a normal 70ft GRP flybridge .

This in turn enables it to use smaller than normal 800hp MAN engines while still pushing its semi-displacement hull up to a maximum of 25 knots. Four separate fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 10,000 litres and a built-in polishing and balancing system provide the final link in the chain needed to reach the required 1,000nm range.

The layout is equally unconventional with the saloon forward and half a level down from the wheelhouse, and the dining and galley area aft another half a level down.

The only area that rivals it for sheer drama is the engineroom, which enjoys the kind of towering headroom, space and clinical lighting normally reserved for operating theatres.

Soul trader

It all speaks of an owner who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it. It’s a relationship that Sean clearly revels in, praising the customer’s vision and technical knowledge.

For instance, he insisted on fitting Seatorque’s oil-filled BOSS shafts for quieter running and reduced maintenance, and the electrical system is built around a li-ion battery bank so that it can power the air conditioning and Sleipner curved fin stabilisers overnight without having to run the generator.

Even simple things like the deep bulwarks, which allow crew to move safely around the decks without the need for ugly stainless steel guardrails, smack of someone who has extensive experience of boating in all weathers.

Everywhere you look at Spirit Yachts, there’s a craftsman or woman using their skills and experience to create their own little work of art. This isn’t a production line, it’s a group of artisans breathing life into somebody else’s vision.

P70 specification

LOA: 21.7m (71’3″) LWL: 20.8m (68’3″) Beam: 5.0m (16’5″) Draft: 1.7m laden (5’7″) Displacement (light): 24,000kg (52,910 lbs) Displacement (loaded): 36,000kg (79,366 lbs) Top speed: 25 knots Cruising speed: 18 knots Range at 18 knots: 1,000nm Engines: Twin 800hp MAN i6s Fuel capacity: 10,000 litres (2,200 gal) Water capacity: 1,200 litres (264 gal) Stabilisers: Hydraulic Side-Power SPS55-VF650 Construction:  Wood epoxy composite Design: Sean McMillan

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New and Used Wooden Boats for Sale

Wooden boats are timeless and often elegant, whether it’s a traditional sailboat or a sleek motorboat. Both new and used wooden boats honor age-old seafaring traditions, as well as offering one of the smoothest rides of any boat. Search for wooden boats for sale by style, age, price point, or len... learn more about Wooden Boats

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51 New and Used Wooden Boats

Coves Boats Clinker

Ashore Salcombe (United Kingdom)

OFFERED BY:

Devon Boat Sales

Coves built launch for sale lying Salcombe, Devon. Justinis a lovely little launch built by the well renowned Coves Boat Yard in Salcombe. She is a wooden launch and has beenmaintai...

Hornby of Wallasey Motor Sailer

Chertsey (United Kingdom)

Henley Sales and Charter

The joy with any vintage boat is of course partly in the historic research. Sometimes this proves to be an impossible task. However on this occasion the current owners, and indeed saviours, of ...

Jack Powles Cruiser

Windsor (United Kingdom)

How lovely to come across a cruiser where the owners have taken the trouble to track the history right back to the nineteen thirties and even more delightful is the fact that she bears the name...

United Kingdom

The all new PTS 24 by Statement Marine We first started talking about the new, smaller PTS model more than 18 months ago and now here it is. Originally it was going to be 22 feet when we had ...

Andrews boats Slipper Stern Launch

Beale Park (United Kingdom)

What a delightful name for a slipper stern launch and one which this boat has had since leaving the yard in 1962 behind the Andrews family tractor which was taking Windflower to the station to ...

Henley on Thames (United Kingdom)

A contemporary weekender A contemporary weekender hybrid or diesel A classic Pettersson style design built in Holland and based on one of the most revered Swedish yacht designers from the ...

JS White Lifeboat

KENT (United Kingdom)

Built in Cowes by the venerable J.S. White in 1925 as an RNLI lifeboat, Mary Scott has had a long and distinguished career. However for the past few years which one might name 'her retirement' ...

