Many boat owners choose to donate their vessels as the boating season winds down or at year-end. Donating a boat is a generous act that supports charitable programs, and it can also provide federal tax benefits. However, timing matters: waiting until the last weeks of the year to donate may reduce or delay the tax … Read more

Michael Packard was diving for lobster in 45 feet of water off Provincetown, Massachusetts, when he said he “felt this huge bump and everything went dark.” He initially believed a great white shark had struck him, but when there was no pain and no sign of teeth, he began to suspect something far larger: that … Read more

Blackfin 33 Combi: A Compact Offshore Fisherman’s Classic Carl Herndon began his career at Bertram Yachts in the 1960s, at a moment when the Bertram 31 and its revolutionary deep-V hull were reshaping small-craft design. In 1973 Herndon left Bertram to found Blackfin Yacht Corp. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, determined to refine the deep-V concept. … Read more

What We’re Watching VINTAGE MOTORS The Pine Tree Chapter of the Antique Outboard Club of America brings together a lively group of collectors, restorers and tinkerers—mostly from Maine—who share a passion for antique outboard motors. Many of these engines are rare, historically significant and in some cases more than a century old. Members collect, restore … Read more

My father’s relationships with most of the mechanical things in his life were adversarial, but nothing compared to the wars he waged with two-stroke outboards. At least three-quarters of our crabbing and fishing trips began with him trying to coax an engine to life. It was common to see him twisted into a pretzel on … Read more

Historic Lifesaving Boats: The Craft That Braved Surf, Storm and Sea This early twentieth-century illustration from Red Cross magazine captures a dramatic moment in lifesaving history. The exact location in the image is unclear, but the courage and endurance of lifesaving crews during the age of sail are well documented. Equally fascinating are the boats … Read more

The clouds looked threatening. Onshore, white puffy clouds against a deep-blue sky can be pleasant, but 40 miles off Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina—with spray blown from the boat’s wake—the same formations felt ominous. On the bridge of Release, a 50-foot Carolina sportfisher, I watched two rods bent under the pull of high-speed lures as Captain … Read more

Beach Baby: Sharon Peaty’s Palm Beach 32 and Her Sydney Cruising Life Sharon Peaty grew up on the water. Encouraged by her father, John Peaty—who describes himself as “always been a boatie”—she learned to sail as a child and later moved into powerboats, most recently enjoying a Sea Ray bowrider. When Sharon decided she wanted … Read more

The seaside town of Gibsons sits on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, only about 10 miles from Vancouver as the crow flies, but the rugged topography and deep coastal channels make it feel worlds apart. Steep hills, narrow passes and the absence of direct roads mean residents and visitors rely on ferries and floatplanes. With water … Read more

This charming motor launch is design No. 88 by Nat Benjamin of the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Named Toast, she traces her lineage to Baguette, a pony of a launch created in the 1980s by Connecticut boatbuilder Jack Wilbur. That earlier boat served as the inspiration for the modern rebuild … Read more