My boat was built by a western Pennsylvania builder in 1975, the same year Bob Baker made plans available through Mystic Seaport Museum. He built her with glued lapstrake plywood over sawn frames, with tight-laid floorboards and ceiling planks. There is more to say, but there's a start.

I got the boat in 2013 and sailed her for several years form a mooring on the Mystic River, right opposite Mystic Seaport Museum. However, I had to haul her and took her home for some problem solving:

• She had a hanked-on cotton sail, which was not workable stowed on the boom while on a mooring. I did find a Beetle Cat sail, but I need to decide how best to hank it on. 
  
• I also think the rudder inadequate so will be building a new rudder and tiller. 
• I want to drill and epoxy some limber holes in the frames as this was never done by the builder, a fresh-water sailor and not as clear-thinking as I would have liked in some of his building choices. 
• She needs basic scrape and paint, as you might expect. While I don't think there is any significant rot, it is possible. (Refer to limber holes.)

There's a start on my project. I look forward to talking with interested TSCA members about mu unique little boat.

One more thing; she is a drop-dead beautiful little boat that needs to get back to the water. I look forward to talking with you about Button Swan.

Thanks!
Alan

Arnold Chester describes his experience building the Biscayne 22 at a meeting of the John Gardner Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association. ​

The Biscayne 22 is a classic mahogany runabout. Plans are available from Glen-L: https://www.glen-l.com/Biscayne-22/products/726/​

A description provided on the Glen-L website:

​"The Biscayne 18 & 22 classic mahogany runabout designs capture the look and feel of production runabouts built in the several years either side of 1940, and incorporate similar hull shapes accordingly. That means reverse-curved flaring topsides at the bow blending gracefully aft to a generous tumblehome at the transom. Such attractive contours are impossible to build using sheet plywood alone, yet easily reproduced using our carefully detailed building methods."

In addition to his boat building activities, Arnold had an interesting career as an engineer. One of his projects involved working on the life support systems that the Apollo 11 astronauts used to walk on the moon.

The John Gardner Chapter of the TSCA hosted its annual Small Craft Workshop. The workshop ran in conjunction with the 32nd annual WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport on June 28-30, 2024.

Captain Dan Nelson and Kate Nelson gathered JGTSCA members to assist with sawing apart their newly built Chesapeake Light Craft Passagemaker dinghy.  The take-apart dinghy will store compactly on the foredeck of their sailboat and can be quickly re-assembled to serve as a launch.

​Come one, come all to celebrate Traditional Small Craft in the place where it was born!

Mystic Seaport Museum, WoodenBoat and the John Gardner Chapter of the TSCA are joining forces to sponsor the best ever small boat gathering.

The Seaport Boathouse Livery will be available to all at no extra charge. Go try out working replicas of the original small craft from the Museum’s Small Craft Collection. To celebrate breaking ground on the new Small Craft Hall, we will be honoring replicas of the originals. If you have one at home, bring it and share its story. If yours is in the tradition of the original, say of more modern materials, but honors the essence of the original, that is OK, even encouraged in this age of trailer sailing and garage storage.
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Included will be special tours of the Small Craft Collection. Go visit your favorites then come
back and take a replica for a ride. Observing an original or replica is all well and good but there
is only one way to see how it feels. If you can’t find one but really like it, pick up a set of plans from the Collections Research Center and bring back the new boat next year to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Small Craft Hall.