Broom Boats River Boat

Kyrenia was constructed as Kyrenia of Brundall in 1961 at the venerable yard of Broom boats in Brundall. This particular design was known as the Broom Robb and was a popular family cruiser with...

West Berkshire (United Kingdom)

Swanella - reduced for a quick sale An Andrews 25ft slipper stern launch which has been maintained over the years by its two owners, one of whom is now the President of the Thames Vintage Boa...

Leo Robinson Gentleman's launch

Natasha is a very rare and beautiful 'belle epoque' gentleman's launch with exquisite stained glass windows throughout the cabin. Natasha is a very rare and beautiful 'belle epoque' gentleman...

Riva Junior

Nähe Münster (Germany)

BCM Yachtsales GmbH

Description: (G) All information without guarantee, please ask for further photos and details. Details Newsletter: Marex 310 "Sun Cruiser" - Model year: 2020 1 x Volvo Penta D6 380 DPI (1 x 380...

Osborne Motoryacht

Liverpool (United Kingdom)

Encountering Albaquila for the first time was a real 'wow' moment for me. This is a wonderful testament to British boatbuilding post war and to one couple's dedication to restore and preserve t...

Baycraft 19

When the Baycraft 19 first appeared at the Traditional Boat Festival in Henley on Thames she certainly turned heads. Here at HSC we are delighted to have been appointed as agents for the builde...

Patterson Fishing Boat

The ultimate day fishing boat or all year round cuddy cruiser When a lake dwelling fishing enthusiast wanted the ultimate stable spacious boat to fit in his boathouse he designed Matilda with...

A Frolic 21 electric dayboat with canopy and inlaid wooden decks A Frolic 21 electric dayboat with canopy and inlaid wooden decks Harrow is a Frolic 21 built by the Steam and Electric Laun...

River and Tides River Boat

Kingston on Thames (United Kingdom)

Built by Rivers and Tides in Germany fifteen years ago then finished to my specification by Dennetts here on the Thames and with just two owners from new, Moules Frites is a smart and unique 17...

Electric Canoe

THAMES (United Kingdom)

Princess Beatrice has been with the same owners for many many years. Like many well loved classic boats she has become like a cherished family member. However advancing years suggests a prudent...

Andrews boats Day Launch

Every few years an Andrews Day Launch comes onto the market, and this one is a really first rate example of the genre full of original period detail. Glenelg has been cared for during the long ...

Chris-Craft Sportsman Deluxe

Chris Craft Sportsman Deluxe. This restoration is a true head turner. We have a Chris Craft which we look after at HSC and which we sold some years ago to a very happy owner. Keuka is a smal...

Vintage Open River Estuary Launch

Venice (Italy)

Lady Betty would originally have been a steam launch, in fact an Admiralty pinnace built as she was in Queen Victoria’s reign. She is of double diagonal teak construction and extremely robust. ...

Custom Boats river boat

She can best be described as an Eastern European version of a Riva (a fast little motorboat) probably built for the lakes outside Berlin in the former East Germany in the vicinity of Kopernick....

J.W.Brooke Saloon Launch

Built in East Anglia in the early nineteen thirties by a well known British boat builder, JW Brooke, and christened Sunny Morn, Tarbes II has survived for nearly a century in her original forma...

Admiralty Launch

Swift x came into my life in 1990 when exhibiting at the London Boat Show as part of the Steam and Electric Launch Company crew where the boat had been fully restored. At that time we had ree...

Thames Cruiser

Thelmarie is an interesting motor yacht, to be more accurate it could possibly be described as a motor sailer, although the sail is more suited to be a steadying sail and for its current use as...

Hornby of Wallasey Vintage Boat

Chris-craft deluxe runabout.

How's That is a smart 1938 pre war Chris Craft deluxe runabout and a good boat for those wishing to have a head turning classic which they can keep at home under its full cover or in the garage...

Golden Hind 26

Portishead (United Kingdom)

Marketing Description A classic Maurice Griffiths cruising design, essentially a more modern Eventide, the Golden Hind 26 is a tough little shoal draught cruiser. This one has a steel hull, ...

