A lot of catching up to do...
Catching up on some launching announcements both new and old.
We love getting launch photos and feedback from our builders. We’ll kick this off by catching up on some launchings new and old. And some of the projects we’ve been involved in. Be sure to send in pictures and a writeup of your next launch so we can share it with the B&B family.
Launched in February, ‘Patience’ is the culmination of a long time design collaboration with Jim Moores of Moores Marine who sought out B&B for the design of his dream boat, a modern take on a classic launch. The 27 footer features a modern hull shape including what we call the “duck tail” giving her all the benefits of a modern planning hull shape combined with a classic Hereshoff stern and a "Dreadnought" bow. B&B produced a CNC kit for the build in Jan of 2021 and Jim had a lot of patience himself between then and now in making her a reality. It is without doubt the most complex shaped hull we've worked on. In addition to receiving “best in show” at this years Beaufort Wooden Boat Show in Beaufort, NC she also took top marks at the Antique and Classic Boat show in Tavares Florida. Congratulations to Jim and his team who worked so hard on this build. She definitely deserves her own writeup which she will get soon.
A video from her launch day below. Be sure to checkout her writeup on the ACBS website here.
Switching gears, West sent in a great shot of his recently finished Jessy 12. West built the boat for a friend of his from plans and took him about 10 months to complete. West built his Jessy 12 from plans but we also offer a full CNC kit.
“We thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and the plans had everything we needed to completed this build. It runs wells and tracks excellent. With 2 people it topped out at 15mph with the Tohatsu 9.8. I don’t know what final weight was but 2 people can pick it up fairly easy.” -West
Michael, sent in some pictures of his Flyfisher Canoe aptly named “Dragonfly”. Great job Michael.
I’m very happy with the design and the build for a first boat. Handling well on the lake with a double ended kayak paddle. She weighs in at 38.7 lbs. trimmed and finished. Thank you for the easy pattern. -Michael
From Germany, Harald Launched Core Sound 20 #179 in Aug of last year. They made some modifications including a raised coaming to accept a tent and added a mizzen tabernacle. We think it looks great!
We can proudly and happily announce that today "Etörnity" was the first
time on the water, we are very pleased. The name is a play on words: "Törn" is the name for a boat trip in the local dialect.
Next we have Peter who sent in a shot of his Diva Kayak way back in 2018. Better late than never! Thanks Peter.
“Hi, I ordered the plans for a Diva and started building in January of this year (2018). I finally got it finished in June (2018) and got it into the water for the first time today. I am an experienced paddler, but a novice kayaker. The boat is stable and tracks straight and true. It is a breeze to paddle and seems to make good time. Thanks for and easy design to assemble. I have plans for many trips here around Puget Sound.” -Peter
Carter in Utah launched a stunning example of the Outer Banks 20 (hull #47) built from a B&B kit in June of last year. Since November 2016 he has documented the entire build on the forum. Check it out, it’s an excellent read with tons of pictures. She floated perfectly on her lines and the varnish looks fantastic.
We spent quite a bit of time working on the waterline painting and I have been anxious to see how she will sit on her lines. Turns out she floats just fine. -Carter
From way over in France, Benoit sent in some some pictures of his Spindrift 11 Nesting that he finished in June 2023. We love seeing what some builders do to modify their boats. In Benoit’s case he added a bowsprit and a classic rig.
Last but not least, Chris sent in some pictures from his fist trip in his recently acquired Mini Trimaran purchased from Doug who built hull #2 which incorporated some changes including the addition of a well for a hobie mirage drive, more space in the aft cockpit and slab instead of roller reefing of the mainsail.
“The hullform is so beautifully slick that there is almost no wake. I think it excels at maintaining speeds from 6-12 knots in low to medium winds. The pedal drive is transformative-- it really moves-- 2.5-3 knots. A motor boater commented on how fast we had been moving on the way back into the ramp (without sail or paddles). The sailing qualities together with the pedal performance are spot-on for the intended use, i.e. events like the EC where being able to continually make progress at a good but comfortable speed is critical.] It also paddles surprisingly well. The kick-up functions of the rudder and leeboard function beautifully. There is a surprisingly large amount of stowage in the many bulkheads (and) the solid, floatation-filled sidedecks are fantastic and also keep the rear cockpit very dry.
Terrific boat-- loving it and looking forward to many years of enjoyment.” -Chris
We’ve been asked about when plans or kits for the Mini Trimaran (really need a better name for her) would be available. Well, we have a few projects in dire need of completion first most notably our wind-vane and Outer Banks 26 plans and then a few more changes we’d like to make to the trimaran before releasing the plans, kit and files. See more pictures from Chris’ trip here.
Keep those builds going everyone and don’t forget to check in on our builders forum from time to time.
-Alan Stewart
Great information. Thanks Alan. I am almost finished with my cats paw 8. Just have to get the epoxy on the interior and some paint.