The Life of Boats Blog
Designer, boatbuilder, writer, and CLC owner John C. Harris has posted his thoughts on boat design and other distractions for decades. Some of them end up here.
CLC Team Dory: A coxed four
There is a hunger along the waterfront for efficient, interesting pulling boats suitable for schools, museums, youth programs, and fitness types. We've been working on a 23'9" dory for competition...
CLC Team Dory: A coxed four
There is a hunger along the waterfront for efficient, interesting pulling boats suitable for schools, museums, youth programs, and fitness types. We've been working on a 23'9" dory for competition...
Pacific Proa "Madness" at the US Sailboat Show
In early October, CLC's 31-foot Pacific proa Madness took a spot in the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. Certainly it was the first time that a proa has...
Pacific Proa "Madness" at the US Sailboat Show
In early October, CLC's 31-foot Pacific proa Madness took a spot in the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland. Certainly it was the first time that a proa has...
Remembering Ed Frick, Friend and Mentor
We lost Ed Frick last Saturday, much too soon. At my house and at CLC I am surrounded by mementos of Mr. Frick's talent and generosity, and I'd like to...
Remembering Ed Frick, Friend and Mentor
We lost Ed Frick last Saturday, much too soon. At my house and at CLC I am surrounded by mementos of Mr. Frick's talent and generosity, and I'd like to...
How To Win a Solar Boat Regatta
Students from Laguna Creek High School's Green Energy Technology Academy in Elk Grove, California built a custom-designed CLC kit and won a regatta back in May. The students were led...
How To Win a Solar Boat Regatta
Students from Laguna Creek High School's Green Energy Technology Academy in Elk Grove, California built a custom-designed CLC kit and won a regatta back in May. The students were led...
The Life of a Jimmy Skiff...the Death of Miriam
A CLC Jimmy Skiff plays a central role in Norah Jones' latest video, for her song Miriam. A morbidly beautiful number. The Jimmy Skiff, built from a kit by Scott...
The Life of a Jimmy Skiff...the Death of Miriam
A CLC Jimmy Skiff plays a central role in Norah Jones' latest video, for her song Miriam. A morbidly beautiful number. The Jimmy Skiff, built from a kit by Scott...
Madness the Proa: A Photo Shoot
I've enjoyed sailing the proa Madness this spring, but have failed serially to get a proper sailing photo shoot. So, finally: Crew for proa? Check Fast chaseboat? Check Driver for...
Madness the Proa: A Photo Shoot
I've enjoyed sailing the proa Madness this spring, but have failed serially to get a proper sailing photo shoot. So, finally: Crew for proa? Check Fast chaseboat? Check Driver for...
Sinking the Peeler Skiff...for a Good Cause
Powerboat designs, even those sold as kits like our new Peeler Skiff, must comply with stringent Coast Guard regulations. The Coast Guard checks the designs in a special tank manned...
Sinking the Peeler Skiff...for a Good Cause
Powerboat designs, even those sold as kits like our new Peeler Skiff, must comply with stringent Coast Guard regulations. The Coast Guard checks the designs in a special tank manned...
Tracing the Evolution of a Kayak Sailing Rig
I'm sure the impulse to rig kayaks for sailing is ancient. A hull shape easily driven with a paddle is even easier to drive with a sail. Of course, a...
Tracing the Evolution of a Kayak Sailing Rig
I'm sure the impulse to rig kayaks for sailing is ancient. A hull shape easily driven with a paddle is even easier to drive with a sail. Of course, a...
Lug Nuts
Used to be, I couldn't sell a lug rig to anyone. The early Mill Creek kayaks had lug rigs, and of course the Eastport Pram had a standing-lug rig starting...
Lug Nuts
Used to be, I couldn't sell a lug rig to anyone. The early Mill Creek kayaks had lug rigs, and of course the Eastport Pram had a standing-lug rig starting...
A Light Outboard Skiff
John Harris designed this light but sturdy 15-footer. It's a "crab skiff," as they're known in these parts. We're calling it the "Peeler" after the local slang for soft-shell crabs....
A Light Outboard Skiff
John Harris designed this light but sturdy 15-footer. It's a "crab skiff," as they're known in these parts. We're calling it the "Peeler" after the local slang for soft-shell crabs....
Proa Madness Under Sail: 15 knots and I feel fine
Had the boat under way for just over five hours on Friday. John Pollard and I kedged the beast out of its mud berth (the tide once again wind-suppressed) and...
Proa Madness Under Sail: 15 knots and I feel fine
Had the boat under way for just over five hours on Friday. John Pollard and I kedged the beast out of its mud berth (the tide once again wind-suppressed) and...