Golden Hind 31

Ipswich (United Kingdom)

Clarke & Carter Yacht Brokers

Accommodation The accommodation offers up to five berths in two cabins with standing headroom. In the fore cabin, V berth with stowage under. Opening hatch to foredeck. Separate heads compart...

* Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price.

ABOUT WOODEN BOATS

Wooden boats are timeless and often elegant, whether it’s a traditional sailboat or a sleek motorboat. Both new and used wooden boats honor age-old seafaring traditions, as well as offering one of the smoothest rides of any boat. Search for wooden boats for sale by style, age, price point, or length to find the perfect one.

Main Characteristics of Wooden Boats

Wooden boats have always held a special place in sailor’s hearts, and they’re steeped in tradition and heritage. Wooden boats come in all styles and sizes, from tiny wooden rowboats up to ocean-going galleons. While materials such as fiberglass and aluminum are today most widely used in boat-building, there are still manufacturers building new wooden boats combined with modern technology and engineering. And with classic models to be found on the used market, owning a wooden boat is certainly achievable.

While wooden boats often need considerably more maintenance than those built of other materials, they are renowned for offering a soft ride thanks to the natural shock absorbing and flexible properties of timbers such as teak and mahogany. The interior of a large wooden boat can also be much quieter than composite or aluminum boats going through the waves.

Types of Wooden Boats

Wooden sailboat.

Wooden sailboats run the gamut of styles and sizes, from 12-foot sloop to large cutter and everything in between. While the majority of wooden sailboats today are classics , there are still some companies building new models including boats ranging up to superyacht size (100 feet long) using a combination of cold-molded/epoxy wood construction with judicious use of carbon fiber. Large ocean-going cruising yachts will have cabins, galleys, and heads, as well as navigation equipment, while gaffers, with their long bowsprit, and sporty keelboats are typically day cruisers or racers.

Wooden Runabout

Sleek and elegant, wooden sport boats or runabouts glide effortlessly across lakes such as Michigan, Como, and the French Riviera. Whether made by Riva, Chris-Craft, or others, they are head-turners reminiscent of classic cars, often with twin or triple cockpits, long, slim lines, and high-end finishings and leather upholstery. Modern versions can be combined with electric engines for a quieter, smoother ride.

Wooden Cabin Boat

Wooden cabin cruisers were popular styles in the early 1900s, with brands such as Chris-Craft building models around 28 feet that allowed for protection from the elements in the small cabin. Other types, such as small clinker cabin boats can be found all over the world and are especially traditional in the Mediterranean countries where they were built as (and are often still used as) coastal fishing boats. They are ideal for coastal cruising as well as being popular features on rivers and inland waters.

Wooden Trawler Boat

Today trawler boats offer stability and comfort, with plenty of interior space and excellent long-range seakeeping abilities. Classic wooden trawler yachts are a slice of heritage, harking from a time when they were used as fishing vessels designed to withstand harsh sea conditions. Today they are often sought after as liveaboard vessels due to their modest prices, albeit a large amount of maintenance may be required.

Best Wooden Boat Brands

Wooden boats fall into two broad categories; classic models and new-build boats. Classic or used wooden boats can be highly collectible, especially those from prominent boat-builders. Brands such as Chris-Craft , who are still in operation today with their selection of luxury fiberglass bowriders and sports boats, were once one of the most highly regarded builders of wooden motorboats in the early 1900s. Century Boat ’s classic mahogany runabout inboards are sought-after too, as are Italian brand Riva ’s classic wooden models. When it comes to classic wooden sailboats brands such as Spirit and Herreshoff stand out.

There are a few dedicated brands still building wooden boats combined with modern engineering and innovation. Swiss brand Boesch builds a range of exquisite sports boats (some with electric engines), as do HackerCraft with their timeless sport and racer models. Other brands include Streblow, Grand Craft, and Shearline, whose unique range of custom wooden sportfishing boats stand out from the crowd. When it comes to new wooden sailboats, brands such as British-based Spirit Yachts , Artisan Boatworks (Maine), and Working Sail are just a handful of brands keeping the centuries-old traditions alive.

