This project started back in 1998. I had finished building a 12 ft skiff with a sprit rig. It went extremely well for a beginner and gave me great satisfaction. On completion of the skiff I was bitten by the desire to build another, which led to surfing the net for various boats I might attempt.

I found numerous sites but I kept coming back to the Devlin site and the Surf Scoter. I look back now and I was really impressed by the look of the Surf Scoter and its performance described by other builders. I had convinced myself that I was up for the challenge of a larger boat than the skiff and picked the Surf Scoter. I flew to the Seattle Boat Show in 1999. I met Sam Devlin briefly aboard the "Golly Wobbler" (a Devlin design). He was seated in the saloon relaxing. I examined the boat as closely as any novice would, not knowing exactly how much was involved in the construction of these boats. I realize now it was a monumental undertaking on my part (due to inexperience) but that feeling of pride one gets on completion when you receive compliments and when it is cruising on the water is just so thrilling and satisfying. The only problem is it leads to the desire to build another. On returning home from the show, I purchased Sam's Boat Building book, his video and the plans for the Surf Scoter.

My neighbor, Mike, was 80 years young when I started the boat and was a big help while we built it. He was most helpful during construction from helping to build our jig for scarfing the sheets of plywood to our improvised steambox for bending the ash for the stem. Mike came up every day to see what he could do to help and keep me on track. Mike had built boats in the past and was use to using epoxy and cloth. So he made sure I did the mixes correctly. He use to say "when you think you have stirred it enough stir it some more". I was counting on Mike to be with me when we first launched in Vancouver but unfortunately Mike passed away this late winter. It took us five spring and summer seasons to finish. Mike saw the boat for the last time when I was putting on the trim boards. He was a little skeptical initially about the way the boat was put together. He said the keel has to be laid first, but he thought it was a great boat at the end. At 85, he could still climb up and down the building platform assisting. This was the kind of project that kept Mike going. I miss him a lot.

Sam's book and video were very helpful in giving one the knowledge to put the boat together with the stitch and glue method. I had very little experience with epoxy having only glued one mast together for my skiff. The video made it look simple and gave me the confidence to proceed to the end. The printed instructions were clear and easy to understand making it very easy to put together even for a novice (extra hands are also very helpful). The drawings were easy to read and interpret, giving one a couple of options for motors. I continually return to the Devlin website just to look at the boats being built by other homebuilders. I hope someday to be able to do joinery like one sees in the photos on some of these boats. Thanks Sam, for the whole experience. Thanks to you, to JoeI, I believe I spoke with you once way back when I was first putting the side sheets together with tie wires.

I love my boat. It is named "Regina Caeli" that's Latin for "Queen of Heaven". I am so glad to have built the Surf Scoter. We have been out several times this year to a couple of large lakes with the boat in tow. It has given us, friends and family hours of enjoyment. I picked just the right size for easy towing and launching. The boat sits on an easy-loader tandem axle trailer and has a Honda four stroke 50 hp and pushes the boat at the perfect speed for us. One can also manage to launch by yourself when you get the urge to go boating and you can't find anyone to go with you (which is very difficult to do).

Fred Jeffrey

Contact Fred Jeffrey