Joe Youcha wants to build boats. A lot of boats. Not only does he want to build boats, but he wants you to build one as well. Back in the 1990s, Joe was head of the Alexandria Seaport Foundation's community boatbuilding program. He and his shop crew had built "a hundred different boats" with members of the community, but none that he considered perfect for introducing the public to the joy of building, and the math that goes along with it. He wanted a boat that not only could be built anywhere by anyone, but one that would be worth building as well, and one he could teach with. In his mind, the boat would be simple to build, with no single step in the building process taking longer than 45 minutes. The boat should maximize materials, and finally, the boat should be a stable and safe platform for its builders to use, together, to learn the basics of boating once complete. Bevin’s Skiff is versatile. With the rig removed, it makes a handy yacht tender. A few rocks in the stern will keep the bow from rooting when the boat is being towed.
all photographs by Matthew P. Murphy
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This is a great little boat!
We have been building her each year, in Lewes, Delaware, on Father’s Day Weekend, with 6 to 8 families and affiliation groups. The volunteer “Wooden Boat Crew”, guides and helps the participants to complete their boats, from Friday at noon, to launching on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The delight-filled look on the faces of the young people in the building groups is priceless! It is a total HOOT!
For the younger family members, too small to participate in the actual building, we provide a Kids Corner, with games and crafts, and little toy boats, ready for painting to suit the whim of the child.
A few of the “Crew” have taken the project into the local high school, showed the process to the Manual Arts teacher and he will use it in his curriculum. It is a great blending of math, spacial relations and hands-on technology. Beats the hell out of punching buttons on a video game! (Ooops, almost started a rant!)
Thanks for a nice introduction of the boat to your readership.
I’ve been building a Bevins very slowly here in Australia. It’s been a great project for this particular beginning boat builder, I’ve put in a few hours here and there as I can swing the time. I very much look forward to finishing it, but that is still awhile away. I recommend a Bevins project to anyone who wants to teach themselves to do some woodwork or build a boat.