Camp Cruising Georgian Bay In An Open Boat

If you’ve ever dreamed of heading way north to sacred waters with an open boat — to cruise for days without seeing another person — be careful with video, because it may send you packing…

Tom has provided more details about his boat below the video:

More About the Boat:

The boat featured in the video is an Alaska beach cruiser, built by Tom Pamperin and his brother.

Alaska was designed by Canadian designer Don Kurylko for extended cruising on the Inside Passage: LOA is 18′ 2″, beam 4′ 6″, and draft (board up) is 8″ (Tom’s boat features a pivoting centerboard, but the plans show a daggerboard option as well).

The hull was built with traditional strip planking, using 1″ x 1/2″ pine strips, edge nailed and glued with epoxy, and then covered in a layer of 6 oz glass for abrasion resistance. The oars are 8′ 8″ as shown in the plans, and built of pine.

Viewers should note that Tom’s boat departs from the plans in a few ways: first, the laminated frames have been replaced by plywood and epoxy tape construction in the thwart webs, creating sealed watertight chambers rather than space for foam. Second, the designed anchor well in the bow–perfect for carrying 400′ of anchor rode to deal with the tidal swings of the Inside Passage–has been replaced with another sealed chamber. And where the plans show folding benches to create a full-width sleeping platform, Tom’s version uses filler planks set on simple cleats. And finally, rather than the designed lugsail ketch rig (134 sq ft), Tom is sailing his Alaska with the mainsail alone (85 sq ft), stepped in the center mast step–plenty of sail area for all but the lightest airs–and then it’s better to row, anyway.

The mainsail was sewn by Stuart Hopkins of Dabbler Sails, and was given an extra third set of reef points.

Anyone interested in plans or information can contact Tom at his website (www.tompamperin.com), and he can put them in touch with the designer.

Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions?

You can leave a comment or question for OCH and members below. Here are the comments so far…

Leave a Comment

28 Responses So Far to “Camp Cruising Georgian Bay In An Open Boat”

  • John Duffy says:

    Excellent dream come true,Great job -Home Safe

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Yep–home, and waiting for summer for the next trip. Georgian Bay? Farther afield? Lots of choices…

      Thanks for the comment.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Jack,

      thanks for the comment. Yep, Georgian Bay is great. Can’t wait to get back. Definitely worth a lot of time to explore.

      Tom

  • Ahoi Mench says:

    Very nice. Reminds me of my days in camp cruisers. I have always followed the old time methods of stowing oarlocks when not in use. Sheets can become tangled and if not otherwise secured the oarlocks can be lost. Pete Culler shows a simple method with a line in the eye in the bottom of the oarlocks long enough to hang the oarlock inside the hull and short enough not to be in the way. A simple stop at the end prevents the line from going all the way through the socket. I made leather pockets that work well for stowage.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      That’s a good point–the bottom of my oarlocks are rigged with lanyards long enough to tie into a 1/4″ line that runs under the side decks and through the hanging knees (good for lashing small things in). So I can remove them and let them dangle, just as your method with a stopper in the end of the lanyard. I agree you would most definitely NOT want to fall on one, so your suggestion is a good one.

      That said, I find that I quite often run the sheet forward to an oarlock, then back to my hand. For some reason I find that more comfortable than leading right from the aft cleat to my hand. Then too, I sometimes tie off the sheet to the oarlock with a slippery hitch to free my hands. I am mindful of those pointy oarlock arms, though.

      Tom

  • Mike Hamburg says:

    For now I just get to sample things like this as I down the last shot of my favorite bourbon. As the wife wouldn’t get it past her mind to travel in a boat that doesn’t have a motor . I have only to go to this website and enjoy this wonderful Video.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Mike,

      Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoy the video. I sure enjoyed making it (especially because I had to take the trip first!)

      Tom

  • Allan Becton says:

    Such a peaceful video. Thanks for letting me ride along.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Glad to have you–it’s the only way I ever get crew!

      Tom

  • Tom Roderick says:

    Enjoyed the “show” and your trip very much. Thanks for taking us along.

  • Terry Huva says:

    So great to see you video of Don’s great design the Alaska, I have a photo on my studio wall that he gave me about ten years ago but have never seen it in action. It looked perfect from every angle.The landscape and the boat fit so nicely together. Thank you

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Terry,

      thanks for the kind words. I’m very happy with the boat, as you might have guessed.

  • William Talbert says:

    Thanks for doing the video, it is great. What a beautiful place to explore! I also love your boat and would love to have it, or one just like it! Now I’m searching for some more of your videos.

  • Tom Pamperin says:

    Thanks for the comments, everyone. I had a lot of fun putting that video together–and yes, good weather all the way, a perfect September after a cold rainy summer around those parts.

    Home port is Chippewa Falls, WI, about 70 miles east of Minneapolis. Best thing about these small boats is how fast they go to windward on a trailer!

    Cargo stowage–well, I pretty much pack all the camping gear in two large duffel-style dry bags that get lashed in just forward of the rowing thwart. The bags also do a good job of holding down the #100 of ballast I sail with (4 25-lb bags of steel shot lying under the dry bags).

    Things I want during the day are either stored under the aft deck or tied in to a line that runs through holes in the hanging knees under the side decks. No need to carry much water on the Great Lakes, but I do bring 2-3 gallons just so I don’t have to run my filter every day.

    The North Channel, and even more so Georgian Bay, are perfect cruising grounds for small boats. Rocky–very rocky–but lots of shelter everywhere, and generally good weather through the summer. By all means, do some sailing there if you get the chance. I went back again this summer for another cruise. Probably next summer, too.

    Thanks again for the interest.

  • Wes Reddick says:

    Wonderful trip Tom, thank you for sharing it. Nice to see you pulling and pushing your oars.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Yeah, the ergonomics of that worked out perfectly, with a rowing thwart on either side of the oarlocks. All you have to do is move from one thwart to the other. You don’t get a lot of power pushing, but it sure works well for sneaking through narrow winding passages and avoiding rocks.

  • steve schwartz says:

    Now I have plans for what to do over the winter. Great video.

  • Richard Morgan says:

    Beautiful story and video. I love the camera falling in the water, Stuff happens… and we keep going.

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Yep–it happens to some of us more than others. :) I was amazed that the camera started working again two days later. I used that same camera for this summer’s cruising, too–that would never happen with salt water, I suspect.

  • Scott Caple says:

    Very nice. Looks like you had good weather all the way.These are my own waters, hoping to do something similar this year or next. Would like to get more details on cargo stowage, etc. Where is the boat’s home port?
    Thanks!

    • Tom Pamperin says:

      Scott,

      feel free to contact me via my website if you have any questions about planning or picking places to go. Are you thinking North Channel or Georgian Bay? Or both?

  • Gene Gilbert says:

    So peaceful…..love those narrow passages that lead you to another place in time……thanks again OCH