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Understanding Wooden Boat Construction, Part 3 – Planking: In the third part of our series on wooden boat construction, Sean illustrates carvel, lapstrake, and cold-molded methods...
Sail & Oar Camp Cruising, Part 1 – Dreaming & Planning: Making a camp cruise fun and safe takes careful forethought. Here are the elements that went into a late summer trip alo...
TUNA, a Retired New Zealand Pilot/Tugboat: A salty little work boat with an appealing history and an equally salty owner. New Zealand at its best....
SQUALLY COVE – The Wooden Boat Shop’s Shearwater 38: Shearwater 38s are handsome, speedy, and sea-kindly powerboats with soup-to-nuts gizmos galore....
Boathouse Concert – Walt & Tina Wilkins Live – Austin, Texas: We feel pretty damn lucky to have Walt and Tina Wilkins do a private house concert for Off Center Harbor. Enjoy the full...
Understanding Wooden Boat Construction, Part 2 – Hull Structure: In Part 2 we see how the basic components of a wooden boat (bilge stringers, clamp, shelf, frames & planking) go tog...
A Tour Aboard KATIE, Harry Bryan’s 20′ Gaff Sloop: Very few boats, big or small, are better thought out in terms of details or lovelier to the eye than Harry Bryan’s 20-...
Gypsy Wagons: A Tour with Master Wainwright Jim Tolpin: Gypsy wagons are an exciting melange of ancient Romani dynamism and aesthetics, and wainwright Jim Tolpin is a modern ma...
Understanding Wooden Boat Construction, Part 1 – The Backbone: This clear and authoritative visual depiction of a wooden boat’s backbone structure will raise your understanding of h...
Every Design, Now Online – MIT’s Herreshoff Legacy Project: The MIT Herreshoff exhibit of models and drawings helps us understand the vast and engaging output of Nathanael Herresho...
The Beloved Bartender – A Proven Seaworthy Design for Exploring the Pacific Northwest: Bartenders are legendary boats of the Oregon coast designed and built to take on the challenges of the Columbia River ba...
The Gaff-Rigged Sloop SKORRI, Paul Gartside Design No. 165: Take a sail on a nifty Paul Gartside 16' gaff-rigger built by an experienced amateur....
L. Francis Herreshoff – The Man Behind the Designs: In the realm of classic boats, the designs and writings of L. Francis Herreshoff make him a crucial, if not seminal figu...
The Dream Boat WHIO, a Gas-Sipping New Zealand Camp Cruiser: When WHIO hove into view across our camera lenses, the entire OCH crew found a new boat to fall in love with. As easy on...
CHAMPAGNE – A Float Plan for Life: With degrees in engineering and naval architecture from the U.S. Naval Academy and MIT, plus a 21-year career in the U.S...
We Believe – Platte Canyon High School & the Seventy48: Bailey, Colorado would seem like an unlikely place for boat building or water sports, never mind a yacht club. But that...
The Grasshopper Experiment, Russell Brown’s Fuel Efficient Motor Boats: And now for something completely different: In his search for efficiency on the water, Russell Brown puts legs on a pair...
Harry Bryan’s Off-the-Grid Shop for Building Boats: This visit to the “World of Harry Bryan” might just get you thinking about how you can make your shop a more innovat...
The Shot Tower at Taroona, Tasmania: Ever wonder how lead shot was made in the old days? Well your wondering days are over....
The Tug Yacht LA FILLE, A Family Adventure Boat: A "tug yacht" to some may seem like a contradiction in terms but LA FILLE merges opposite right before our eyes.  R...
A New Zealand Boat Shop Visit to Brookes Boatbuilders: One of our favorite past-times is visiting boat yards to take walkabouts with talented boatbuilders, and Peter Brookes o...
Advanced Rowing with Havilah Hawkins, Part 2 – The Unvarnished Truth about Ash Oars: The proper oar explained. And who could do it better that Off Center Harbor guide Havilah Hawkins?...
A Visit with Bertram Levy, Part 2 – Sailing His Sweet Double Ender: After savoring the process of building of this magnificent 19-foot sloop, Bertram has invited us to go for a sail. Welco...
A First Time Builder’s Family Boat, the Australian Couta Boat MY GIRLS: So glad to make this video our 500th. Vernon and his “girls” have deeply inspired us....
Slow August – Island Time: The tent is set up, dinner is cooking, and you have the island all to yourselves. Nothing to do except smell the salt ai...
Slow August – Lost In the Moment: Eric's son Asa is four. Oh, the simple pleasures found in the here and now....
Remembering Sam Manning: Samuel F. Manning lived well and helped countless boatbuilders and marine historians through his career in maritime illu...
Slow August – Nahmakanta: Early morning at Nahmakanta Lake Camps in Maine’s North Woods. Mists, mountains, alone on the dock, and a moment all t...
KATIE’s Cradle, A Tidal Flat Mooring: The tidal flat of Harry's Cove is the perfect place to cradle a boat to protect it from the weather or get some maintena...
Slow August – Cradle Cove: Sculling; ambling; mosey to the mooring, It's a beautiful day...why hurry?...
Aboard MASON BAY, a Retirement Boat for Old Salts: Handsome, authentic, seaworthy, rugged, practical and fun to be aboard - for those intrigued by fish boat conversions, t...
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 naturally th...
A Completely Different Venture, Building Your Own Spitfire: We have a soft spot in our hearts for exceptional designs as well as for people who manage a career altering leap into a...
The Marine Photographer’s Eye, Benjamin Mendlowitz in New Zealand: When a photographer with as much experience as our own Benjamin Mendlowitz says of a fleet "I was newly inspired in my p...
SHANTY, a Proper Little Boat: Step aboard the gaff yawl SHANTY and meet her octogenarian skipper, who built her with his wife while living on one of N...
Live Well, The Cruising Smack STORM BAY, with Tim Phillips: A cruise of glorious sailing along the Tasmanian coast aboard an authentic cruising smack. Fishing along the way for sup...
Going Fast with One Modest Engine, WHIO’s Propeller: When it comes to speed and economy in powerboats, we usually think about hull shape and horsepower first. But what about...
PACIFIC – One Boat, One Family, Five Generations: A little over a century ago, a farmer in New Zealand needed a way to get pumpkins and watermelons to market, and today P...
JANE – A Couta Boat Inspired Motor Sailer, with Tim Phillips: A motor sailer that sails like a witch? Count us in, JANE!...
Harry Bryan’s Foot-Powered Wood Splitter: If you're heating with wood, have a sledge-hammer you can press into service, and can dig up one of those long, snake-li...
A Sail Aboard CORA, A New Zealand Mullet Boat: Over a century old with her original planking, once a work boat, now a family boat with a little racing on the side for...
At Home in the Bilge with Maynard Bray, Part 1 – How New Zealand’s Classics Were Built: How do you build wooden boats to last for over a century dependably? Ask the Kiwis, that's how they do it. So we went an...
Slow Summer, Part 6 – New Zealand: As the northern hemisphere is having its boreal winter, the southern hemisphere is enjoying its austral summer. Yet, no...
Going Slow, Small, and Simple Through the Inside Passage to Alaska: In this busy hectic world, it's nice to see a couple who have made the time to enjoy nature's grandeur via thrift, effic...
One Man’s Masterpiece, The Troller-Inspired Cruising Vessel SERIANNA: Bill Page spent a lifetime in and around boats preparing to build the troller-inspired yacht, SERIANNA. And then he spen...
RIPTIDE – A 1927 Cruiser Coming Back to Life: The roaring '20s were a boom time for recreational boating and nowhere are the joys and aesthetics of the time more enjo...
Wild Edibles, Part 2 – Near the Beach: From the inter-tidal zone to just off the beach, Tom opens our eyes to the trail nibbles and useful healers all around u...
