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The Off Center Crew

The Boat Show is NOW OPEN – and you get in for free: Back for its fourth year, the Worldwide Classic Boat Show is now open, and this year Off Center Harbor members get the S...

Tom Mahuta Robinson

Tom Robinson’s Solo Row Across the Pacific – Update #21: Notes From Pago Pago – American Samoa: Greetings from a lush, beautiful and, above all, hospitable South Seas Island. First of all, I must dispel any preconcei...

Tom Mahuta Robinson

Tom Robinson’s Solo Row Across the Pacific – Update #20 – The Second Leg: Penrhyn to American Samoa: THE SECOND LEG: PENRHYN TO AMERICAN SAMOA by Tom Mahuta Robinson Cars, birds, trees, shops, wharves, restaurants and so...

Roaming in ROAMER: A rare glimpse of the Herreshoff family’s summer cruises aboard their steam yacht ROAMER The 94-foot ROAMER was with t...

Tom Mahuta Robinson

Tom Robinson’s Solo Row Across the Pacific – Update #14 – Penrhyn Life, Part 3 – Fishing: PENRHYN LIFE PART 3 – FISHING by Tom “Mahuta” Robinson On Penrhyn Island you only put your baited hook...

Tom Mahuta Robinson

Tom Robinson’s Solo Row Across the Pacific – Update #13 – Penrhyn Life, Part 2 – The Home: PENRHYN LIFE PART 2 – THE HOME by Tom “Mahuta” Robinson Before we venture into anyone else’s home, I...

Murray Peterson’s Designs: The PORPOISE Story, Part One: All of Murray Peterson’s designs are special as are the essays about them that his son Bill composes to honor his...

The Off Center Crew

Get Ready – The 2023 Worldwide Classic Boat Show is coming! (Feb 17-26): The (all-online) 2023 Worldwide Classic Boat Show is coming February 17th-26th, and it keeps getting better and better&#...

The Off Center Crew

Women of the Working Waterfront: Port Townsend: It takes only a brief stroll through a couple boat yards to feel that Port Townsend’s maritime trades are differen...

New e-Book: Classic Wooden Fishing Boats of the Vietnamese Coast: Along with the new video from Ken Preston’s presentation at the 2022 Worldwide Classic Boat Show, we have a very e...

Tom Mahuta Robinson

Tom Robinson’s “Thank You Card” to Off Center Harbor: Among the chaos and excitement of his final hour on land, Tom had the grace and presence-of-mind to send a thank you car...

Beginning the Houseboat Design Spiral: Perhaps it’s time to stop dreaming, and start living… The houseboat in the photo above has inspired me and A...

What Puget Sound Pilots Want You to Know: What Puget Sound Pilots Want You to Know by Karen Sullivan It may sound counterintuitive, but when a big ship leaves the...

Topside Seams Show? Consider Splining: LOAFER is one of the lovely Herreshoff 12-1/2 footers (so named for their waterline length) and was built in 1936. Altho...

Murray Peterson’s Designs: SUSAN a Lovely Little Cruising Schooner: After he and his crew completed three classic Peterson-designed, coaster-type schooners (SILVER HEELS, NORTH STAR...

Ruby Slipper, a 23′ Daysailer by Doug Hylan: Here is another 23’ foot daysailer, quite similar to my previous SELKIE, but aimed more to...

Enhancing a Cape Cod Marlin: The fiberglass-hulled Marlin design came about in the late 1950s when Cape Cod Shipbuilding asked Sidney Herreshoff to m...

Murray Peterson’s Designs: The JOSEPH H. STUART Story: This is the third episode of the Murray Peterson series and it’s about a lovely tug-inspired power cruiser origina...

EVE, An Electric Launch by Doug Hylan: When it comes to beautiful, fuel-efficient boats it pays to look back to the early lobster boats that raced home to Jone...

Murray Peterson’s Designs: The STORMY Story: In this, the second of the Murray Peterson series, we feature a lovely little schooner named STORMY, who throughout he...

