It's been about 37 weeks since I last posted a boat of the week, so when I learned about a boat with an interesting name today on Twitter that I had never heard of before, I knew it was time to bring back the old theme. Amphibi-cons are known as the first boat designed from scratch as a trailer-able cruising boat. We like anything that can be labeled as a first boat.
I like the story behind these boats, not just for the unique name, but for the no-nonsense approach to their design. They were designed by two men in the early 1950s - E. Farnham Butler (owner of the Mount Desert Yacht Yard) and Cyrus Hamlin (a naval architect) - with being pulled by a trailer in mind. That wasn't common for sailboats 50 years ago. Also, they had a shallow draft, making it convenient to navigate New England's rocky coastline.
All-in-all, the various sites and forums I visited to learn about this schooner brought me to the conclusion that an Amphibi-con would be a fun and practical coastal cruiser for day trips with a small crew. Best of all, they are reportedly not very expensive to buy or maintain, though owning any wooden boat is a major labor of love. Please comment if you own or have seen any of these beautiful boats.