Why Choose a Wooden Boat?

The main reason to own a wooden boat is to honor the traditions it represents, and to be part of a group of people preserving that centuries-old seafaring heritage. They are often beautiful vessels, can offer a smooth ride, and turn heads wherever they go. It’s important to keep in mind that wooden boats need a lot more upkeep and maintenance than boats built from modern materials, and they also cost considerably more to purchase and insure.

Should I Buy a Wooden Boat?

Wooden boats are a commitment, and owning one involves ensuring it is well-looked after and has a very regular maintenance schedule. There is a prestige and joy that comes with owning such a beautiful and timeless vessel, but wooden boats, whether new or used, are best suited to experienced boat owners and not ideal first-time boats unless DIY work already comes easily to you.

This article was written by Samantha Wilson in February 2024.

MANUFACTURERS IN WOODEN BOATS

Wooden boats by make, wooden boats by country.

“I start from the premise that no object created by man is as satisfying to his body and soul as a proper sailing yacht.”

– arthur beiser 1978, the proper yacht, “a boat is like a magic world, like a little island.”, – renzo piano, “i cannot not sail.”, – e. b. white, “boats, like whiskey, are all good.”, – r. d. culler, “the perfection of a yacht’s beauty is that nothing, should be there for only beauty’s sake.”, – john macgregor, “ships are the nearest thing to dreams that hands have ever made.”, – robert n. rose, “at sea, i learned how little a person needs, not  how much.”, -robin lee graham, “it’s out there at sea that you are really yourself.”, -vito dumas, “now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find.”, -walt whitman, “being on a boat that’s moving through the water, it’s so clear. everything falls into place in terms of what’s important and what’s not.”, -james taylor, “there’s nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.”, -kenneth grahame, “the goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help, the boat sail herself.”, – john rousmaniere, “the gods do not deduct from a man’s allotted span, those days spent sailing.”, -ancient proverb, “there is little man has made that approaches anything in nature, but a sailing ship does. there is not much man has made that calls to all the best in him, but a sailing ship does.”.

-Allan Villiers

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NEW CONSTRUCTION

Artisan Boatworks’ team of master wooden boat builders have partnered with visionary owners to build more licensed replicas of Herreshoff designs than any other builder since HMCo closed its doors in 1944.

Over the past two decades our craftsmen have earned a reputation for the world’s finest custom replicas of classic daysailers, runabouts, launches, Downeast picnic boats, and rowing craft. For the true connoisseur of natural materials we employ traditional plank-on-frame construction, and for cutting-edge performance we excel in the application of cold-molded epoxy, sheathed strip, and carbon-fiber composites – all while maintaining the timeless beauty that embodies the spirit and intention of yachting’s greatest designers.

RESTORATION

No wooden boat with significant history and pedigree is beyond repair. Our team of restoration specialists has developed a renowned understanding of the research, appraisal, and approach necessary to return important heirlooms to as new or better condition, which is why the most discerning owners throughout the world continue to bring their projects to Artisan Boatworks.

Our particularly holistic approach to restoration is built on several decades of experience lofting and re-establishing hull shape and sheer, identifying and correcting short-sighted fixes and engineering deficiencies; and preserving original design details, materials, and techniques.

STORAGE/SERVICE

Our clients are extremely proud of their wooden boats, and recognize that specialized off-season storage and expert finishing are critical to their health, appearance, and performance.  The service department at Artisan Boatworks cares for over sixty of these distinguished wooden boats, rivaling the capacity of any such yard in the Northeast. Our greatest source of pride, however, is our reputation for the extraordinary level of individualized customer service, world class standard of finish, and custom tailored maintenance services we bestow upon each and every boat and owner.

From New York to Northeast Harbor – experienced wooden boat owners choose Artisan Boatworks’ full service “mooring to mooring” storage and maintenance program for our proven efficiency, accountability, and because we love the boats in our care like family.

