Schooner Creek Boat Works has been a fixture in the Portland sailing scene since 1977, when founder Steve Rander opened the doors of a wooden boat shop beside the Columbia River’s South Channel, next to the I-5 freeway. In those early years, it was very much a small-boat shop doing restorations and repairs using the… Continue reading Schooner Creek–Top West Coast Yard for 64′ Charter Catamarans
Category: Multihulls
Arthur Piver: Pioneer Trimaran Designer-Sailor
Arthur Piver (1910–1968) was a World War II pilot, and a legendary sailor, author, and boat builder who lived in Mill Valley on San Francisco Bay. In the late 1950s, Piver (rhymes with “diver”) owned a print shop, and designed and built a series of simple three-hulled, plywood yachts in his spare time, starting with… Continue reading Arthur Piver: Pioneer Trimaran Designer-Sailor
Vakea 19 Reborn–My 42 Years in D.I.Y. Trimaran Design
The boat in the title began life as 19′ schooner VAKEA in 1981. It was built from a rough sketch in 20 weeks, and first featured in Multihulls magazine the next year. I added a new, longer bow in 1983 raising the length to 21’/6.5m and changed to a sloop rig. I renamed the boat… Continue reading Vakea 19 Reborn–My 42 Years in D.I.Y. Trimaran Design
2010: Multihulls from the Stone Age to the New Age
For many years they were a nautical oddity, their owners dismissed by the traditional yachting world as cranks and dreamers, but no longer! Today cruising catamarans and trimarans (collectively referred to as “multihulls”) can’t be ignored. They can be found crossing Puget Sound and racing around the world, and in the last twenty years they’ve… Continue reading 2010: Multihulls from the Stone Age to the New Age
2010: Woody Brown (1912-2008) — father of the modern catamaran
Although cruising catamarans have really taken off in the last 10 years, Hawaiians have always known about the benefits of the “double canoe.” Legendary surfer and former glider pilot Woody Brown was. inspired by outrigger canoes he saw in the South Pacific after World War II. Using aeronautical engineering and lightweight plywood construction. It was… Continue reading 2010: Woody Brown (1912-2008) — father of the modern catamaran
1989 – Tales from the Inland Passage
Adventures on the Wild NW Coast – copyright Peter Marsh Cold Water and Hot Springs By the time most sailors have weathered Cape Scott, at the tip of Vancouver Island, they are ready to set a course for the undeniable attractions of Hot Springs. Cruising alone in a half-ton boat, usually with plenty of time… Continue reading 1989 – Tales from the Inland Passage
1990 – Exploring the Columbia/Snake Rivers
The Forgotten Rivers East of the Columbia Gorge – copyright Peter Marsh Nearly 500 miles from the ocean and 730 feet above sea level, the Snake River emerges from the deepest canyon in North America and, within miles, its white waters become placid enough for boating. The rushing river that Lewis and Clark travelled in… Continue reading 1990 – Exploring the Columbia/Snake Rivers
1986 – A Superior Cruise in a 21′ Trimaran
Crossing Lake Superior and Beyond in a 1/2-ton Boat – published in Sailing magazine’s 25th anniversary issue. Early one July morning in 1986, after three days of dawn-to-dusk motoring, I brought my weary car, an aging 1600 cc Datsun, to a stop above the Lake Superior shoreline in Duluth, Minnesota. I was towing a bright… Continue reading 1986 – A Superior Cruise in a 21′ Trimaran
2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst
Documentary of Crowhurst’s “Voyage to Oblivion” – copyright Peter J. Marsh Boating has certainly changed since the 1960s; this was brought home to me when I watched “Deep Water,” an award-winning documentary that arrived in the northwest at the end of summer. Its subject was the 1968-69 Golden Globe race in which a motley crew… Continue reading 2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst
2004 – Ellen Macarthur, Young English Star of Solo Racing
How English Sailor Gained International Fame – copyright Peter Marsh The scene in the small French harbor of Les Sables d’Olonne the evening of February 11 was unlike anything ever seen in the world of sailing. An estimated 200,000 people packed the tiny seaport to get a glimpse of France’s unlikeliest new sports star: 24-year… Continue reading 2004 – Ellen Macarthur, Young English Star of Solo Racing