BETTY Mc, An Australian Crayfish Workboat Turned World Cruiser: In 2007 Rodger and Ali set out on BETTY Mc from Australia for Chile but some where in the South pacific they took a left...
Inger Rankins’ Seventy48 Race, Rowing 70 Miles in a PT11 Dinghy: 70 miles in an 11 foot dinghy... Are you KIDDING me? Racing against teams of rowers? Inger Rankins will give you new per...
EASTWARD, A Simple Powerboat for Cruising: Making the switch from a life time of sailing, to cruising in a powerboat, is a big change, and the right boat can sure...
Aboard a Legendary Boat – BURMA, a 1950 Davis-Hand Motorsailer: When BURMA came to town she came as an old friend. She's gathered many friends and admirers since 1950 all along the New...
Thoughts on L. Francis Herreshoff’s Rozinante, with Roger Taylor and Maynard Bray: Two old friends sailing a simple, slippery, and beautiful L. Francis Herreshoff Rozinante on a gorgeous summer day- what...
Just Keep Going, Part 2 – Racing the Drake Raceboat 20′ in Seventy48: Row row row... but for 70 miles? For Team No Dream and 101 other human powered boats, that was the reality of  racing i...
Just Keep Going, Part 1 – Building the Drake Raceboat 20: Last year Nate and his brother Cooper tackled R2AK and this year Nate has undertaken to build his first boat and then ro...
Slow August, Part 5: With all the bathing beauties in Center Harbor, sometimes it's enough stimulation just to stroll the dinghy dock....
Slow August, Part 4: We have been inhaling since April, building since spring.  Things to do, people coming, Never stopping. Now at last it...
Slow August – Chasing Dawn’s Light at the ERR: If it's the first Sunday morning in August, you'll find us chasing light and pretty boats at the Eggemoggin Reach Regatt...
Slow August, Part 2: Perhaps the lure of boating is hidden in these epic slow moments that happen when we're out on our boats?...
North Haven’s Foy Brown – A Waterman Relaxes on His Houseboat: Here's a guy you won't find at the mall, and for good reason, he's too busy working. Living on an island off the coast o...
Slow August, Part 1: Welcome to "Slow August". The time we spend on our boats often provides a quiet, relaxing meditation away from the frant...
Wild Edibles, Part 1 – Plants Along the Beach: When walking along the beach, across a meadow, or through the woods- there's an astounding world of plant life -but only...
Kayak Wisdom, Part 4 – The Benefits of Greenland Paddles: Veteran kayaker and founder of Pygmy Boats, John Lockwood takes us through why he switched to Greenland paddles and neve...
The World Duckboat Championships, A Classic Fleet Sails Again: Before there were Optimist Prams, at least on the Jersey Shore, there were Duck Boats. And now, thanks to an ingenious D...
Watercraft of the Chesapeake Bay, Part 2 – The Star and The Comet: Kissing Cousins compared: Design components of the Star and the Comet sailboat classes discussed in detail....
The River Home — A Reflection on the Last Two Years: We thought we'd take a moment a look back at some of the places we've been, boats we've seen, and people we've met. What...
Boatshop Talk – Getting Ready for the SEVENTY48 Race: Nate is our guy and he already had great rowing chops and now it's a whole string of firsts: this is the first boat that...
Marine Electronics for Every Size Boat, Part 5 – How an Autopilot Works: Having an auto-pilot is like having another person on board that doesn't talk back, and Kim shows us how smart they real...
Kayak Wisdom, Part 3 – Essential Sea Kayak Camping Gear: Bill Thomas and Jane Ahlfeld show us what sea kayak camping gear and supplies they take out on the water for an overnigh...
Marine Electronics For Every Size Boat, Part 3—Small Multi-Function Display for Power Boat: Here's a low cost multi-function display between a handheld chartplotter and a full blown system — did he say it's gua...
Marine Electronics For Every Size Boat, Part 4 – Basic NMEA 2000 System for a Sailboat: With a new marine electronics system for your sailboat, pretty much all that's left to do is mix the cocktails, right? J...
Marine Electronics for Every Size Boat, Part 2 – Handheld VHF Radio: Maybe we dosed off for a few years, because we thought VHF radios were all pretty much the same. That is, until we sat d...
Marine Electronics for Every Size Boat, Part 1 – Handheld GPS Chartplotter (vs. Smart Phone): We thought we knew a thing or two about gear for our boats, but then again — we thought having a smart phone with a na...
Daysailing a Herreshoff S-Boat – Serenity at Sea: Long-known for its speed around the race course, the nimble and muscular Herreshoff S-Boat can provide just as much enjo...
A Visit with Bertram Levy, Part 1 – In the Shop & Building Boats: One of life's fine pleasures is simply hanging out in the boatshop talking shop. And so we stopped by to visit retired d...
SILENT MAID – A Barnegat Bay B-Cat That’s Not Your Grandmother’s Catboat: When it comes to catboats, SILENT MAID, the Barnegat Bay B-Cat proves that all boats are not the same....
Rediscovering a Fiberglass Classic, A “New” Graves Constellation: For years we have been noodling around with the idea of picking up an old-time, bullet-proof fiberglass sailboat, sawz-a...
The Aussie 18 – A Sure Bet: In the rough-and-tumble world of Sydney Harbor sailboat racing, the Aussie 18 sailboat - with its astonishing press of s...
WIZARD – Herreshoff’s Fishers Island 31: The restoration of the Herreshoff designed and built Fishers Island 31 by boat builder Brion Rieff not only achieves a s...
Ben Seaborn’s Fabulous Thunderbirds, A Badass Family Boat for Racing & Cruising: The Thunderbird sailboat is an economic and versatile weekender/racer/cruiser that offers both performance and below dec...
STITCH, A Ted Geary U.S. Forest Ranger Boat: Take a cruise on a Ted Geary designed powerboat built for the U.S. Forest Service in 1930 and now converted into a live-...
The A-Cats of Barnegat Bay, And a Visit Aboard SPY: Last summer we headed to Barnegat Bay in New Jersey to get the inside scoop from Roy Wilkins on A Cats - the racing sail...
Coastal Navigation, Part 3 – Finding Latitude, Longitude, & Distance on Charts: Jane Ahlfeld walks us through the process of finding latitude, longitude, and distance on nautical charts for when you a...
Two Drake Rowboats – The Raceboat & The 17′ “Sedan”: For serious rowers who have mellowed slightly over the years, here are two fixed seat rowboats available in kit form fro...
Beautiful West Coast Fishing Boats, PACIFIC – A Retired Halibut Longliner: Climb aboard the F.V. PACIFIC, a retired halibut longliner, to meet Don Macmillan who successfully fished her for many y...
Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op, A Shipyard Walkabout: Big buildings, proper machinery, tools, and 12 co-op partners, who manage projects, make up the Port Townsend Shipwright...
Restoring Mink, a 1914 Buzzards Bay 25, Part 4 – A New Set of Old Style Sails: In our final visit aboard MINK, we learn about the new suit of old-style sails made for the 1914 Buzzards Bay 25. Sailma...
Cuddling Up With a FOX (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...
Kayaking the Coast of Maine – So Many Islands, So Little Time: Embracing the summertime dream, Michael and Rebecca meander their way along 624 nautical miles of Maine's coast and step...
Coastal Navigation, Part 2 – How To Use Charts with a Navigator’s Eye: Jane shows us a few tricks to of how to know whether that island in from of you is what it looks like, how to establish...
Coastal Navigation, Part 1 – Charts & Buoys: Nautical charts contain a wide range of numbers and symbols, each transmitting critical information to the mariner. This...
Having a Boat Designed and Built – LA VIE EN ROSE: Having a boat designed and built is an experience in itself. As luck would have it, we caught up with David Lesser durin...
OYSTER, a Rugged 26’ Coastal Cruising Sailboat: OYSTER - a rugged 26' coastal cruising sailboat - caught our attention during our trip out down in the Chesapeake and we...