• Robb Report

5 Beautiful Wooden Boats That Blend Classic Design With Modern Technology

Now that's good wood.

By MICHAEL VERDON

From one of the largest single-masted wooden sailing yachts in the UK to a mahogany 30-footer with an Art Deco–themed interior, this quartet of vessels showcases just what’s possible with timber, the most classic of boatbuilding materials.

The 111-foot Geist , launched last July by Spirit , is the largest single-masted wooden sailing yacht built in the UK since the 1930s, when the America’s Cup yacht Shamrock V ruled the seas. But Geist is much more than a giant sloop. Her eco-conscious owner mandated systems like the first-of-its-kind electric propulsion by Torqeedo—a 100 kw motor fed by BMW lithium-ion battery banks, which recharge while Geist is sailing—while her Rhoades Young interior elevates wood to its maximum potential, showing off sustainably sourced sipo mahogany, teak and walnut in a series of continuously flowing curves. Even her sails are made of recyclable materials.

Navy Destroyer

Hacker Boat Company traces its roots to John Hacker, who crafted boats for the rich and famous during the Roaring Twenties. The Ticonderoga, N.Y., facility builds modern triple-cockpit runabouts that nonetheless appear straight from the docks of J. D. Rockefeller. The recently launched Restless is a custom project, a modern thoroughbred based on the 1923 Miss APBA race boat; she uses a foot pedal rather than a throttle for acceleration, on her way to a top speed of 65 mph. The Hacker team achieved the striking navy hull by combining a double-planked mahogany layup with a fiberglass skin, while the owners chose the same Cuoio leather favored by Ferrari to pair with the boat’s mahogany topsides.

Jakob Boesch built his first boat in the 1890s, and more than a century later his family continues to merge new technologies with old-world Swiss craftsmanship. Boesch ’s new, 28-foot 860 has a classically styled mahogany hull with up to 11 layers of wood laid at right angles, sealed with six layers of epoxy and finished with six layers of varnish. Propulsion choices include modern options like twin 150 kw electric engines for quiet, emissions-free operation. The runabout’s meticulously crafted silhouette disguises a beast of a machine designed for precise handling, tow sports and speed. Equipped with twin 380 hp Ilmor gas engines, the 860 can hit 48 mph, leaving fiberglass towboats in its wake.

Fiber Class

Unlike the rest of the list, the Hood 57 LM isn’t a proper wooden boat. The hull is what manufacturer Lyman-Morse calls “wood composite,” a combination of strip-planked fir and fiberglass, though its 1950s New England look—including the superstructure’s teak veneer—and pioneering construction suggest the potential for a modern-retro segment; it offers high-tech features such as a carbon-fiber flybridge roof and electric windows. A tough, lightweight boat designed to run offshore, its twin 1350 Volvo IPS pod drives deliver a top speed of 43 mph, while the interior, with its open salon and two generous staterooms, is as spacious as any fiberglass competitor.

Van Dam , which has been building mahogany boats since 1977, moved away from traditional 1920s-style runabouts to focus on original designs such as Catnip . The 30-footer has an Art Deco–themed interior, with stunning metalwork—including an array of semicircular gauge housings, windshield frames with slatted openings and a mirror-like stainless rudder—complementing an expanse of varnished mahogany. With twin 385 hp Ilmor inboards, Catnip has a top end of 57 mph, and since Van Dam won’t build any boat twice, she’s also unique.

Recent Posts

Hood 35 LM Boat Review

Hood 32 in Sailing Magazine

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THE FUTURE OF LUXURY BOATING

Since 1908 we have been perfecting luxury on the water. We believe that perfection has arrived in our new range of designs that are the ideal combination of meticulous craftsmanship and innovative creativity.

These new designs are not the antique Hacker-Craft you recall of the Golden Era. They define a new era for our iconic brand.