Proa Madness Launched: Part 2
Thus followed one of the most intense rigging sessions I have ever endured. Nothing was especially hard (except the completion and outfitting of the carbon mast, but that's another story)....
Proa Madness Launched: Part 2
Thus followed one of the most intense rigging sessions I have ever endured. Nothing was especially hard (except the completion and outfitting of the carbon mast, but that's another story)....
Proa Madness Launched: Part 1
The yellow beast slid into the water on September 24th, 2011, a design that started as a Polynesian sailing canoe and ended up as a shiny fast Westernized sailing machine....
Proa Madness Launched: Part 1
The yellow beast slid into the water on September 24th, 2011, a design that started as a Polynesian sailing canoe and ended up as a shiny fast Westernized sailing machine....
The Great Boatbuilder Cordless Drill Roundup
I'm old enough to remember the first cordless shop devices. My dad brought home a little Craftsman widget that looked like a fat screwdriver. For the fleeting interval in which...
The Great Boatbuilder Cordless Drill Roundup
I'm old enough to remember the first cordless shop devices. My dad brought home a little Craftsman widget that looked like a fat screwdriver. For the fleeting interval in which...
Still Madness After All These Months (A Proa Up...
Lots of emails in my box asking for an update on Madness, my 31-foot Pacific proa. See more drawings and read about the history of the project here and here....
Still Madness After All These Months (A Proa Up...
Lots of emails in my box asking for an update on Madness, my 31-foot Pacific proa. See more drawings and read about the history of the project here and here....
Madness in the Boatshop
I should have known that building a 31-foot multihull in CLC's shop would cause a stir. My first blog post about the boat, back in September, has attracted almost 9000...
Madness in the Boatshop
I should have known that building a 31-foot multihull in CLC's shop would cause a stir. My first blog post about the boat, back in September, has attracted almost 9000...
Russell Brown on Proas
Russell Brown designed and built his first proa---a multihull sailboat with one big hull and one little hull---as a teenager in the 1970's and promptly went to sea in it,...
Russell Brown on Proas
Russell Brown designed and built his first proa---a multihull sailboat with one big hull and one little hull---as a teenager in the 1970's and promptly went to sea in it,...
The Great Boatbuilder Sander Roundup
At Chesapeake Light Craft, we build wood-epoxy boats for a living. Wood-epoxy boatbuilding requires a lot of sanding. A WHOLE lot of it. Care and advanced technique can cut down...
The Great Boatbuilder Sander Roundup
At Chesapeake Light Craft, we build wood-epoxy boats for a living. Wood-epoxy boatbuilding requires a lot of sanding. A WHOLE lot of it. Care and advanced technique can cut down...
Choosing a Boat Kit
As we've seen, there have been boat kits forever. For much of the last century, options have been similar, too. We have slickly marketed boat kits that draw builders in...
Choosing a Boat Kit
As we've seen, there have been boat kits forever. For much of the last century, options have been similar, too. We have slickly marketed boat kits that draw builders in...
A Short History of Boatbuilding Kits
On my desk in front of me is a copy of the Brooks Boat Company, Inc. catalog for 1930. Brooks, based in Saginaw, Michigan, sold boat kits through the mail....
A Short History of Boatbuilding Kits
On my desk in front of me is a copy of the Brooks Boat Company, Inc. catalog for 1930. Brooks, based in Saginaw, Michigan, sold boat kits through the mail....
The Singular Pain of Cutting a Nice Boat in Half
For the first time in ten years, we can attend the US Sailboat Show and tell several thousand people that YES, we DO offer a nesting dinghy kit. There's the...
The Singular Pain of Cutting a Nice Boat in Half
For the first time in ten years, we can attend the US Sailboat Show and tell several thousand people that YES, we DO offer a nesting dinghy kit. There's the...
Two feet longer, double the size
The Annapolis Wherry has been an enduring favorite and I approached a modification of it with real apprehension. The 1997 Annapolis Wherry, which has never been modified, is far too...
Two feet longer, double the size
The Annapolis Wherry has been an enduring favorite and I approached a modification of it with real apprehension. The 1997 Annapolis Wherry, which has never been modified, is far too...
And So the Madness Begins. Again
Having paid lip service far and wide, eventually I had to commit and build the boat. Colleagues who remember my LAST adventure in proa design immediately began muttering, "So the...
And So the Madness Begins. Again
Having paid lip service far and wide, eventually I had to commit and build the boat. Colleagues who remember my LAST adventure in proa design immediately began muttering, "So the...