Megan Claflin
Expanding this area’s reputation as a mecca for wooden boatbuilders and associated tradespeople, “SCAMP Camp” has captured the attention of mariners from around the globe.
A collaboration between the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and Small Craft Advisor magazine, the Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project (SCAMP) class teaches individuals ranging from beginners to professionals how to construct a kit-built microcruiser.
Hosted at the Northwest Maritime Center’s boat shop Aug. 6-17, the course, which was led by renowned sailors and instructors John Welsford and Howard Rice (see related story), attracted participants from as far away as Germany with a confluence of education, skills, expertise and artistry.
“It’s not just a boat, it’s an adventure,” said Rice.
Designed for adventure
Having reviewed about 80 trailerable sailboats since the launch of Small Craft Advisor (SCA) in 2003, copublisher Josh Colvin identified desirable traits and features in each. An avid small-craft sailor with two young children, he and copublisher Craig Wagner wanted to help create a seaworthy vessel capable of navigating the backwaters and eddies of the Columbia River, a popular recreation area for the Colvin family. Through the selection and merging of qualities such as maneuverability, stability and capacity, SCAMP emerged.
Embodying the allure that draws many youth to sailing, the little cruiser embodies the epitome of freedom and functionality. Unlike larger yachts, which many sailors gravitate toward as their experience and age increases, in a SCAMP, one can simply get in, shove off and have yourself an adventure, said Colvin.
“That whole vision of sailing gets distorted as you go through life and get burdened by boat maintenance, moorage, etc.,” he said. “SCAMP sailors are [often] guys with big boats moving back to the basics.”
At a glance
Once Colvin and Wagner had developed a concept they contacted Welsford, a well-known small-craft designer, educator and sailor based in New Zealand who has contributed articles and reviews to Small Craft Advisor over the years. Colvin would later reflect that choosing Welsford to design SCAMP was “one of the smartest” decisions he could have made.
“John’s sensibility and knowledge is impeccable,” Colvin said. “Immediately, he had ideas and suggestions that were right in line with the type of boat we dreamed of.”
At a length of 11 feet, 11 inches, the microcruiser isn’t required to be registered in Washington state, and because it weighs in at about 400 pounds, it is easily towed by a standard-size vehicle.
“This is the type of boat you can pull behind the family Subaru and head out for a weekend on the water,” Colvin said.
Easily sailed by one person, the vessel can seat as many as four adults comfortably, with ample room for gear in a storage cabin encompassing much of the bow. Unusually wide for its length, the offset keel allows a sailor to sleep aboard. A cuddy, or open cabin, provides passengers with a windbreak and shields them from inclement weather.
“The [cuddy cabin] is really great, because you, or the kids, can tuck in underneath and stay warm and dry,” Welsford said.
Designed with a specific set of needs in mind, SCAMP features a pram bow and water ballast tank for increased stability. A shallow draft, kick-up rudder and skegs allow the boat to be beached.
“Normal design rules would suggest that [SCAMP] wouldn’t work, but these boats are sneaky fast and very stable,” Welsford said.
‘Let’s test it’
SCAMP is so stable, in fact, that Rice – a famous small-craft sailor known for doubling Cape Horn, the “sailor’s Mount Everest,” solo in a 55-pound wood-canvas sailing canoe – had to work at capsizing the vessel.
Rice set off from the Port Townsend Boat Haven on a cold December day in 2010 to test-sail the first SCAMP prototype – built by Kees Prins and the Northwest Maritime Center. The following March he returned from his home in Micronesia to conduct capsize testing. Standing on the lee rail with mainsheet in hand, Rice struggled to knock the SCAMP over despite high winds. Finally he managed to put her on her side and jumped into the water. Wearing a dry suit and under the close eye of seasoned sailors, Rice took less than a minute to pull the boat upright and clamor back inside the co*ckpit.
“SCAMP’s stability is one of its greatest qualities,” Rice said. “Even in those extreme conditions, I was able to recover quickly.”
(To view a video of the capsize test, visit
youtube.com and search “SCAMP active capsize.”)
Looking like wooden skeletons, ten SCAMP frame sets consumed nearly all of the space in the Northwest Maritime Center’s boat shop, allowing just enough room for 13 students and four instructors to maneuver in between cutting, sawing, sanding, gluing and jointing the boats together.
Ten students set out to build their own SCAMPs, while others assisted as “shadows,” learning the process so they could assemble their boats at a future date. Skill levels ranged widely, said Welsford, but camaraderie quickly formed, and soon the hum of activity was drawing crowds of passersby.
Welsford and Rice teamed up with boat shop manager Scott Jones and assistant manager Jason Bledsoe, both NWSWB alumni, to teach the course. Rice later referred to the combination of instructors as “seamless happiness.”
“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented group of individuals,” he said. “I learned so much and find that my style of boatbuilding is now truly enhanced.”
Traveling from Portland, Keith Nasman said that the instructors helped not only by offering direction and advice, but by performing many of the tedious tasks, such as cutting planks, so students could focus on learning the more intricate techniques.
Eric Hervol, a NWSWB graduate, said that he relished the opportunity to work in a style of boatbuilding different than that to which he was accustomed and under the instruction of high-caliber teachers.
“It is a rare to be able to build a boat alongside the actual designer,” he said. “It’s an opportunity not to be missed.”
Local, local, local
In addition to the SCAMP being designed and built in Port Townsend, the SCAMP class causes an economic ripple effect as it draws on the talents and resources of local businesses and individuals.
“This is the first of what we hope to be many collaborations between the local schools and businesses centered in the marine trades,” said Pete Leenhouts, director of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. “Together we can support and promote this community as a true destination for wooden boat enthusiasts.”
Turn Point Design owner Brandon Davis drafted plans for the SCAMP kit, which were essential to the success of the class. Cutting each kit from plywood purchased from local lumber supplier Edensaw Woods, Davis made slight adjustments to the original design, such as adding puzzle joints and scribe marks that aided in ease of construction.
“It has been a really fun project to be involved in and a great group of people to be working with,” he said.
Connecting with Port Townsend’s Westside Marine, Colvin and store manager Tim Arthur were able to customize an EZ Loader trailer to fit the SCAMP perfectly.
That success allowed Leenhouts to further promote a “package deal” to SCAMP builders, enabling participants to find all that they needed for the project locally.
Arthur said he initially expected to sell three to five trailers. He was “amazed” when the project “took on a life of its own” and he received orders for nine.
We are very happy to have the opportunity to work with another local business and look forward to serving more [SCAMP] clients.”
169 sold
SCAMPS are currently sold in one of four ways. Individuals can purchase a set of plans and build the boat at home; buy a kit and build it at home; purchase a kit and build it in a classroom setting; or commission a fiberglass model from Gig Harbor Boat Works. Colvin said each SCAMP is marked with a sail number, and so far, 169 have been sold to builders all around the world.
The next “SCAMP Camp” is scheduled for October in Michigan, with plans to return to Port Townsend for round two in March 2013, said Rice.
Both Welsford and Rice are scheduled to speak at the 36th annual Wooden Boat Festival, Sept.7-9, where a SCAMP will be on display.
