A note on the record of Heron
Thanks! I was having trouble figuring out how to add more pics without having to relabel them all. I'll get some finished pics up. The oars are 7' spoon blade wooden oars from Van Fancy in Mahone Bay…
The Notice Board
The Dock
Latest launches, workshop updates, milestones and conversations from across the fleet.
- 6
- Active builds
- 0
- Afloat this season
All Activity — On the Water
A note on the record of Heron
Hi Jay, really enjoying reading about your build and perusing the photos. I liked your planing jig. You should patent that! My stitch and glue didn't require that step but I'll remember that if I…
Newest Boat
The most recent boat entered in the register. She holds it until the next boat goes in.
A note on the record of Marla Hooch
Your boat is both beautiful and super practical. Do you still get out on the water? I can imagine crabbing in this in Puget Sound. I built a soap box derby racer out of cedar strips when I was about…
Gunwale
The cedar-strip dinghy begins to come to life in a crowded workshop, its rich wood grain glowing beneath the warm light. With the interior taking shape and a row of clamps holding the gunwale in place, the photo…
The start
Work began on a still-unnamed cedar-strip dinghy, but a few months into the build, my daughter arrived and the project went into dry dock for a while. Eventually, I found my way back to it, adding one cedar strip at a…
AWOOGA launches
Three years of garage work reached the ramp. After a launch ceremony, AWOOGA rolled off the trailer, floated on her lines, pushed away from the dock, and made a proper little tugboat wake under her own power. Mike, the…
Bottom glassed and chine logs fitted
The rebuilt bottom was sealed and glassed successfully. I fitted and epoxied the chine logs, set the bulkhead bases, flipped the assembly to expose the water side, and finished it with two layers of fiberglass cloth and…
Building the keel frame
Work moved to the keel and side keels. I built the keel frame, dry-fitted its plywood skins, and glassed the inside faces. The enclosed space would later be filled with foam for flotation before the skins were sealed…
Cutting the motor well
This was the scariest cut of the build: opening the finished stern and bottom for the motor well. I laid it out, cut the hull, glassed the well components, and installed the assembly. Final trimming would wait until the…
Glassing the outside of the hull
The exterior received a sealing coat followed by two layers of fiberglass cloth. The port side behaved better than the starboard side, but both were wetted out, wrapped, and ready for the long cycle of fairing, sanding…
Hull sides and deck structure
With the bottom on the trailer, the stem went in and the port and starboard hull sides were bonded to the chine logs and held by side and stern jigs. Deck shelves, stringers, the forward deck, and the beginnings of the…
Keel sealed and bottom protected
The keel cavity received flotation foam, then the keel and side keels were closed, sealed, faired, and glassed. Sanding the cured cloth was not a favorite job. I also coated the underside with three coats of truck bed…
October 2024 - Cockpit seating and motor cover
The build gallery records this work from October through December 2024; the individual workdays were not retained. I built the aft cockpit seating over the gas-tank space and shaped a cover around the motor well. The…
April 2025 - The launch list gets shorter
The build gallery records this final push to April 2025; the individual workdays were not retained. Window and door frames went in, the vinyl cabin floor was laid, the name decals and registration plate were installed…
September 2024 - Motor, controls, and folding mast
The build gallery records this stage to September 2024; the individual workdays were not retained. The 20 HP Tohatsu was hung, the motor well trimmed for steering clearance, and the throttle, steering cable, controls…
Join the fleet
Your boat belongs on this board
She does not have to be finished. Register her now, add to her build history as the work goes on, and her launch day will already have years of story behind it.