A 16-foot Pilothouse Motorsailer? You’ve Got to be Kidding!: In our travels, we've seen a number of fascinating designs. But nothing caught our eye like HEATHER - a 16-foot pilothou...
The Phoenix III By Ross Lillistone: What can be more alluring than the Phoenix III by Ross Lillistone — a sweet little 15-foot sail and oar boat that can...
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...
Sand Casting Marine Hardware: The Port Townsend Foundry: We visit the Port Townsend Foundry to see how they utilize the sand casting process to create in-house marine hardware....
Watercraft of the Chesapeake Bay, Part 1 – Log Canoe & Bugeye: A visit to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a real treat. It's packed with the fascinating maritime history of the...
The Pocket Cruiser SKYE: A Bill Garden Canoe Yawl Restored by Marty Loken: With her restoration complete, Marty Loken takes us for a sail aboard his Bill Garden designed canoe yawl SKYE....
The Echo Bay Dory Skiff, Easy & Fun to Build, Row, and Sail: Clint Chase takes us for a tour of his Echo Bay Dory Skiff, a perfect little boat for first time builders and for famili...
New Zealand’s Mahurangi Regatta – Featuring Chas Bailey’s NGATIRA: Join us for a day on the water at New Zealand's Mahurangi Regatta, and get a close-up look at the restoration of the Cha...
Sportyak – The Recyclable Dinghy From Bic®: Join the entire Off Center Harbor Crew as we climb off our high horse and into the Sportyak, the recyclable dinghy from...
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...
Where the River Flows, A Moment with Bill Worrell: Sometimes, just when you think it's a bad day and all is lost, you might just be in a moment that changes the rest of yo...
The Tasmanian Craypot, with Tree Marris: The Tasmanian craypot is commonplace along the waterfront, but actually seeing one made by Tree Marris suddenly deepens...
Herreshoff Marine Museum, Part 6 – In The Boat Hall: The Dinghies: Maynard Bray and Eric Blake finish their tour of the Herreshoff Marine Museum with an examination of Herreshoff's dinghy...
The Australian Couta Boat – A Fishing Boat for a Family Cruiser: Dave and Anastasia thought they'd buy this couta boat, restore it, and sell it, but like a rescued puppy, it became part...
Building Momentum, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding: Eric Blake joins Head instructor Sean Koomen for a tour of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock,...
Maritime Painter Steven Dews, Painting The Battle of Trafalgar: What a rare treat to experience master maritime painter Steven Dews painting The Battle of Trafalgar! He takes us along...
The Dutch Tjotter, A Frisian Boat in Tasmanian Waters: With their beguiling curves and stunning amplitudes, Dutch boats have always had an air of mystery about them. When a sm...
Aboard a Legendary Boat, K. Aage Nielsen’s HOLGER DANSKE: We climb aboard designer K. Aage Nielsen's HOLGER DANSKE (his favorite boat) with owners Joy Phillips and Philip Myer, a...
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...
Cotton Caulking with an Aussie Twist, An Ingenious Spinning Machine: Can’t buy it? Why not make it? Take a few pulleys and V-belts, some shafts and bearings; add a right-angle drive and a...
LIMFJORD, An L. Francis Herreshoff H-28: Climb aboard LIMFJORD, an L. Francis Herreshoff H-28 small cruising sailboat designed for anyone to build, adapt and eas...
Restoring Mink, a 1914 Buzzards Bay 25: Part 3 – Putting Exact Period Details in Place: We visit with MINK's owner and chief researcher to learn about how they put exact period details in place on the 1914 Bu...
GLORYBE The Pure Simple Pleasure Boat: When a pleasure boat as sweet as GLORYBE chugs into view, even the most die-hard of sailors start thinking that maybe a...
Ten Dollars and a Dream: Cruising Aboard the Danish Sloop NORNA: With ten dollars and a dream, Kourtney Patterson and Pete Grundvig spent two years cruising the Atlantic aboard their Da...
Gougeon 32 – A Fast Trailerable Catamaran: Jump aboard the Gougeon 32, a fast, trailerable, retro catamaran, as Russell Brown and Alan Gurski give us the inside sc...
It’s a Brother Thing – Team Bunny Whaler & The Race to Alaska: "Making do" with the boat they already had, and living so fully during the journey, we're inspired by the Rooks brothers...
Small Boat Adventuring with Teardrop Trailers: For those of us who love the portability, practicality, affordability, and stylishness of little boats, we'd like you to...
Ingenuity at Work & Play, with Harry Bryan: Harry Bryan takes us off-the-grid again with his ingenuity in both work and play....
Restoring MINK, a 1914 Buzzards Bay 25, Part 1 – An Uncommon Approach: Over the last century, the Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 25 has lived a storied history indeed.  Now, one of the five boats t...
Restoring MINK, a 1914 Buzzards Bay 25, Part 2 – Mink’s Owner and Chief Researcher Weigh In: MINK's owner and her chief researcher weigh in on the renovation aimed at putting the 1914 Buzzards Bay 25 back exactly...
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...
The Daughter of a Sailor: In a special guest video, Leney Breeden takes us along her journey of being the "Daughter of a Sailor"....
Soul Sailing: A "soul sailor" (coined today by OCH) is a sailor who sails for the sheer pleasure of sailing. Although they may still e...
Greenland Kayak Rolling with Freya Fennwood: Greenland Kayak Rolling champion Freya Fennwood takes us through a progression of Greenland sea kayak rolls for all type...
Good Story Paddle Boards – Built with Soul, Matthew Nienow’s Lyrical Watercraft: These stand-up paddle boards are built to handle the waves with ship-like confidence and finesse....
TRIXTER – From Alaskan Mail Boat to Family Cruiser: Every once in a while, a charming old work boat like TRIXTER comes along that does exactly what they do best: provide...
The Boltinator: An Ingenious Tool for Extracting Keel Bolts & Bearings: Got keel bolts to pull? Or perhaps you'd like to pull a hole in the time-space continuum? This shop-built tool does the...
Small Boat Gatherings – Simplicity Afloat: Seeking a simpler life afloat? Small boat gatherings will stimulate your dreams and help you find community....
The Goat Island Skiff, a Fast Boat for Sail & Oar Beach Cruising: Quick to build, a thrill to sail; the Goat Island Skiff is just one surprise after another....
A Good Boat, Up Close: A Cruising Powerboat by John Atkin: The snug and beguiling cruising powerboat is virtually nonexistent these days. That's why we jumped at the chance to bri...
L. Francis Herreshoff – Yacht Designer, A Book By Roger Taylor: L. Francis Herreshoff (LFH) is one of our favorite designers here at OffCenterHarbor.com, and all of us have had direct...
Ron Mueller’s Eco 55 Power Cat – JUST ENUF: Just when we thought we'd seen about everything in the way of a boat, the Eco 55 Power Cat JUST ENUF slides into view: p...
Early Navigation Instruments, by Jim Sharp at the Sail, Power & Steam Museum: Schoonerman Captain Jim Sharp takes us on a tour of early navigation instruments through the ages he has collected at hi...
Race to Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Bunny Whaler: Team Bunny Whaler: Two young guys in an open Boston Whaler sailboat facing a 750 mile sail to Alaska. They have the skil...
Race to Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Sea Runners: Thomas Nielsen, with his friend Scott Veirs,  raced in last year's inaugural Race to Alaska, aka R2AK.   They built th...
Race to Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Sistership: Michelle Boroski - Captain, Johanna Gabbard, Janice Mason, Sherry Smith - Team Sistership is the first all female crew t...
Race to Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Liteboat: At 59, Mathieu Bonnier, owner and founder of Liteboat, has traveled from France to go the distance; 750 miles- from Port...
Race To Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Hot Mess Racing: Team Hot Mess: Four guys in their twenties get their hands on a 37 year old Olson 30 and after a spring of racing in the...