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Five Modern-Day Mahogany Yachting Masterpieces

The pesse canoe, a dugout made from a hollowed tree trunk, is the oldest boat ever found. built between 8040 and 7510 bc, it exemplifies how critical wood has been to boatbuilding, all the way from prehistoric times through the last century, when it was still the material of choice for gatsby-style runabouts and america’s […], michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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The Pesse canoe, a dugout made from a hollowed tree trunk, is the oldest boat ever found. Built between 8040 and 7510 BC, it exemplifies how critical wood has been to boatbuilding, all the way from prehistoric times through the last century, when it was still the material of choice for Gatsby-style runabouts and America’s Cup racing yachts. In the 1950s, a new-fangled material called fiberglass began to replace wood, but there are still a handful of intrepid builders around the world that create stylish motorboats in mahogany. While they often replicate retro-styles like famed 1930s Chris-Craft Barrelbacks, most builders are creating sleeker, more contemporary versions that often look nicer than their fiberglass competitors. Built with a special epoxy system that makes them as sun-resistant as fiberglass, mahogany has the advantage of delivering a more pleasant wooden sound when it slices through waves. Owners also like to talk about the softer ride in a mahogany boat. Here are five of the best woodies from the U.S. and Europe.

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Grand Craft Boats: The Standard in luxury on water

If you seek out unique possessions and experiences that let you escape from the everyday—then let your imagination run wild and create your own masterpiece. Our classic luxury handcrafted mahogany boats embody the timeless design and enduring spirit of the 20s and 30s. Grand Crafts turn heads while every modern convenience assures comfort and delivers superior performance.

Craft Your Masterpiece

Each customized Grand Craft mahogany boat embodies the tastes, style, and sensibilities of its owner, both in the inherent uniqueness of a luxury wooden boat and in the customized touches chosen. Explore our handcrafted boat models as a starting point and then let our craftsmen build your masterpiece.

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Classic Lines and Modern Performance

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Let us craft a masterpiece that reflects your desire for the unique

Begin your Grand Craft journey by requesting a digital brochure. Commissioning your work of art will be an unforgettable journey. Our expert craftsmen will help guide you from your initial vision to the day you launch.

50th Anniversary Collectors Issue - September/October Issue No. 300 Preview Now

Boats For Sale Online

Do you have a boat for sale—or are you looking to buy one? On this page, you’ll find a varied collection of fine boats for sale, including sail, power, paddle, and oar-driven craft, all of which are built of wood.

Have a boat to sell? Place your ad

If you have a current ad which needs to be edited or cancelled contact the Classified Ads Manager, Autumn Charette, 207-359-7713 or [email protected] . If you are interested in placing a Boats for Sale print ad for the next issue of WoodenBoat Magazine - click here Magazine Print Classified .

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To refine your search, add quote marks. If you search Concordia Yawl, you will get all the listings which include Concordia and Yawl. To refine, search “Concordia Yawl” and you’ll see just Concordia Yawl results.

132 Results

Small Craft

7' 3" paul gartside lapstrake norwegian pram.

WoodenBoat School Fundamentals of Boatbuilding class student build. This is a neat project for someone.

Are you looking for a project started but needs completion? This is your project.

Are you wanting to sharpen your boat building skills? This is your project.

Power Boats

1970 luzier 26 custom center console.

1970 GEORGE LUZIER CUSTOM. RUM RAT is one of five 26 enter consoles made by Luzier. Based out of Sarasota FL. RUM RAT is one of several boats the owner has lovingly restored. Kept under cover in Palmetto FL and less than an hour drive from Tampa Airport.

Historic NC Core Sound Sharpie

"Victoria",1963 Cheoy Lee, Ronald Carter, Traditional Cat. $28,000.

19.5 ' Teak planked and deadwood. Copper riveted. Hull is tight, sound and pretty. Decks, cabin top and coming in epoxy covered plywood. Original Volvo Penta MD1 engine. Sail and spars in fine condition. Cheoy Lee fittings and hardware are unique.

Gulfstream 30'

Gulfstream 30'. Built in 1954 in Hodgdon Yard in East Booth Bay. Beta Marine diesel. New Sails. Boat is in excellent shape. No reasonable offer refused.