Murray Peterson’s Designs: TRUANT to EAGLE; An Awesome Conversion: Starting with a storm-beached-and-badly-damaged 31-foot Malabar Jr. sloop named TRUANT, Murray G. Peterson not only made...

Boat Photos from Maynard Bray, Part 4: Here is yet another sampling from the collection of 35mm negatives I donated to Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM) in 2013. ...

Boat Photos from Maynard Bray, Part 2: Here is a small sampling from the collection of 35mm negatives I donated to Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM) in 2013. They&...

Short Ends; Long Waterlines: Ever since I saw one of Starling Burgess’s 30’ Yankee One Design (YOD) sloops, I’ve been obsessed with them. To me...

Boat Photos from Maynard Bray, Part 1: In 2013, I donated all of my black-and-white negatives (about 25,000, mostly boats) to Penobscot Marine Museum with the...

HOPEFUL OUTLOOK Gets a New Bottom: At Sam Manning’s memorial service, we learned that his and Susan’s beloved dory HOPEFUL OUTLOOK in which they rowed...

Remembering Llewellyn Howland III: It is with heavy hearts that we at OCH must report that our friend and colleague Llewellyn Howland III (Louie to all who...

JUNE BUG, A Cat Schooner by Bill Garden: I’ve always wanted to build a June Bug ever since it appeared in a 1945 issue of The Rudder magazine. My dream may...

The Off Center Crew

Members’ “Most Loved” Videos — A Holiday Playlist for 2018: After seven years, and over 500 videos released on Off Center Harbor, we thought you might appreciate a listing of the v...

A Rock And a Hard Place: Lessons Learned in Going Aground in HOI AN—a guest post by Bob Stephens: What follows was written by our friend Bob Stephens of the yacht design firm Stephens Waring of Belfast, ME. It’s...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 12: Below are the latest selections from Penobscot Marine Museum’s wonderful National Fisherman photo collection. Ther...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 11: This batch of National Fisherman photos is mostly of boats—and some pretty interesting ones at that. This collection a...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 10: This Guide Post shows methods of harvesting fish: fin fish and shrimp with nets; oysters with tongs and dredges. These i...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 9: Here’s the next batch of photos from our National Fisherman collection. Remember you can see the entire collection...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 8: Here is another batch from our National Fisherman collection of historic photographs. Enjoy! Kevin Johnson, Photo Archiv...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 7: Another batch from our National Fisherman collection of about 15,000 photos, all of which we’ve scanned and have p...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 6: Here are more photos for you to study and enjoy. Remember to zoom in for details. Remember, too, that quality prints can...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 5: These are selections from a Penobscot Marine Museum exhibit of 2015, presented here for OCH members to view and study. ...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 4: Once hung as part of a formal exhibit, these images and captions are presented here for OCH members, thanks to our frien...

Voyaging Thru Time: Photographs from Penobscot Marine Museum, Part 3: What follows is a small sample from the about-to-be-released Irving Nevells photo collection of Penobscot Marine Museum...

MAINE ON GLASS: Maritime Images of Eastern Illustrated: After time has erased coastal Maine’s old-time boats, wharves, and buildings, we turn to old photos for a glimpse of t...

Building a Chesapeake Log Canoe by John Cook: Big trees begat the dugouts used by native Americans, and the long and straight pines of the Chesapeake watershed inspir...

PACIFIC and the McMenemys: Our friend, Bill Page, became so hooked on the husky fishing vessels of the West Coast that he ended up purchasing four...

GRAMP Heads to Mystic Seaport: What’s GRAMP, and what’s this trip all about? GRAMP is one of the very best of the V-bottom designs of Will...

The Off Center Crew

“Dick Wagner: CWB’s True North” – Caren Crandall: The Center for Wooden Boats’ navigator and true north, Founding Director Dick Wagner, passed away at home with his fam...

Visiting Bill Garden: Bill Page recently alerted me to this video – an excerpt from “Throwbacks to a Golden Age of Northwest Boats...

The Day That Changed Buzz’s Life: At age 14 and alone, Buzz rented a skiff in Boothbay Harbor and got his first taste of salt water. The year was 1931 and...

