Author: Ashlyn Brown

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Users of the PT 11 and PT SPEAR  have generously shared their solutions for lifting and hanging their boats on the mother ship. Since I get the question from time to time, it seems best to post these ideas in printable format to inspire or guide others.

A PT SPEAR on davits is described here in this printable PDF. sample lifting points installation PT Spear:11 wells-swallow-on-davits2

A PT 11 nesting dinghy gets lifted and hung along the mothership's gunwale when at anchor or in port described in this printable PDF.. PT11-BEAN's-Lifting Bridle idea

PT 11 Nesting Dinghy, "Bean" visiting Deer Harbor, WA
PT 11 Nesting Dinghy, "Bean" visiting Deer Harbor, WA

As new photos arrive I will update this page. If you have set your PT 11 or PT SPEAR up for davits or created a sling or halter you are happy with, please send us some pictures! ptwatercraft@gmail.com works best for photos. Use "PT 11 photos" in the subject line.

Thank you!

 

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People are amazing. Our customers remind us just how amazing they are every time they build a PT 11 and go adventuring in it. I want to start sharing more of those stories starting with a recent update from Professor Fisher.

Terry designed and built a tear drop camper that includes a special hatch on the forward face to accommodate the PT 11.

My plan is to use the boat for sailing on lakes and rowing on rivers.  Why not simply carry the boat on top of the car?  Partly to reduce air resistance and thus to increase mileage.  (The trailer is designed to sit in the slipstream of my car.). And partly for security.  (The trailer locks; thus I don't worry that the boat will be stolen when my dog and I go on hikes.)
Terry recently spent 6 1/2 weeks in his camper recently, detailed in this article.
T-Fisher-article-PT11:Camper
Now that his PT 11 is almost finished, his next camping trip will include the dinghy.
PT11-TerryFisher626
The most gratifying part of our experience with Port Townsend Watercraft is that it is the 'gift that keeps on giving' when customers write to us with their stories, their joy, and comments like this::
Many thanks for designing such a remarkable craft — and enabling me to build one.

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East Coasters and beyond who have not yet attended this wooden boat show, really should consider making the trip. The setting is stunning and the vibe super fun. While there, check out the PT 11 and ask out PT11 & PT SPEAR kits for us!

Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355
Dates: June 26th - 28th, 2026

Hours: Friday-Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Screen Shot 2026-06-25 at 9.29.18 AM

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pt11-ptspear-sale

Chesapeake Light Craft Storewide Independence Day Sale!

Start the Independence Day fireworks early with storewide 4th of July discounts. Save on more than 100 boat designs, from kayaks and canoes to sailboats and rowing craft, paddleboards, powerboats, and Teardrop Campers. Storewide discounts apply to all complete kits, wood-parts-only kits, boat shop tools, boatbuilding supplies, and gear. Get your project completed so you can be on the water this summer!

CLC-LOGO-color

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Chesapeake Light Craft has developed canvas covers for the PT 11 nested and assembled. For years we have offered only a pattern for builders to make their own or hire someone to stitch the canvas but we think these custom made covers, made in the USA by Chesapeake Light Craft team members, are a great development. Photo captions lead to detailed information on each style of cover.Screen Shot 2026-06-09 at 5.06.12 PMSuitable for the PT Spear and the assembled PT 11 nesting dinghy

PT 11 cover nestedIdeal for the PT 11 when it. is nested and stowed.

Construction details:

This rugged custom cover will protect your PT Eleven when it is nested, hull up.

This custom-fit khaki cover is made specifically to fit over the nested hull of the PT Eleven, providing a “glove-like” fit that is well suited for use during storage or when traveling. The padded reinforcements at key stress points provide extra durability for many years of trouble-free performance.

This product is made from TopNotch® 9, a 100% solution-dyed 7.6oz marine grade polyester with a fluorocarbon finish, creating a fabric that is breathable, reversible and water repellent. The solution-dyed polyester fabric won't fade and provides superior strength compared to other solution-dyed fabrics. Excellent protection against cold-cracking also. The fabric is breathable to help allow interior moisture to escape.

This cover features:

  • Khaki color.
  • Heavy duty 1/4″ draw rope encased in the hem for easy installation and snug fit.
  • Vinyl reinforcements* sewn in at stress points (*when applicable).
  • Loops sewn into the four corners for tie-down.

Join seams are folded four-ply with no raw edges. Double-stitching and weather-resistant anti-wick thread are used throughout construction to add strength and durability. Double reinforced tie-down loops are sewn into the hem.

Note, this product is made to order and may take a couple weeks to produce.

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Located in Massachusetts, While Aweigh is a beautifully built Bieker Boats designed PT SKIFF.  Owned and well cared for for 10 years as of 2026.

Details about the boat and where it is listed are in this PDF: While Aweigh Copy II
PTskiff-2 PTSKIFF-for sale

As of 1/30/25 This PT Skiff is for sale!

Original Design information HERE.

Owner's listing on the following link. https://classicboatshow.com/classified/18-port-townsend-watercraft-pt-skiff-2016-while-aweigh/

Owner testimonial:

Ten years ago, I was anxiously awaiting delivery of my skiff kit and little did I know about the journey I would begin.  I had built a few things from wood like bookcases and a covered deck, but nothing that even approximated the 126 or so pieces of Okoume that I became so intimate with.  I learned much from the process of going to work every day, following your superb directions and asking for help when I needed it.   And as I would often say about the Catboat we owned for 15 years, "...every day we take her out, she teaches me something"  So too, building my Skiff taught me much.
I never would have expected to make a wonderful new friend, Damian...as well as Linda, and a cohort of "boat shed rats" who would enrich my life immensely.  I have learned so much from this experience and always remind myself that many of my favorite books are about what goes on inside boat sheds.
Teri and I recently downsized our lives, and I think it is time to allow someone else to enjoy the fruits of my labor.  The enjoyment and satisfaction I have garnered since I first dreamed the dream of building a boat a decade ago is priceless. And there is nothing that swells the ego quite like being able to say, "....yes, I built her."