For sale: teak Dutch motorboat, 7.20*2.30 m, built in 1965. Yanmar Diesel 30-hp, 10 years old, as new. With sprayhood and rear and winter cover. Asking price $ 20,000. Tom Kroeze +31 651788784 or [email protected]

21’ all wood Boothbay Harbor One Design

Hull #25 Built 1959. Professional restoration 2010; taken to wood, completely refastened, all new butt blocks. Stored indoors. Original rig, new standing and running rigging. 2016 new deck, all new Harken deck hardware. Quantum main+roller furling jib, Shore Sails spinnaker.

Fully restored 72' Trumpy motor yacht (1972) is best value on the market

Built in 1972 by Trumpy Yachts in Annapolis, MD overall length is 72’ / 21.95m, with a beam of 18’ / 5.49m & draft of 4’5” / 1.35m, 69 gross tons / 55 net tons.

1960 Pen Yann Magellan

LOA: 19' - 40HP 2 stroke Yamaha - Structurally sound - Needs cosmetics - Stored (inside) for past 3 seasons - New Bimini - New bilge pump - New foredeck - Engine serviced prior to storage - All invoices and work orders available - Located Westport, CT $4,850 - Contact:

Yankee One Design Sloop Sailboat 30’

Award winning, designed by William Starling Burgess/Stone built. “Flame” totally restored in 2015. Complete survey in 2023. “A Sailor’s Sailboat”

TN Simmons Sea Skiff

Original16’ circa 1955. Recently restored. $2,500.

CLC 10’ Tenderly Dinghy

Completed kit Includes Trailex sut-250 with spare Full cover, oars and lines Asking $4,000.

Maine Peapod. Almost new.

Arch Davis design. Lightweight double-ender. Excellent condition. Lovingly built in 2018 with cedar, pine and 4mm Okume plywood. Good for sailing or rowing. BC Sitka spruce oars included. All bronze hardware. Sail hardly used. $5,000. Now at Guelph Boating Club, Ontario Canada.

Cheerio II, 1931 46' yawl, formerly owned by actor Errol Flynn. 3 time winner of her class in the Newport to Ensenada Race; first to finish in the 2024 McNish Classic Yacht Race. Google "Cheerio II" to see photos, videos, and articles about the boat, a SoCal classic. Recent survey available.

Handmade wooden canoe

Beautiful hand built wooden canoe. Design modeled on the Wabanaki Indian canoes of Maine. Great for single-handed use but large enough for two. 16 feet, 45 lbs. Built of pine with cherry accent in seats, paddles and the portage brace.

1929 Hacker Craft Runabout 18'

1967 Crosby Striper #86

Short cabin version. Restored in 2020 new lower frames, knees, floors and cockpit. Refastened in bronze. Sleeps 2 with marine head and 5 gallon holding tank. Volvo penta Chevy 305 70 gallons fuel. Turn key and extensively used and loved. Excellent fishing boat.

Hunt Surfhunter 25

Whitehall 16 ft. Sailing & Rowing Boat

16 foot Whitehall rowing and sailing boat. Maine built 1985. Excellent condition, teakwood trim, dual rowing stations, daggerboard, rudder, mast, sail,. 350 lbs. Dry stored for the last four years. Includes 4 Shaw and Tenney oars, 2 straight and 2 spoonbill.

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From the Community

WoodenBoat School Fundamentals of Boatbuilding class student build.

2016 First Light Monomoy 24'

Seabreeze is well-maintained and in like new condition.

1970 GEORGE LUZIER CUSTOM. RUM RAT is one of five 26 enter consoles made by Luzier.

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The Wooden Runabout Company

New Wood Boats

At The Wooden Runabout Co. we combine old-world craftsmanship with modern technology to produce boats for a new generation of boat owner. 

Please  Contact us to find out what we can build for you.

19′ Racer

21′ Ski Boat

24′ Custom

We utilize the best tools available.