Fitz Henry Lane by Bill Mayher and Maynard Bray: Fitz Henry Lane, the remarkable 19th Century painter of the New England Coast, has long been a favorite of mariners, not...

Announcing the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné: Head over to Herreshoff.info and you’ll land in Claas van der Linde’s Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné, which is, with...

“Anchoring When Solo – The Head-to-Wind Drop Under Sail or Power”: This is an article from Good Old Boat (a magazine we like a lot), written by OCH Guide Karen Sullivan. Good Old Boat and...

The Once and Future Boat Bow, by Rob Mazza: This is an article from Good Old Boat (a magazine we like a lot), written by Rob Mazza. Good Old Boat and Rob have graci...

The Secret to Happiness, Part 2: At Off Center Harbor, we like encourage the ideas of slowing down, getting out into nature in simple boats, and making t...

The Buzzards Bay 25: An Evolution, of Sorts: Written by Bill Mayher with photographs by Benjamin Mendlowitz My on-again, off-again romance with the Buzzards Bay 25 c...

Turning the Page – Karen and Jim’s Excellent Adventure: OCH Guide Karen Sullivan and her husband Jim Heumann have made incredible voyages aboard their Pacific Seacraft Dana 24,...

The Education of Myles Thurlow: A Proper Apprenticeship: NOTE: This article was originally published in WoodenBoat Magazine, Issue 178: May/June 2004. Photographs by Benjamin Me...

How Sailboat Rudders Evolved: Current Designs Arrived Via Varied Routes, by Rob Mazza: This is an article from Good Old Boat (a magazine we like a lot), written by Rob Mazza. Good Old Boat and Rob have graci...

The storm trysail: A faithful and forgiving foul-weather friend, by Ed Zacko: This is an article from Good Old Boat (a magazine we like a lot), written by Ed Zacko. Good Old Boat and Ed have graciou...

A Voyage Through Tasmania’s Southwest Wilderness – Part I, by Bruce Stannard: In the first of a two-part series, Australian author Bruce Stannard joins maritime historian Garry Kerr and bushman Ron...

A Voyage Through Tasmania’s Southwest Wilderness – Part II, by Bruce Stannard: Bruce Stannard concludes his voyage to Tasmania’s Southwest Wilderness with an account of his journey up the magnifice...

Building Boats, Building Kids: Bronx High Schoolers Learn Life Skills from the Keel Up, by Sara Clemence: This is an article from “Good Old Boat” (a magazine we like a lot), written by Sara Clemence about an organi...

Origins of the Keel/Centerboard: Why American Sailors Stuck with a Movable Appendage by Rob Mazza: This is an article from “Good Old Boat” (a magazine we like a lot), written by Rob Mazza. Good Old Boat and...

Simplify Sail Changes — When Solo, Planning is the Key to Smooth Sailing by Karen Sullivan: This is an article from “Good Old Boat”, a magazine we like a lot, and it’s written by OCH Guide Karen...

Good Reads: “Finding Pax” by Kaci Cronkhite: The thing about wooden boats is that in order to survive, people have to love them; and for people to love them, they ha...

BONNY BRIDE Progress — Restoring a Wooden Lobster Boat, Part 10 — Windshield, Trunk Cabin & Side Deck: It’s been a great spring on the BONNY B. My dad left for Maine in March, so I was back to single-handing, with...

The Off Center Crew

Insider’s Guide to the 2016 WoodenBoat Show: THE INSIDER’S GUIDE, by OffCenterHarbor.com For Members and Friends of OffCenterHarbor.com Feel free to pass a lin...

Schooner BOWDOIN Re-Topping: Some Intriguing Details: The photo above was taken shortly after BOWDOIN’s June relaunching, after a winter in Lyman-Morse’s s...

The Off Center Crew

2016 Annual Update — Passing Like a Dream: Dear Off Center Members & Friends ~ Members often ask us if OCH is growing. In response, we’re glad to report that...

Key Events in the Long Life of the Schooner MARTHA: The following key events came from Doug Cole’s comprehensive article published in WoodenBoat #184 which have been upd...

Walkabout at Brooklin Boat Yard – Winter 2016: It has been a while since my last walkabout, so I thought it was time to get everyone back through the doors of the Broo...

