All Flotsam » Boating with Kids

For a lot of us, the next generation is the key to long term happiness, not just for the future, but for today. There really is so much joy in introducing kids to boating. Research shows that what young kids really want to do in a boat is to set off by themselves. An over-wrought instructional program, no matter how well meaning, can be an agony for them. A manageable boat in a safe place under predictable conditions is what’s called for at the outset. Such a combination will allow the magic of command to commence as soon as safely possible.

Posted By	Title
The Off Center Crew	Rocking the Boat – Kids Building Boats & Extraordinary Lives: Here are three videos that show Rocking the Boat in action, and you can . . . CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOUR CONTRIBU...
Steve Stone	Song of the Paddle, with Bill Mason & Family: Bill Mason and family were pioneers in the field of getting way out there in a boat and slowing down. The filming style...
Eric Blake	Through the Breaks: Join custom wooden boat builder Jason Cajune and his family on a float trip down the Missouri River, through the Upper M...
Steve Stone	My Boy in a Boat: It seems like yesterday that my son Jack was learning how to row, circling the boats in Center Harbor, and heading off f...
Steve Stone	Live From the Heart, Be Who You Are: Wish I would have seen this when I was 16 years old. Just sent it to my daughter, Stella…...
Steve Stone	Kids Building a Herreshoff 12 1/2 at Rocking The Boat in the Bronx: Rocking the Boat, in the Bronx, New York, is one of the best kids boat building programs in the world, as evidenced by t...
The Off Center Crew	My Dad’s a Boat Guy, by Craig Brooks [Chris Craft Restoration : 1948 Chris Craft Sedan Deluxe : Andante]: NOTE: This great little film by Craig Brooks was suggested for Flotsam by new OCH member Keith Bales in Michigan: OCH Ga...
Emma Mathis	VIXEN’s Voyage: Ever wonder what it would be like to have a family at sea?  Bruce and Tiffany Halabisky have spent the last eight year...
Steve Stone	The Important Places: Here’s a new short film that’s going to win a lot of awards. As I plot and plan all year to get my own kids...
Dustin Urban	Classic Family Boating: Although Discover Boating (a marketing arm of the National Marine Manufacturers Association) is about as “on-cente...

 

Related Videos

Title
Worldwide Classic Boat Show Presentation–Building Kids Through Building Boats: Seven amazing teachers from Europe and North & South America tell us about there boat building programs where kids a...
The Gift of Summer, A Postcard from a Grateful Grandson: The last day of summer in Maine, Jed takes one final sail before heading home....
Jack Stone’s Senior Project: My son Jack chose to build a boat for his senior project in high school, and here’s a video we made for his presen...
The Toy Dory Jig, with Harry Bryan: Ingenuity in action. Watch how Harry Bryan sets up a system of jigs to produce multiple toy boats…the very toy boa...
Slow August – Lost In the Moment: Eric’s son Asa is four. Oh, the simple pleasures found in the here and now....
Des Townson’s SERENE, New Zealand’s Family-Friendly Cruiser/Racer: We’re always on the lookout for a really big little family-friendly cruiser/racer (that’s not a typo), so natura...
Cuddling Up With a FOX Kayak (Double Paddle Canoe): The Fox Double Paddle Canoe is so cozy, and this little video clip was so heart-warming — it sparked nicknames for the...
Schooner MAGIC, A Family Goes Cruising: When the schooner MAGIC sailed into Brooklin this summer, we all got to witness her arrival with the three young sisters...
A Boat in the Family, A Good Way to Grow up – Aboard the Philip Rhodes Ketch SAONA: After emigrating from England to Australia, Ben built a boat for his young family. They all set to exploring together an...
Beauty, Craftsmanship & Boating – The Schmee of New Zealand and Doug Marsden: The slightest detour off the beaten path in New Zealand, will bring you face to face with the real story of this great c...
A Father, a Daughter, and a Boat: Cruising in an Iain Oughtred Sooty Tern: A father and daughter take the day for a sail aboard UNA, an Iain Oughtred-designed Sooty Tern. The Sooty Tern is the ki...
How to Build a Beautiful Skiff, Part 1 – An Idea is Born With Eric Blake: In this first video, Eric introduces the skiff building project for local Brooklin kids that he and Havilah Hawkins are...
The Schooner MARTHA – Making Something Beautiful Happen: Built in San Francisco in 1907-1908, the 68′ B.B. Crowninshield schooner MARTHA remains a graceful and powerful pr...
Harry Bryan’s THISTLE, A Pedal-Powered Fin Boat: Ever wish you could swim through the water with a fish’s power and quiet gracefulness? Harry Bryan’s THISTLE...
Following a Course, A Centennial Tour of GRAYLING: GRAYLING was built 100 years ago as an elegant fishing boat.  When she was restored into a family cruising boat in the...
Introducing Kids to Boats, Part 2 – The Blink of an Eye: With one’s kids, things happen quickly.  With grandkids, as the slope of years angles ever more sharply downward,...
Introducing Kids to Boats, Part 1 – A Sense of Command: Getting children interested in boats can be as easy as finding a safe setting and letting them explore it on their own �...
Temple Tiny Regatta: Regattas need not be large and formal functions involving hardcore racing, signal flags, and grown men screaming for roo...

 

Related Guide Posts

Author	Title
Steve Stone	Hop In and Buckle Up for the National Championships: From Jack’s early days, he LOVED to race… He’s always been just like that. Kind, thoughtful, and not a...
Steve Stone	New Off Center Skiff for Sale: This brand new Off Center Skiff is being launched today, and then auctioned off in a sealed-bid silent auction. She look...
Steve Stone	Do You Have OCHD? (The Secret to Happiness, Part 1): Hi. My name is Steve, and I’m an addict… After 41 years of explaining away my behavior as a “love of sailing,�...
Guest Author	“Sailing Una” – By Leney Breeden: Through her words and beautiful photographs, Leney Breeden brings us along a camp-cruising adventure aboard UNA, a Sooty...
Havilah Hawkins	Why This Skiff?: Note: The new skiff that we’re building in Brooklin this summer with local kids was designed by Havilah Hawkins. I...
Steve Stone	Educating Stella — A Father’s Wish for His Daughter: Wild islands along the Maine coast provide an almost endless trail of playgrounds for camp-cruising in small boats with...
Geoff Kerr	Tricks of the Trade; Becoming a Cool Boat Dad: The Perfect Father’s Day Gift for Dads… Click here to Give a 1-Year OCH Membership to a dad you know… * *...
Steve Stone	Barefoot August: As you may know, our boating philosophy at OffCenterHarbor.com can be summarized in one word — simplicity. L. Fran...
Maynard Bray	Punting: Some eight years ago when they were just kids, Dan and David fell for this 8′ punt as soon as they saw it—newly...
Bill Mayher	A Grandparent’s Pleasant Memories: I’m looking back over pictures taken last summer. The photos that catch my eye are the ones of our grandchildren and S...