Race to Alaska 2016 – Meet Team Pure & Wild: Team Pure & Wild return from last year.  Same team name and sponsor, but different crew and boat.  They are local...
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...
Schooner BOWDOIN Gets a New Deck: When OCH visited the schooner BOWDOIN to see the progress of her new deck, a job which called for the precise joining of...
Passing Like a Dream: As the light of another shimmering summer begins to warm the coast of Maine, we wanted to show our appreciation to all t...
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 presence...
Kayak Wisdom, Part 2 – How to Load a Kayak: When looking for balance, let John Lockwood of Pygmy boats walk you through important tricks in how to load a kayak. The...
Kayak Wisdom, Part 1 – Choosing a Kayak for Touring or Recreation: We've always wondered about the differences and critical design elements of touring and recreational kayaks. Now we know...
Wooden Boats of the Bahamas – Abaco Dinghies of Winer Malone: Winter residents of Hope Town are restoring some of the most cherished wooden boats of the Bahamas — Abaco Dinghies of...
Herreshoff Marine Museum, Part 5 – In the Boat Hall: The Extreme: Take a detailed look at the radical elements of Herreshoff's more extreme designs at the Herreshoff Marine Museum with M...
The Smallest Boat in the Harbor: As time moves on we are discovering that, often, it's the smallest pleasures that generate the sweetest dividends - the...
Sailing with Bill Mayher on VITAL SPARK, A Concordia 31 Ketch: Bill Mayher takes us for a sail on his Concordia 31 Ketch VITAL SPARK - a perfect balance of New England workboat sturdy...
Making a Pilot House Door, Part 1 – Flush Panel Construction: Woodworking techniques abound as Tony Grove puts together a frame and panel constructed pilot house door for a Northwest...
Making a Pilot House Door, Part 2 – Finish & Fit: Woodworking techniques abound as Tony Grove finishes and fits the frame and panel constructed door for a Northwest Fish...
Celebrate Everything: Remembering Peter Chase: Boatbuilder Peter Chase was an friend to all of us at Off Center Harbor. He represented the best of what we admire (or a...
Creating the Pisces – A Daysailer Inspired by the Herreshoff Fish Class: These days classic daysailers are increasingly popular with experienced sailors with an eye for simple elegance and comf...
The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle — Our Favorite Place in this Great City: The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle has long set a standard for bringing people to the waterfront and getting them st...
DAVID B – One Boat, Two Hearts: A skilled mechanical tinkerer and a gifted naturalist/cook turn their combined talents to the restoration of an ancient...
1965 Tollycraft Vacationer, A 25′ Retro Cruiser: In the 1950's, when many Americans were moving out to the suburbs in two-tone Chevy Bel Airs, a few lucky families also...
Herreshoff Marine Museum, Part 4 – In The Boat Hall: Classic Centennials: Surely the most radiant jewels of the Herreshoff Marine Museum are the boats designed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff in...
Slowing Down, The Schmee of a Successful Man: Slowing down might get you deeper: Harry Bryan reflects on a hand-made life. The word "schmee" is an OCH-ism used to de...
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival, Tasmania’s Warm Embrace: The Australian Wooden Boat Festival in "Tassie" is remarkable for its size, the quality of its boats, and the beauty of...
Alden Schooner HEART’S DESIRE – Part 2, The Voyage to Newfoundland: After completing the refit of HEART'S DESIRE, Matt and Jess undertake the voyage of sailing their Alden schooner up to N...
The Closest Thing to Magic, Of Boats and Boathouses: When Harry Bryan designed and built the little sloop KATIE, he had no idea the magic she would keep bringing to him and...
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, a pedal-po...
FRANCIS LEE: The Ultimate Sailing Machine, Part 2 – The Boat Tour: Eric's tour above and below decks shows Bob Perry's sharpest pencil at work in the design of FRANCIS LEE.        ...
Norwegian Faering at Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival: It's not easy for a beautiful boat to stand out at a show among 300 other amazing boats, but this Norwegian Faering at t...
FRANCIS LEE: The Ultimate Sailing Machine, Part 1 – The Design Spiral: When a veteran sailor and one of America's great yacht designers get together to discuss the creation of a sailboat that...
Harry Bryan’s Marine Railway: Fall Haul-Out: It's fall and the north wind is making up in earnest. Time for Harry Bryan to haul his 20' pocket cruiser KATIE on his...
HEART’S DESIRE, Part 1 – New Life for an Alden Schooner: With a community's help on Martha's Vineyard and the tireless and skillful efforts of a young couple as they refit HEART...
Herreshoff Marine Museum Part 3 – In The Boat Hall: The Early Days: To better understand the development of America's premier yacht designer, join Maynard Bray and Eric Blake as they exami...
Building Boat Furniture Using Plywood and Cleat Construction: We visit the Grove Woodworking School on Gabriola Island in British Columbia where boatbuilder Tony Grove demystifies th...
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...
A Visit Aboard FLYING FISH, A Laurent Giles Vertue 25: The Laurent Giles Vertue 25 is a tried and true blue water pocket cruiser - as evidenced by the scores of these classic...
A Sail Aboard An Alerion 26 – KITTIWAKE: Of all of Nathanael Herreshoff's great designs, perhaps his beloved ALERION proved to be the most seminal, spawning more...
A Visit Aboard Ocean Pearl, Part 1 – Above Deck: Ocean Pearl was a great boat with aging systems and a definite need of refurbishment.  Her owner had the good fortune t...
A Visit Aboard OCEAN PEARL, Part 2 – Below Deck: Matching new wood with old wood and keeping new systems behind closed doors is what keeps a weathered yacht feeling li...
A Boat for Sail & Oar Camp Cruising — Francois Vivier’s Ilur, WAXWING: Waxwings are the loveliest of birds, and this little Vivier Ilur named after them is lovely as well; versatile, build-ab...
A Visit Aboard OCEAN PEARL, Part 3 – The Engine (& Systems) Room: At the center of this 62' ketch is an engine & systems room housing an array of systems only to be dreamed of wh...
A Good Boat, Up Close – The Albury Runabout ABACO: Looking for just the right outboard boat? Look no further the Albury Runabout. ABACO is a prime example of this classic...
Watercraft Collection of Mystic Seaport, Part 5 – Catboats: The Catboat: Versatile treasure of the New England coast. We take a look at some catboats in the Mystic Seaport Collecti...
GYPSY, A Visit Aboard A Wandering Blokes’ Boat: A four-generation coastal cruiser built right and kept simple. Seems like there's a lesson here....
The Native Canoe of the Salish Sea: A Modern Plywood Version by Leif Knutsen: Leif Knutsen is a retired shipwright who lives in the Pacific Northwest and appreciates the fine seakeeping qualities of...
Just About Right – A Visit Aboard VITO DUMAS: Every now and then a young man meets his perfect boat and sails off into a lifetime of watery bliss. Hop aboard the Arge...
The Joy of Having a Boat Built: An Outboard Cruiser Takes Shape: Yearning to cruise in style and burn only three gallons per hour? The joy of having an outboard cruiser built that's exa...
Piners’ Punt, A Boat for Tasmanian Loggers: Piners' Punts, a Tasmanian boat design, did rugged duty for Huon pine logging crews up Tasmania's roaring rivers for bet...
Handmade with Tasmanian Timbers, The Schmee of Ned Trewartha: Upon arriving in Tasmania, we heard of Ned Trewartha and the wooden boats, art and furniture he builds in "Ned's Shed" (...
An Electrifiying Twist To The Gunning Dory: G.E.M.A. – The Gentleman’s Electric Mess-About: G.E.M.A, otherwise known as the Gentleman’s Electric Mess-About, has an electrifying new twist on the classic Chamberl...
A Three-Generation Dream Boat – The Herreshoff Fish Class Sloop – PERCH: We pass a significant milestone with this video — our 250th video for members of OffCenterHarbor.com. We fantasize abo...