Revisiting “Between Wind and Water” by Gerald Warner Brace: For all of us who love tales about the way things used to be along the coast, here is a book for you...

A Stitch-and-Glue Teardrop Trailer: Be inspired by this lightweight teardrop trailer design...

Chopping Dugouts in Japan; a post by Douglas Brooks: I recently received two videos from my contacts in Japan that show dugout canoe construction. The first video is of a du...

The Albury Runabout: In the not very distant past, the subsistence farming and fishing economy of the Bahamas employed large numbers of saili...

Delivering a Leaker in the “Tin Pump” Era; A Tale From a 1927 Motorboat magazine.: My doctor said I must get out and rough it a bit if I wanted to be a real man. “Get yourself a motor boat, he said, ca...

1,200 Miles in Eight Days – Seeing the Intracoastal Waterway by Outboard: Following is the article I wrote for the magazine Motorboating & Sailing back in 1996 after Ben Mendlowitz and I bro...

Building and Launching JIMMY D, a 32′ Cornish Gig from the “Champlain Longboats” Program: This past May (2015) saw one of my favorite Spring rituals repeated for the 16th time: the celebration and launching of...

Carvel Construction; John’s Bay Boat Co. Builds a Wooden Lobster Boat, Part II: These are the latest photos from from Walt Barrows that cover this boat’s completion and launching. Do you suppose...

BONNY BRIDE Progress — Restoring a Wooden Lobster Boat, Part 8: A New-Old Engine: Last fall I was too absorbed in marinizing BONNY BRIDE’S rebuilt Ford diesel and trying to get its 2.5:1 Paragon gear...

Fine Boat Designs: CARINA, a Cute Ketch by Aage Nielsen: Shortly after these drawings were published in the March, 1950 issue of The Rudder, I remember watching CARINA sweep pa...

Manny Palomo and his Dad Build a Boat: When Manny Palomo sent me photos last week of the boat he and his dad are just finishing, the boat and the photos looked...

FLYING FISH Goes to Sea—a Guest Post by Jack Bassett and Carolyn Shubert: The story of building the Vertue sloop FLYING FISH is covered in WoodenBoat #230, but her cruise to Europe and the Cari...

Fine Boat Designs – GROS MORNE, A 40′ Motorsailer by Eldredge-McInnis: This handsome little motorsailer design, named for a mountain on the west coast of Labrador where she was used, shows ho...

BERET, A Low-Impact Coastal & River Cruiser by OCH Guide Doug Hylan: BERET is another in my “Hat” series – a line of powerboats that, for some unfathomable reason, are all named after...

A DAY’S WORK, Part II—an excerpt: Friendship Sloops: Hosted by OCH co-founder Maynard Bray Bill Bunting’s two books (Parts I and II) entitled A Day’s Work have intrig...

Newbert & Wallace of Thomaston, Maine, Part 2: In this post, Part 2, of this Newbert & Wallace series, we’ll see how an Eastern-rigged dragger was put togeth...

Tasmania & the Australian Wooden Boat Festival: The secret is out on Tasmania — this small, remote island-state of Australia just earned the #4 spot on Lonely Planet&...

Walkabout at Brooklin Boat Yard — Foam Core Hull on the Frers 74′ Sloop: With the Blake family’s addition (named Asa) to the OCH “Junior Guide” list, and after a generous pate...

Newbert & Wallace of Thomaston, Maine, Part 1: The abandoned Creighton Limekiln site in Thomaston where the St George River turns sharply west (and where Lyman-Morse...

IMPERFECTION AND THE WOODEN BOAT, A guest post by Larry Cheek: At every turn in the building or renovation of a wooden boat blooms a pivotal question: How good should I make it? For a...

The Straight Truth About OCH (from our Members): “This is great stuff. You have rolled the experience of ten or twenty lifetimes into one source. Keep it up.”...

Belfast, Maine, and Northeast Boat Welcome Boats Built of Wood: Josh Howard of Northeast Boat has recently arranged with the town of Belfast for the exclusive use of two of its brand n...

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