As much as I love to row, I do have to travel by boat over 13 miles (20 Kilometers) with my family to get to the cottage. Usually I wind up having to do this in the evening, and  a good piece of this distance is over open water.

Travelling up and down that rocky shoreline is the acid test for any boat we have. I have to make this trip more often than I would wish -- (I don't like to leave.) Since many small outboards are unusable here in windy weather, I have designed and built this boat to improve handling in the difficult conditions we find typical. I am very pleased with it, and am pleased to offer it to you.

Rossiterboats Shoreline14
As the autumn sun sets,  we scoot home to the cottage.

I wanted it to be dry and seaworthy. I wanted it not to pound. I wanted it not to throw up spray.

Into the setting sun. See how spray is thrown down.

I began the design with a moderate deep V,  with the usual planing strakes
and a lifting pad on the very bottom.

The setting sun makes the white hull look golden.

After some experience with the wooden prototype, I reduced the size of the lifting pad.
(It used to take off like a rocket!)

The coaming, the side-console steering and the engine well are visible here,
beside the floating dock.
 

At the dock, buttoned up for the night.
(The non-floating dock shows that the water is very low this year.)

Many small boats have no place to put bumpers, line, or paddles.  These days you are often required to keep aboard a variety of safety equipment such as throwing lines, flares, whistle, and  flashlights. I have found that often small boats make no allowance for storing all these small pieces. So I built storage lockers, vented them, and  made them self draining. I arranged the liner so as to provide for side stowage of longer items like paddles and bumpers.

To see descriptions of  the design, please click here.
 
To see the Shoreline14 in operation (with comments), please click here.
 

• This boat is made solid fiberglass, strongly built.
• It has permanent flotation.
• It has a full interior liner that bonds sides and bottom together, making the whole boat quite rigid.
• The inner liner has a drain system so that all water drains to a well.
• The deck has a substantial coaming to deflect water running down the deck, to provide rigidity and easy fastening for a canvas cover.
• The transom is cambered (curved) for strength.
• The transom has a full self-draining engine well.
• Rated by the Canadian Coast Guard for a 40hp (30kw) motor, and for 880lb (400kg) load.