Soundings July 2021
Soundings is the news and feature publication for recreational boaters. Award-winning coverage of the people, issues, events -- and the fun -- of recreational boating. Check out our generous boats-for-sale section and our gunkholing destinations.
in this issue
the joy of puttering
A friend was recently talking about early retirement and whether she was ready to push away from the workaday world and move toward the next phase of her life. She had ample savings, no debt, good healthcare and a solid social network. What she lacked, though, were a few good hobbies, activities that would allow her to pick up new skills, connect with like-minded people and relax in the process. I suggested she get a boat. Is there a better hobby out there than boating? It offers escape and adventure, the opportunity to make new friends, and the soul-stirring experience of being immersed in watery nature. And for some, an interest in boats presents the chance to engage in a type of physical and mental work that can be wholly gratifying. Bill Andrulitis…
the breadwinner
This delicious launch is design No. 88 from Nat Benjamin at the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Her name is Toast, and she is a descendant of Baguette, a motor launch that Connecticut boatbuilder Jack Wilbur created in the 1980s. “It’s such a fun boat to go out for lunch or a sunset cocktail,” says Abby Boal, who owns Toast with her husband, Jeff. “We can get her into pretty shallow areas all around Narragansett Bay. She’s such a fun, happy little boat.” The Boals commissioned Toast after seeing Baguette, which Gannon and Benjamin rebuilt to use as a workboat after Wilbur died. No plans existed for the original design, so Benjamin drew them. He kept similar dimensions—Toast has a length overall of 23 feet, 6 inches, and…
from plywood to all-out pizzazz
Kelvin Franks says his wife pegs the effort at about $30,000 over four and a half years. He doesn’t think he spent quite that much, and he’s not sure about the amount of time, since he’d occasionally take a month off to do other projects. But he knows what he has today: a 15-foot boat he built from scratch that somebody just offered $80,000 to buy. “I told him I just finished it—I’m not selling it,” Franks says. “But that was a good note.” Franks, a retired mechanical engineer who lives in Duson, Louisiana, started building Drift Wood while killing time during consulting work for an oil company. He was surfing online and came across plans for the Glen-L Ski King. He thought it might—with modifications—be a good tender to his 52-foot…
look out for number one
One Saturday morning in July a few years back, I cleared New Jersey’s Manasquan Inlet only to be swallowed in an unpredicted wall of fog a mile off the beach. My radar gave me a good view, so I headed offshore to get away from the numerous bottom-fishing boats that were behind me. I don’t like fishing in a fleet, and I figured I could work some of my hotspots without having to worry about all of those weekend warriors in my boat’s wake. When I had arrived at a good location, my crew got to work coaxing fluke to take interest in hooks sweetened with fresh smelt and squid strip combos. The fog was still present and had blanketed all sound in a curious way. With the Caterpillar diesels…
what we’re watching
VINTAGE MOTORS The Pine Tree Chapter of the Antique Outboard Club of America gathers an eclectic, fun-loving group of gearheads—primarily from Maine—who enjoy collecting, fixing up and running antique outboard motors, some of which are more than 100 years old. The group’s YouTube channel, PineTree Boating Club, aims to inform enthusiasts about everything from meetups to the special tools, techniques and tricks one might need to get a clunky old motor back to its original glory—or simply get it running again. There’s something here for beginners, experts and every do-it-yourselfer in between.…
more salty reads
FIRST AID While most of the activities we enjoy on the water are safe, there could be a time when a crewmember requires either minor or urgent medical help. Being prepared to deal with these injuries, no matter what sort of boating you do, is just good seamanship. Doctor On Board: Ship’s Medicine Chest and Care on the Water by Dr. William W. Forgey, a clinical professor of family medicine at Indiana University, educates readers about how to care for crewmembers suffering from seasickness, minor cuts and scrapes, broken bones, head injuries, sprains, as well as more serious emergencies that require advanced care, such as cardiac arrest. You’ll learn how to stock a good medical first aid kit and deal with severe orthopedic and respiratory issues, as well as how to…