At The Wooden Runabout Company we have CNC design and production capability in-house.  On the design end, this enables us to show you exactly what your new boat will look like before a single piece of wood is cut.  It also allows us to customize our existing designs to your preferences.  On the production front, CNC machining allows us to produce parts with a degree of precision and repeat-ability previously unheard of in wooden boat building.  Perhaps most importantly, the labor–and cost–involved with constructing the boat is reduced dramatically due to the perfect fit of each part.

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National News | Bodies of 2 men missing since Old Saybrook boat…

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National News | Bodies of 2 men missing since Old Saybrook boat crash pulled from Connecticut River

Officers with the state environmental conservation police discovered the first body shortly after noon on Friday in the mouth of the Connecticut River — between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme — about a quarter-mile from the site of the accident,   Environmental Conservation Police Capt. Keith Williams said.

Crews found the second body a few hours later, around 4:30 p.m., the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection confirmed.

Neither man’s identity was immediately released nor were their causes of death , which will be determined by the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. No other details were provided.

The crash happened in Old Saybrook on Monday night around 9:15 p.m.

According to DEEP, a 31-foot boat carrying nine friends home from a day-trip to  Block Island slammed into a jetty by an Old Saybrook marina, near where the Connecticut river flows into Long Island Sound.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they found the single-engine motorboat stuck and half-submerged in water at the mouth of the river.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, first responders rescued six people from the water, all of whom were hospitalized. While they mostly suffered minor injuries, Williams on Tuesday said one person had been listed in critical condition.

Crews also pulled the body of 34-year-old Christopher Hallahan from the partially sunken vessel late Monday night, officials said.

The medical examiner determined Hallahan drowned and has since ruled his death an accident.

The search for the other two missing passengers dragged on for days after the crash and involved multiple agencies, including police and fire crews from several nearby towns, the State Police Dive Unit, and a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard station on Cape Cod

With News Wire Services

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8-year-old tames (wooden) lion in Queens, New York

Jasmine Garsd

Maykel Paguay, eight years old, has been training for this moment for a whole year. Wendy Correa for NPR hide caption

Maykel Paguay has spent years waiting to ride the carousel in Flushing Meadows Park. It’s not for lack of courage, he clarifies. He just wasn’t tall enough — but he’s over 42 inches now — an older, more mature eight-year-old.

"Eight extreme years," he adds (he uses that word a lot: extreme) .

Maykel moved to the U.S. three years ago, from Ecuador. He comes to Flushing Meadows Park, located in the heart of Queens, N.Y., says his mom, Estefania Fares. "But this is his first time on the carousel."

She tells me Maykel has been bugging her to ride this merry-go-round whenever they come, and today she finally relented.

Standing in line for the merry-go-round, she tells the story of how, three years ago, she and Maykel picked up and left Ecuador. The gang violence there has gotten bad. Maykel was 5 years old when they swam across the Rio Grande to reach the U.S. border.

When they made it to the other side, they turned themselves in, saying they needed asylum. In New York they joined over 180,000 migrants who’ve arrived in the last few years, and like many others ended up in Queens, one of the most diverse counties in the U.S.

Fares says through all of that, Maykel wasn't scared. "It was like a walk in the park for him," she smiles, as her son stares-down one of the animals on the carousel — the one he's had his eye on for his first ride.

"The lion," he says, decisively.

That's right: amidst the 64 fancy ponies that slide up and down, there’s a single grumpy looking old lion, and Maykel wants to ride him — after all, the merry-go-round is a place where reputations are made. And Maykel’s “just extreme like that," he reminds us.

As soon as the carousel gate opens, he makes a beeline for the infamous lion. He says he isn't scared. After all, he explains, he’s been training for this with his cousin for an entire year, doing cartwheels and strength training.

And he’s gonna need it- because this merry-go-round gets up to 200 miles an hour (or so he expects).

Maykel holds on tight and sits up straight as the carousel takes off. His mom waves at him, but he’s so focused, he forgets to look for her.

"It feels good!" he says. "Great. It’s a big lion. This is very extreme."

The ride ends, and Maykel emerges victorious, puffing out his little chest. That lion doesn’t look so ferocious anymore.

Would he do it again?

He smiles. "A thousand times."