It begins.

In 2015, I finished building a 16’ Snow Goose garvey-style skiff designed by Sam Devlin. She is named WagoOne. The launching of that little boat and its subsequent uses with family and friends was one of my most personally rewarding experiences. Building a boat is arduous, even for experienced builders. It requires resources, time, determination, and learning. The process can teach painful lessons and gives reasons for doubt and frustration. But at some point, perhaps when the installation of the first piece of carefully made brightwork or coat of primer transforms the faired hull into something artful, the pieces of wood and glue and sweat, and blood are imbued with a soul. There is a moment when a boat takes on a presence of its own. The maiden voyage is almost surreal. It is both the culmination of one adventure and the beginning of many more — because a boat is made for seeking.

Now, in the late summer of 2022, I begin construction of a new boat, a bigger boat, one that may open yet more doors to even greater adventures. Much has transpired in the seven years since the launch of Wago One. Our children have become young adults and have experienced many trials and triumphs. The world has experienced and continues to endure a pandemic, sociopolitical upheaval, and strife. And I have grown older. Yet the yearning to build a vessel capable of taking me and any willing family members and friends further from the familiar shores is strong. I was told this would be the way by others who have built boats. The completion and the having lead to wanting. We sometimes romanticize the past.

I have chosen to build a 28’ Great Alaskan, designed by Brian Dixon. The Great Alaskan is, in many ways, a larger version of the Tolman Skiff, Jumbo — a design developed and perfected by Ren Tolman in the 1980s. Many of these boats have been built, and many have stood the tests of tide and time. Properly made, these are seaworthy craft that some captains take to fishing shoals one hundred miles offshore. The boat is designed to be seaworthy and efficient, cruising at 22 knots for peak efficiency and allowing speeds up to 45mph if desired and if adequately powered. The boat features a pilot house and bunks to provide protection from the weather and the ability to travel greater distances.

The Great Alaskan uses the “stitch and glue” building method; It is made primarily from plywood, fiberglass, and epoxy. Stitch-and-glue boats (so-called because of the means by which their plywood panels are joined with wire or ties and epoxied together) purportedly rival the strength of commercial fiberglass hulls and even many wooden boats. Stitch-and-glue skiff-style boats, like the Great Alaskan, offer a lightweight boat with moderate deadrise, allowing the boat to plane quickly and efficiently while maintaining the ability to cut through moderate seas. While these boats may not cut through chop like much heavier modern deep-V commercial fiberglass hulls, they reduce fuel consumption significantly — some say by more than half. Their relatively light weight and great strength allow them to be powered by smaller motors while enduring roughness should they need to. Despite the relatively modern approach to building this boat, it is a beast and will require substantial effort. I do not yet know how life’s demands, weather, and the unknown will affect the time required to make and launch this craft.

All of this said, work is begun.