SPARKLE: The Boat to Beat: In 1947, two NASA rocket scientists started playing around with sailboat design. The result was SPARKLE: the boat to bea...
Lie-Nielsen Woodworking Tools, A Glimpse at How They’re Made: Tom Lie-Nielsen is the man behind the kind of woodworking tools that we would like to pass down to our kids and grandk...
Stepping Into the Unknown, Fly Fishing for a New Life in Tasmania: CAUTION: This video may be hazardous to your regular life. It features a couple who sold everything to go fly fishing in...
A Drift Boat for Fly Fishing, Recurve Style: When drifting down the river of life, why not do it in style? And do some fishing along the way? We take a look at DRIFT...
KINTORE – A Bill Garden Inspired Design: KINTORE: A sweet dream boat with Northwest roots and Bill Garden design finally goes home....
HERITAGE – A Maine Cruise Schooner: The HERITAGE is one of the signature cruise schooners that sails the Maine coast. A beautiful vessel built and sailed by...
The PT-11 – A Nesting Sailing Dinghy: A nesting dinghy has one huge advantage. It allows you to replace your rubber ducky with a tender that rows and sails be...
YONDER – Slow Boat, Rich Life: In Japan, it's called wabi-sabi — to Joe Coomer, it's the beauty of patina and the leisurely comfort of a slow boat....
Cool Sail Rigging Tips #4 – Calibrating Your Eye for Luff Sag: Seeing the correct shape will help you get the most out of your sail....
Cool Sail Rigging Tips #3, Of Rollers, Coils, & Curves: Coiling rope (or even your garden hose!) and other tips....
Cool Sail Rigging Tips #2 – Tail Bury Lengths for Splicing Braided Rope: Synthetic ropes are strong but slippery. Here's how to be sure you have enough tail bury length when splicing braided ro...
Cool Sail Rigging Tips #1 – Turnbuckles & Pins: Rigging tips from the pro on how best to handle turnbuckles and those terrible cotter pins....
Outboard Powerboat Handling, Part 4 – Tilt and Trim: When it comes to speed and fuel economy - outboard tilt and trim may give you a boost....
The RowCruiser with Colin Angus: For when an afternoon row is just not enough, and you'd like to explore beyond the waters close at hand... and then spen...
TEAL – A Northwest Fisheries Patrol Vessel’s New Lease on Life: Welcome aboard M/V TEAL, a 78-foot Northwest fisheries patrol vessel built in 1927, and meet her owner, a courageous, ad...
Virtues of a Small Boat, Gunkholing in a Sea Pearl 21: Whether it's 5,000 miles on the Great Eastern Loop or tucking into a quiet cove for the night - small boats like the Sea...
Single Handed Sailing MALABAR II with Jim Lobdell: Whether it's a 42' Alden Schooner or a Herreshoff 12 1/2 - single handed sailing is all about knowing your boat and simp...
How to Trim Sails with Carol Hasse, Part 3 – Mainsail Trim: In the end sailing is about safety, comfort and speed - and proper mainsail trim helps with all three. Legendary sailmak...
Outboard Powerboat Handling, Part 3 – Mooring & Beaching: Off the mooring and onto the beach with a few beaching tips for keeping cool along the way (the engine that is)....
How to Trim Sails with Carol Hasse, Part 2 – The Headsail: Legendary sailmaker Carol Hasse shows us how to tell your jib from your genoa and how to manage headsail trim for better...
How to Trim Sails with Carol Hasse, Part 1 – Parts & Points of Sail: Knowing the parts and points of sail is important in deepening the understanding of sailing and how to trim sails. In th...
Herreshoff Marine Museum, Part 2 – NGH’s Workshop with Halsey Herreshoff: Halsey Herreshoff shows us  the tools and workshop where The Herreshoff legend was made. THE MUSEUM: Herreshoff Marine...
Outboard Powerboat Handling, Part 2 – Approaching Another Boat: Coming alongside another vessel with complete control makes boat handling a pleasure....
Refloating the CHARLES W. MORGAN – Maynard Bray Remembers: The story of how the whale ship Charles W. Morgan was refloated at Mystic Seaport is told by Maynard Bray, the man who r...
Outboard Powerboat Handling, Part 1 – How to Dock A Boat: Learn how to dock a boat from a veteran. Avoid the mishaps and dock in style with this safe and reliable docking method....
Herreshoff Marine Museum, Part 1 – The Model Room with Halsey Herreshoff: When we launched OffCenterHarbor.com, we hoped to give our members access to special boats and places that is not availa...
Soul Surfing – A Champion Kayaker Comes Home: OCH staffer Dustin Urban shows us a hint of why he is a world champion freestyle kayaker. NOTE FROM THE FILMMAKER: Dusti...
A Good Boat, Up Close – The Chesapeake Crab Skiff: A beautiful spot deserves an equally beautiful boat — a Chesapeake Crab Skiff designed by Off Center Guide Doug Hyla...
A Good Boat, Up Close – The Spidsgatter PAX: OCH Guide Kaci Cronkhite is a legend in the Northwest wooden boat scene.  A circumnavigator and long time director of t...
Bringing Boats to Life — The Epic Launch of Adventuress at Rockport Marine: Surely one of the greatest yacht restorations in recent history was the rebuild of the Fife schooner Adventuress by Rock...
Boat Wiring, Part 6 – The Two Battery System: After enlightening us all on every aspect of a simple marine electrical system, Don Eley brings it all together by layin...
Boat Wiring, Part 5 – Overcurrent Protection: Fire in a wire.  This graphic presentation shows what can happen when too much juice flows through too small a wire and...
A Tale of Two Adventuresses – A Puget Sound Experience: Many starry-eyed youth have stepped aboard the schooner ADVENTURESS dreaming of rainbows, dolphins and a romantic life a...
Panga-Inspired Bass-Boat, Sam Devlin’s PELICANO: When we think about applying stitch-and-glue boatbuilding techniques, more often than not, we have small stuff in mind-...
Destination Unknown, The Tahiti Ketch ‘EVELYN’: Tahiti Ketch: Two words summon up a dream that has led so many seaward. Join Astra and Lou as they lay over in Brooklin...
John Lockwood – The Building Of Pygmy Boats: John Lockwood's life story, on the way to the founding of his company, Pygmy Boats, is as compelling as the kayaks he de...
A Visit Aboard Wooden Motor Trawler RAVEN: An experienced Northwest shipwright and cruiser takes us aboard his own wooden motor trawler, RAVEN, in which there seem...
Outfitting a Small Cruiser for Voyaging, Part 3 – Below Deck: SOCKDOLAGER is just as interesting below decks as she is above.  Everybody can learn something about blue water outfitt...
Selecting Wood for Boat Building – A Few Basics: Here's the introductory course on wood for boat building with Ted Pike.  Plan your needs, get your wood early, for the...
Outfitting a Small Cruiser for Voyaging, Part 2 – Above Deck: Even if you might not be planning to sail to Bora Bora, you'll find these outfitting tips useful....
Workboat Beginnings, Part 2 – The Flatiron Skiff: A flatiron skiff is simple to build, easy to maintain, and puts you onto the beach with dry feet....
Outfitting a Small Cruiser for Voyaging, Part 1 – The Cockpit: Outfitting a small cruiser for voyaging for serious offshore work can be quite a challenge, especially when the boat in...
SAGA — A Pacific Seacraft 25’s Transformation: Buy the boat you can afford and make it into the boat you want.  This is the saga of SAGA, a Pacific Seacraft 25' and t...
A Trailerable Motorsailer – Sam Devlin’s Boat LIT’L COOT: Practical, affordable and seaworthy, this latest Sam Devlin trailerable motorsailer, designed for the home builder, is a...
Aboard a Classic Alden Motorsailer – TRADE WIND: The 1938 Alden Motorsailer TRADE WIND, rebuilt by Rockport Marine in 2011, is a stunning example of the shipwright's art...