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Chesapeake Light Craft's Spring Sale includes ~$200 off of a PT 11 Kit or the PT SPEAR .  Screen Shot 2026-03-28 at 8.49.20 AM

Save on more than 100 boat designs, from kayaks and canoes to sailboats and rowing craft, paddleboards, powerboats, and Teardrop Campers. Storewide discounts apply to all complete kits, wood-parts-only kits, boat shop tools, boatbuilding supplies, and gear. Get your project completed so you can be on the water by summer!
Shop Spring Sale
Sale ends Wednesday, April 8th. Some exclusions apply.

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This 2026 Presidents Day Sale includes the PT 11 NESTING DINGHY (~$200 off)PT Spear sailing

and the PT SPEAR (~$150 off) !

Save on more than 100 boat designs, from kayaks and canoes to sailboats and rowing craft, paddleboards, powerboats, and Teardrop Campers. Storewide discounts apply to all complete kits, wood-parts-only kits, boat shop tools, boatbuilding supplies, and gear. Get started on your next project now so you can be on the water this summer!

Shop President's Day Sale  

Sale ends February 18, some exclusions apply.

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This list had many resources for our builders.

Links to Instructional and Informative pdf pages.

( mostly arranged alphabetically under categories. Also listed are a few blog posts or you can search the blog with keywords or categories)

Maintenance

#1 : Dinghies maintenance & troublshooting
#2 : Foils and sailing rig packing notes .pdf (pre-CLC)
BRIEF PT 11 build overview photos Opens in a new window (pdf) RB/brochure

Detail installations or Replacement - PT 11 or SPEAR

Back seat attachment point and 4th leather pad

BALER for the PT 11 & Spear (pdf)

Bumper installation (PT 11 & Spear)color .pdf

Carbon eyestrap installation Opens in a new window (pdf)

DETAILS from the end of the manual updated 2019 Color Photos

EYE Strap installation instructions (pdf)

Fillet Stick & Chisel stick instructions (pdf)

GASKET installation / replacement Opens in a new window (pdf)

GUNWALE FIX printable PDF for the PT 11 Nesting Dinghy

Leathers installation (PT11)

LEATHER PADS patterns (use 8.5x11 paper to print)

HANDLE for the aft section of the nesting dinghy (pdf)

Installing the PT11 back seat cleats after the aft buoyancy tanks are assembled.

Non Skid Ideas, photos and links

Sail-hank installation-e (color PDF) - PT 11 & SPEAR Sail snap hook replacement

Simpler puzzle joint gluing method pdf.

String loops and tether gluing instructions (pdf) TURNDOG installation (pdf)

DIY IDEAS

DIY DOLLY (PDF) by B. Crutchfield

DIY garage ceiling dinghy rack (PDF) by B. Crutchfield

DIY sailing Rig notes Opens in a new window (pdf) (Booms)

Cheap Oars - one way to make them better Opens in a new window. (PDF) by a PT 11 customer

Electric Motor

Mounting the EP CARRY on the PT 11 & Spear(pdf)

EP carry website

EP Carry sampling at the Port Townsend Boat Festival

EPOXY and Varnish

Epoxy Basics e-book. “working with epoxy cleanly & efficiently”

EPOXY Video short: Epoxy gloss coat & tipping

EPOXY coating small parts Opens in a new window (WEST SYSTEM article) (printer friendlyPDF:Coating Small Parts by Russell Brown)

EPOXY: Metering and Mixing TASK SHEET Opens in a new window (pdf) by Russell Brown and published by Proboat Magazine. Shared with Proboat permission.

EPOXY Lessons series preview on Off Center Harbor (membership recommended to view in full. Builders of the PT 11 or Spear: Contact us for exclusive access)

Notes on Epoxy & "toxic waste" Opens in a new window(pdf) by Ashlyn Brown

Varnish (UV protection) over Epoxy  (WEST SYSTEM article)

WEST SYSTEM Safety information and resources

FLOTATION and PRESSURE

Flotation and the PT 11 and the PT Spear

Pressure relief valve ideas for air buoyancy tanks:

MANUAL intros

PT 11 builders manual introduction Opens in a new window (pdf) by Russell Brown (pre-CLC)

PT SPEAR builders manual introduction Opens in a new window (pdf) by Russell Brown (pre-CLC)

PT SKIFF

Flotation and the PT Skiff (blog)

PT Skiff Cleat Schedule (printable pdf)

PT Skiff tools list


Alternative information from PTW

Beginning Tortured Plywood Opens in a new windowpdf by Russell Brown

OLDER:

PRE 2019 kits: PT11 2019 preliminary updates (pdf)

SCAMP Hatch instructions Plywood SCAMP hatch kits are not available from PT Watercraft. These instructions may provide a loose basis for making your own.

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PT Watercraft has a gift store on Zazzle where you can find our themed hats, t'shirts, mugs, notebooks, puzzles and more. I have used the site to create a variety of "SWAG" and other art based cards and odds and ends.  The quality on Zazzle is excellent and you pay for what you get so sales are always a bonus!

Limited time 20% off - Check it out: https://www.zazzle.com/store/ptwatercraft/products

PTW-Zazzleimage