This is the original 16' Matinicus Double Ender Freedom, and this is a photo of an original watercolor painted by Christine Coombs whose family now owns our first double ender.

The painting is called At Rest, and here she's laying to her mooring on Islesboro at day's end, looking out past Grindle Point, westward toward Duck Trap and the Camden Hills beyond.

As you can see here, she has two rowing positions, and can be sailed. This is a vertical keeled boat, but the building plans feature a two-part plank keel, so that a centerboard can be solidly mounted on the centerline. Plans include details of her centerboard case, of course, and her 85 square foot sprit rig.

The nice thing about wooden boats is that they can be repaired successfully, unlike their petrochemical counterparts. Necessary repairs included replacing a section of planking that had been splintered on a half-tide ledge, replacing two broken ribs, oarlock pads, and installing new guard rails. Her brightwork was badly stained, so cosmetic work included painting the thwarts and sheer strake that had been bright originally, and repainting her inboard and out. That white paint that looks so good, by the way, isn't marine enamel–it's Pratt & Lambert brand Alkyd House Paint. It's less expensive than the enamel, and better yet, it lasts longer under the continual flexing that is the lot of a lapstrake hull.

So, what did she look like when she was new? Here's a look back. She was strictly a pulling boat in those days. This photo was taken by a National Geographic photographer at Duck Trap shortly after her launching.

She looks as good now as she did then. Of course, that's no surprise to us. Good wooden boats, properly built, will last a lifetime and more. That's one of the many things that makes them worth building.

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Double enders are often bypassed in favor of the fancier wherries. Wherries are showy, no doubt about it. The funny thing about that is that the very feature that makes the wherries so seaworthy comes from the double enders–waterlines that are nearly symmetrical fore and aft. What was a fine boat then still is–the sea hasn't changed. They have a very easy motion in a seaway, handling a chop or large swells with aplomb.

If I had to pick one boat to use in all conditions,
the Matinicus Double Ender would be my first choice.

Construction is straightforward and well documented in the plans. An additional page shows a small transom for the modified version. Unusual in a peapod? You bet. The first one was designed by Merrill Young for use on a double ender ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The reason? So that an outboard can be used without having to add some sort of aftermarket motor mount.

Professional building time is about 170 hours, but varies widely owing to matertials selected and degree of finish, and of course whether she's to be a pulling boat or suited to sail.

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Check out the Matinicus Double Ender CD

Don't have a computer close to where you plan to build your double ender? In that case, you should be interested to know that we have a full color printed version and even a black and white version with all of the same information and photos that are on the CD.

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