Workboat Beginnings, Part 3 – Whitehall Boats: Whitehall boats evolved along lower Manhattan's rough-and-tumble waterfront in the 19th Century.  When a ship made port...
Ladybug Wheelbarrow Boat: Seeing Harry Bryan's wheelbarrow boat in action across a couple of hundred yards of rock ledge and clam flats on the way...
The Schooner MARY DAY, An Evolutionary Rememberance: The 90' Schooner Mary Day was built in 1962 specifically to carry passengers along the Maine Coast.  We tell her story...
Self Rescue from an Open Sailboat Capsize: Through the use of tie-downs and flotation, small sailboat guru Ben Fuller demonstrates how to prepare for the possibili...
Workboat Beginnings, Part 1 – Swampscott Dory & Dory Skiff: From the Grand Banks to the yacht club dinghy float, lapstrake dory skiffs like the Swampscott Dory have been a New Engl...
LARK, a Spirit of Tradition Sailboat from Brooklin Boat Yard: LARK, a spirit of tradition sailboat from Brooklin Boat Yard turns heads both on the mooring and on the race course: It'...
Virtues of a Flat Bottom Skiff: Captain Havilah Hawkins makes his case for a flat bottom skiff.  Simple, versatile, cheap to build, easy to maintain, a...
Watercraft Collection of Mystic Seaport, Part 4 – Room Full O’ Details: Wooden boat detectives Maynard Bray and Eric Blake take us deep into Mystic Seaport's back shed to explore small boat de...
Sleepless in Port Townsend, Wooden Boat Festival: Coming home to the comforts of good friends and familiar waters has a feeling that's good for the soul. No doubt, Port T...
Boat Wiring, Part 4 – Making Good Connections: Don Eley shows us which connectors to use and how to crimp and connect them in this boat wiring video. Watch Boat Wirin...
Watercraft Collection of Mystic Seaport, Part 3 – The Original Herreshoff ALERION: In 1912 Nathanael Herreshoff designed a 26' gaff-rigged sloop for his own use.  Named ALERION, she proved to be a semin...
The Schmee of Havilah Hawkins: Havilah "Haddie" Hawkins, a fourth generation schoonerman, is one of the real originals.  Combine this with his gaff sl...
Rock & Dock System: See the slick and simple technique Ben Mendlowitz put together to keep his dinghy from chafing on his dock....
Sails for Blue Water Cruising with Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails: Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails has been building "Cape Horn ready" sails for many years.  Whether you dream of high...
It’s All in the Details – Aboard SEAGOIN: SEAGOIN, a snug cruiser from the Thirties caught Eric Blake's eye last fall at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat show.  Com...
Boat Wiring, Part 3 – Wire & Electricity: Don presents a clear way to determine the proper type and gauge of wire to use on your next boat wiring job as well as t...
Virtues of a Yawl Rig: We wanted Queene Foster to help us understand the advantages of a yawl rig and traditional yawls because of her long exp...
Just Be, In a Boat: On a remote lake, deep in the famed North Woods of Thoreau country, a family discovers a space and time that's all too r...
Pocock Classic Racing Shells: What do you get when you cross a violin maker with a boatbuilder? We imagine it might look something akin to what happen...
Watercraft Collection of Mystic Seaport, Part 2 – A Great South Bay Catboat & Piscataqua River Wherry: Maynard and Eric go back into the building that houses the Small Craft Collection at Mystic Seaport Museum to view a cou...
Watercraft Collection of Mystic Seaport, Part 1- The Broom Closet: Mystic Seaport has one of the world's largest collections of historic watercraft. There's a special place that not many...
Boat Wiring, Part 2 – Marine Battery Cables: Marine electrical systems can be scary, mysterious stuff. In this video series, we asked Professor Don Eley to show us w...
Boat Wiring, Part 1 – How Lead Acid Batteries Work – Wet Cell, Gel Cell, Absorbed Glass Mat: Electrical systems on boats can be scary, mysterious stuff. It's little wonder that batteries come in black boxes. In th...
It’s All in the Details – Impeccable Bronze Hardware: In Port Townsend at the Wooden Boat Festival , we stumbled upon a beautiful boat built by Paul Siefried, who has a passi...
A Good Boat, Up Close — The Nordic Folkboat LORRAINE: This video about Carol Hasse and her nordic Folkboat Lorraine is what we are aiming for at OffCenterHarbor.com.  Combin...
Aboard a Legendary Boat, Herreshoff NY-30 ALERA: Because her restoration is so historically precise, when you step aboard the New York Thirty Class ALERA in our video, y...
The Eggemoggin Reach Regatta Aboard VORTEX, with Steve White: It's not often that you have over 100 world class wooden boats lined up on a starting line, a picture perfect summer day...
Outfitting for Cold Weather Camp Cruising with Tom Jackson: Tips and techniques by Tom Jackson for the shoulder-season camp cruiser will make the rest of the family want to go out...
How to Wire a Bilge Pump – Marine Electrical Systems: Figuring out how to wire a bilge pump to your battery doesn't have to be a chore to put off any longer. Follow Don Eley...
What’s in Your Ditty Bag? With Geoff Kerr: Geoff Kerr is a seasoned vet at sailing the archipelago of Maine. We have noticed that whether he's the captain of NED L...
Outfitting a Small Sailboat with Geoff Kerr: Geoff shows us stem to stern how he outfits NED LUDD for a season of beach cruising and island hopping....
No Pressure Water System with Havilah Hawkins: "Trailing edge technology" tackles the problem of a cruising boat's fresh water system with breathtaking simplicity. The...
Aboard the Legendary Commuter Yacht APHRODITE: Like the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Pleasure she was named for, the iconic 74' commuter yacht APHRODITE, built in 1937...
Building a Stitch and Glue Boat, Part 1 – Introduction: The FOX Double Paddle Canoe, a stitch and glue boat designed and built by Bill Thomas, has a long and distinguished pedi...
Sliding Seat Rowing In A Wherry: Achieving the power and speed possible with sliding seat rowing need not be limited to needle-like shells that are half-...
Brilliant Designs, Small Powerboats: Handy Billy, Jericho Bay Lobster Skiff & More: We all know about high-speed production power boats these days. They are everywhere – a cookie-cutter navy of slam-ban...
Boat Handling for Beach Cruising – Anchoring, Beaching, Rigging an Outhaul & Boat Knots: Geoff Kerr is a genuine beach cruising guru. Aboard his Caledonia Yawl NED LUDD, we learn what is involved in anchoring,...
The Boathouse At Mystic Seaport: There’s a boathouse you should know about if you’re thinking about building or buying a classic boat… The Boathous...
Temple Tiny Regatta: Regattas need not be large and formal functions involving hardcore racing, signal flags, and grown men screaming for roo...
Brilliant Small Sailboat Designs – Herreshoff 12.5, Beetle Cat, Buzzards Bay 15 & More: Whether or not you’re in the market for a small sailboat, you’ll love the chance to scan the classic small sailboat...
Basic Sailing In The Nutshell Pram: The first of our how-to-sail videos, this one presents the basics via a Nutshell Pram put through her paces on a dock be...
A Good Boat, Up Close – The Caledonia Yawl: Geoff Kerr takes us for a spin aboard his 19’ Caledonia Yawl NED LUDD. These boats are easy to build, unusually light...
Aboard a Legendary Boat, Malabar II: Of all John Alden’s legendary Malabar designs, MALABAR II is our favorite. We caught up with her owners and took a sai...
A Boatbuilder’s Schmee – Wayne Roberts: Co-Founder Steve Stone traveled to New Zealand and helped Wayne Roberts build a boat. The experience was so delightful a...

 

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Wooden Boats from Tasmania, Part 1: G'day, mate. On the opposite side of the Pacific from Port Townsend and at the opposite side of the globe from Maine is...
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Herreshoff Classic Regatta of 2014—A Report from Bryan Burdick: Even though I wasn't in Bristol this year to watch the Herreshoff Classic Regatta firsthand, hearing about the event fr...
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Lodestar Books; Don’t Miss Checking It Out!: The definition of lodestar is someone or something that guides, such as a star; Polaris (the north star or pole star) is...
Ginny Jones
Ginny Jones Reviews THE WHALEBOAT’s Latest Edition: Hot on the heels of the visit by the Whaleship CHARLES W MORGAN to Vineyard waters comes the publication of this fine bo...
Ginny Jones
173-Year-Old Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Comes to Vineyard Haven: Any time one of Mystic Seaport Museum’s major vessels is moved there is considerable angst in the administration and t...
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Why Attempt the Northwest Passage? One Woman’s Inspiration and Goals: I’ve been fascinated with the ocean ever since I was a toddler playing in tide pools in British Columbia.  Really I w...
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All At Sea: Here's a brief excerpt from Karen Sullivan's book in progress, chronicling the transpacific voyage she and Jim Heumann m...
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Dire Strait — An Excerpt from As Long As It’s Fun, by Herb McCormick: A noteworthy book has been released recently — As Long As It's Fun — the new biography chronicling the lives and voy...
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A DAY’S WORK, Part II—an excerpt: Some Small Boats: Hosted by OCH co-founder Maynard Bray Bill Bunting’s two books (Parts I and II) entitled A Day’s Work have intrigu...
Havilah Hawkins
CREEK CRAWLER, A Simple Trailerable Houseboat by Havilah Hawkins: Early in the life of OffCenterHarbor we OCH Guides were asked to come up with three boats we lust after.  One of the on...
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A DAY’S WORK, Part II—an excerpt: River Scows: Hosted by OCH co-founder Maynard Bray Bill Bunting’s two books (Parts I and II) entitled A Day’s Work have intrigu...
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A Composting Head for the Tahiti Ketch EVELYN; A Guest Post by Astra Haldeman: We have used a composting head aboard our 33 foot Tahiti Ketch for about two and a half years—it was one of the fir...
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A DAY’S WORK, Part II—an excerpt: Kilnwood Schooners HEATHER BELLE and C.M. GRAY: Hosted by OCH co-founder Maynard Bray Bill Bunting’s two books (Parts I and II) entitled A Day’s Work have intrigu...
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A DAY’S WORK, Part II—an excerpt: Hosted by OCH co-founder Maynard Bray Bill Bunting’s two books (Parts I and II) entitled A Day’s Work have intrigued...
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Rescuing the 83-foot Motor Yacht KALMIA, Part IV (Conclusion); An Excerpt by Anne (Pete) Baker: Hosted by Maynard Bray, Co-Founder of OCH Part III of this story ended with KALMIA and the Bakers heading home after win...
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Rescuing the 83-foot Motor Yacht KALMIA, Part III; An Excerpt by Anne (Pete) Baker: Hosted by Maynard Bray, Co-Founder of OCH Again, the sunrise brought a perfect day for the beginning of a new adventure....
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Rescuing the 83-foot Motor Yacht KALMIA, Part II; An Excerpt by Anne (Pete) Baker: Hosted by Maynard Bray, Co-Founder of OCH Part I of this story ended with KALMIA sinking while her new owners were away...
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Rescuing the 83-foot Motor Yacht KALMIA; An Excerpt by Anne (Pete) Baker: Introduction by Maynard Bray, Co-Founder of OCH If you love small boats, surely you've heard about the late Robert H. Ba...
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The Long Affair: David Bradley and his Herreshoff S-Boat MISCHIEF. A Guest Blog by Ben Bradley: Introduction by Bill Mayher, Co-Founder of OCH Dave Bradley was a hero to a lot of us here in Brooklin.  A great sailor...
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The Dragger ST. GEORGE: This begins a series showcasing photos from the Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM) that I feel OCH members will enjoy. A larg...
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Inadvertently Green, The Budget Cruising Dividend: This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Ocean Navigator magazine.  With its focus on minimalist...
Ellen Leonard
A Busy Day at the Victoria Classic Boat Festival: This August I passed through Victoria, British Columbia just as the Victoria Classic Boat Festival began.  How much fun...
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Small Boat, Large Experience – by Karen Larson: (Originally published in Good Old Boat Magazine). Small Boat, Large Experience A tall-ship captain sails a petite Dana 2...
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Rare Birds: Classic Boats Offshore; A Guest Blog by Ellen Massey Leonard: (Note from OCH: In a conversation about this blog, we asked Ellen a bit about her 'schmee' and the following two-paragra...
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Iceland and Lofoten; A Trip of a Lifetime. A Blog by Geoff Kerr of Two Daughters Boatworks: I realize OCH is a boating themed site, but bear with me…there are boats to come. Suffice it to say that last March's...
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Catspaw Dinghy, A Guest Blog by Ben Emory: Sailors sometimes say that the enjoyment a boat gives her owner varies inversely with her size – the smaller the craft...
Ellen Leonard
Messing About—A Guest Blog by Ellen Massey Leonard: In working on my book about my recent voyage around the world, many drafts have transformed the story from a simple trav...
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My Favorite OCH Videos, by Maynard Bray: Initial Thoughts and Hopes There’s so much great boating stuff taking place these days that sharing it has more than j...
Erik Sayce
My Favorite OCH Videos, by Erik Sayce: One hundred videos and counting! As one who has recently and happily come onboard to assist in the editing and content d...
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Diagnosis: Hemofungiosis; a Guest Blog by Gibby Conrad: Why is it that so many people like old things? For those with an interest in history, they are tactile links to the past...
Kevin Ross
My Favorite OCH Videos (and Why), by Video Editor Kevin Ross: When I first came on board here at OffCenterHarbor we were working hard to get enough videos completed to launch the sit...
Ben Mendlowitz
My Favorite OCH Videos (and Why), by Co-Founder Ben Mendlowitz: When I was first approached to join this project I had visions of helping create content that would be a quantum leap fr...
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My Favorite OCH Videos (and Why), by Co-Founder Eric Blake: NOTE: As we count down to the release of OCH's 100th video, the Off Center Crew is passing along our own sentimental fav...
Bill Mayher
My Favorite OCH Videos, by Bill Mayher: As we reach toward putting our 100th video on the OCH site, it's been interesting and fun to review what we have done so...
Harry Bryan
Why I am a Boatbuilder (and Not a Doctor), by Harry Bryan: The purpose of this short autobiographical essay, that I wrote for a local high school job fair, is to offer encouragem...
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Women Boatbuilders in Oregon, Tasmania, and Scotland — a Guest Blog by Anne Bray: Women have taken to building and rowing St. Ayles Skiffs. The most recent skiff launched by women builders is the pink-p...
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Georgia’s Golden Isles, a Guest Blog by Anne Bryant:     We've just spent a restful time sitting in one place for over a month. Historic Brunswick, Georgia, was ou...
Maynard Bray
Urban Outlaw and Porsche Passion: Classic boats have been my passion for as long as I can remember. Sketching boats instead of listening to teachers kept...
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Three Cruiser Friendly Towns in a Row; Aboard MIMI ROSE with Anne Bryant: North Carolina, for us, was all about locating and enjoying its ICW stops that boast free docks and sometimes even cruis...
Gubby Williams
A Sail Around the NE Atlantic, by Gubby Williams: Join OCH Guide Gubby Williams for a voyage in the Northeast Atlantic... The Boat: Boomerang is a Laurent Giles designed...
Steve Stone
Willie Nelson, Walt Wilkins, and OCH: I saw a great video recently on the web that I thought OCH members would truly enjoy, although it doesn't have a single...
Eric Blake
Walkabout Costa Rica and Bangor, Maine: Christmas this year was a little different at my house. For the first time ever my family and I got away from it all. We...
Kaci Cronkhite
Three Tricks of the Trade That I Think Others Should Know About, by Kaci Cronkhite: Managing a large event is a lot like sailing across an ocean. Both require the balancing of big bodacious dreams, piles...
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They Don’t Make Postcards for This—Aboard MIMI ROSE with Guest Blogger Anne Bryant: You can hear Norfolk, Virginia, on the VHF long before you get there. Even a day out, you hear plenty of regular announc...
Ben Fuller
Buckets, Bailers, and Stretchers: Buckets, bailers, stretchers: The humble stuff that generally hides beneath the boating radar until needed; then you rea...
Maynard Bray
Motor Yacht ATLANTIDE Arrives in Belfast; A Quick Look:   Last week, fellow OffCenterHarbor founder Bill Mayher and I stopped by Belfast's Front Street Shipyard, having se...
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Cruising South Aboard MIMI ROSE; A Guest Blog by Anne Bryant:   Introduction from OCH headquarters: OffCenterHarbor climbs aboard the 32' cutter MIMI ROSE with Anne Bryant and C...
Ellen Leonard
Learning from Experience: Seasickness – My Biggest Disaster and What It Taught Me: Everyone has a different theory about seasickness, but they all agree it’s a disaster. Slight nausea can be overcome w...
Bill Mayher
Giffy and Carol: A Hurricane Story from 1954: On the day Hurricane Sandy is to make landfall on the New Jersey shore, I was up at the general store in Brooklin early...
Steve Stone
Westward Ho! Port Townsend and Beyond: On September 5th, Eric and I boarded a plane to Seattle, Washington to attend the Wooden Boat Festival and shoot a few "...
Maynard Bray
Some Great Old Sailing Photos: 18-Footers Sailing in Sydney, Australia: I love looking at old photos of boats, and for you OCH members who share this passion be sure and check out the great ph...
Geoff Kerr
An Exotic Vacation, Only a Day’s Drive Away—or, Call Me Ishmael: One of the two daughters and I took a few days off during the last week in August. She fleeing the last gasps of the DC...
Peter Neill
Whatever Floats: I was on vacation, suspended in the supportive water of the ocean, and thinking of what it means to float—or to displa...
Eric Blake
Walkabout in Port Townsend, Washington: I had the good fortune this spring to travel to another incredible mecca for wooden boats, Port Townsend, Washington. I...
LinAndLarry Pardey
The Three Boats I Lust After (and Why) – The Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 25, Herreshoff 12.5 & Whio: I’ve had the good fortune to sail on dozens of different boats over the years ranging from 140 foot schooners to light...
Maynard Bray
A Simple Electrical System for the Herreshoff S-class Sloop Mischief: From earlier posts, you may already know that MISCHIEF is one of the Herreshoff S-class sloops and that she was recently...
Ginny Jones
Bob Douglas: Capt. Bob Douglas is an extraordinary man. Not only does he love [old] wooden boats (anything old in fact), he also love...
Bill Mayher
BLUENOSE II and Dauphinee: Maynard’s and Bill’s Nova Scotia Adventure: VISITING the BLUENOSE II SCHOONER RESTORATION   A couple of years ago Taylor Allen, the owner of Rockport Marine, o...
Ginny Jones
Help Support the Film “VANISHING SAIL”: I recently came across this worthwhile project and gave a small amount to their fundraising campaign at Kickstarter. It...
Peter Neill
Thoughts About Islands: If you assume a satellite perspective, you look down upon the earth and view an ocean world in which float islands—be...
Maynard Bray
A Sail in the Herreshoff S-boat Mischief: Luckily, I got to go for sail in the Herreshoff S-boat Mischief a week or so ago, the first boat to raise sail in Center...
Havilah Hawkins
The Influence of Captain Douglas & My Family: When contemplating the many influences in my life, it is hard to know where to start. I could start with my father, who...
Bill Thomas
The Influence of Friends Gathering Down at the Lake: A start in small boats. I could, if I thought about it, trace my introduction to small boats back to a single person, or...
Dick Wagner
The Influence of Colleen and John: My Mentors: I moved to Seattle in 1957 when I was 25 and had just graduated from Yale Architecture School. My first interest in Seat...
Geoff Kerr
The Snow Row: One of the rites of early Spring in the New England boating world is the Snow Row put on by the visionaries at the Hull...
Brion Rieff
The Influence of My Father: I'll have to go back to my beginnings and say my father indirectly influenced me the most. He is the one who introduced...
Walt Ansel
The Influence of a Place and Many People: Imagine me as a kid, growing up in a household where my dad was building skiffs and skipjacks in the backyard. Behind ou...
Queene Foster
Small Boats, High Calling. The Influence of Steve Corkery.: I met Steve Corkery at Coecles Harbor Marina and Boatyard on Shelter Island, New York. He was always there walking the d...
Geoff Kerr
The Influence of the Outward Bound School: I didn’t grow up boating. We lived about 90 minutes inland in North Carolina, and my folks were landlubbers from West...
Peter Neill
The Influence of a Boat and Ben: His name was Ben Massey, and he dates from my childhood. African-American, he worked for my grandfather – as driver, j...
Lance Lee
The Influence of Plato in Foulweather Gear: It blows hard in April at Aberdovey on the coast of Wales... Stan Hugill, last chantyman of the British Empire, was the...
Harry Bryan
The Influence of Uncle Bill Barker: William H. Barker, thanks for my life with boats... When asked to give some thought to someone who was a big influence o...
Doug Hylan
The Influence of Joel White: "Whether it was counsel and encouragement with a construction or design problem, or going for an afternoon sail, you wer...
Kaci Cronkhite
The Who’s Who that Inspired Me to Boats: Was it nature, or nurture? In my case, I suspect, both. From Nature: Growing up in Oklahoma, I knew my ancestors and som...
Steve Stone
The Soul Behind Our Videos: If you've had a warm feeling when you've watched some of our videos -- maybe even a feeling that we've hidden a bit of s...
Dick Wagner
The Three Boats I Lust After (and Why) – Rozinante, Beetle Cat and Scow Schooner: Rozinante: A slim, lightweight hull with a well-balanced ketch or yawl rig, this boat keeps on sailing in the lightest...

 

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Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails: By all accounts, Carol Hasse of Port Townsend Sails is a treasure to the wooden boat community, and our time with her ha...
Maynard Bray
WANDER BIRD Rounds Cape Horn – 1937: See what it was like back in 1937 to beat around Cape Horn against the prevailing westerly winds known as the "roaring 4...
Steve Stone
Learning from Old-Timers — A Day with Fred in the Dolomites: Forgive me for going off center, because the video below doesn't have a boat in it. But it does get right to the core of...
Ben Mendlowitz
Fun on Foils: Seeing these boats fly around San Francisco Bay is like watching something straight out of a science fiction movie. At ...
Bill Mayher
5 J Boats: Here's some footage of J Boats sailing at this year's St. Barth's Bucket.  Makes a nice counterpoint to the nautical tr...
Steve Stone
Old Boat Stories, Episode One: Splinter: Here's a video from our friends over at the Antique Boat Museum, located in the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River i...
Maynard Bray
Rick Mercer on the Bluenose: This one's a hoot. Canadian Broadcasting's Rick Mercer visits the Bluenose. Here's a link for more information on the Bl...
Bill Mayher
Quiet Tune: Among the loveliest boats ever built--and we don't say this lightly--is Quiet Tune, the L. Francis Herreshoff ketch. In...
Bill Mayher
The Ship Builders of Essex: A world apart. Sit back and enjoy as this 1940's documentary evokes wooden ship building in the legendary town of Essex,...
Ben Mendlowitz
Lynx – “America’s Privateer”: Here's a nice piece on Lynx, a 76-foot topsail schooner designed by Melbourne Smith, built by our friends at Rockport Ma...
Maynard Bray
Dorade: Training to Win at Les Voiles de St. Barth: Here's a good video about a great boat....

 

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