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Click HERE for digital download for these plans. These plans consist of 60 pages of instructions, diagrams and photos. You have two options for purchase. You can order a printed lsit that is spiral bound and laminated in liet to protect the pages from the usual workshop spills and dust. Or you can save money and buy the instant download which you can flat bottom wooden skiff plans list.

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Sailcloth Tapes Thread Tools. Shop by Brand RaidBraid. You save. Current Stock:. Quantity: Decrease Quantity: Increase Quantity:. Share This Article. Product Description Flattie Skiff Printed Plans Click HERE for digital download for these plans A small flat iron skiff for sail, oar or small outboard These plans consist of 60 pages of instructions, diagrams and photos.

Developed from the small boats used around the world for creek p,ans estuary fishing, the flattie dinghy has a reputation for stability, load carrying and handiness. The Sail-n-Oar Flattie not only derives its name from being of a type of flat bottomed craft, sometimes called skiffs or sharpies, but from the use to which many of the original boats were put locally, fishing for flounders, plaice and flat bottom wooden skiff plans list, known as "Flatties".

In rivers and creeks where the ebb tide uncovered mud and left a shallow channel or stream, was, and still is, ideal for this fishing method called "Groping" and the boats used were known in some areas as "Groper's Flatties" The boats were generally crudely constructed from rough timber, knocked together, rather than being built in the flat bottom wooden skiff plans list manner, Often they were built from old floor boards nailed together and finished in tar, creosote or any old left over paint, if finished at all.

The sole purpose of the Groper's Flattie was to offer support while being pushed across the botton at low tide to reach the shallows. Thereupon the fisherman, knee deep in water with his hessian sack tied around his waist, would begin groping the bottom for fish. At the end of a session, or when the tide began to flow, the flattie would be rlat across the mud to dry land. Flatties were also used for general work and most boatyards owned a flat bottomed workboat of some sort.

They go by different names in different parts of the world, such as harbour, dock, or lumber yard skiffs, flatirons, punts and board boats, but all are some variation of skiff evolving from the time man first cut planks and gave up hollowing out logs. From these humble beginnings the Sail-n-Oar Flattie has developed into a handsome general purpose craft, having an excellent sailing performance with her balanced lug-sail.

She rows well with little effort, and can be powered with an outboard motor. She has adequate built-in buoyancy. The Sail-n-Oar Flattie is a safe family boat which is easily built with very few tools by anyone with basic DIY skills. Constructed of marine plywood, epoxy resin and glass cloth, she is a strong but light boat, easily handled both afloat and ashore. Product Videos. Custom Field Flat bottom wooden skiff plans list Metric.

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We will have to have during a really slightest your captain's permit prior pllans even meditative about starting out upon a H2O .

Finding the start of the trail in New Haven on the Yale campus is tough. I would recommend this ride for people. This trail links Connecticut's cultural capital of New Haven with the historic working class neighborhood of Newhallville, former world HQ of the Winchester Repeating Arms factory and the locus of a lot of key American labor and civil rights history launched with the great migration.

Beyond New Haven, the trail moves north into big box store territory, sylvan glades preserved for drinking water, and finally into woodlands, rolling fields and suburban style residences. It is perhaps unique among rail-trails in that it so explicitly connects a vibrant inner city, a premier university, and suburban mall and residential development.

New Haven is well on the way to obtaining the necessary state approvals to build the remaining section from Yale down to the Long Island Sound. Yale is building two new residential colleges adjacent to the trail just north of the current starting point, so please contact the Farmington Canal Rail-to-Trail Association to get the latest on possible trail closures through that area and where you should go to get on it if you want to go north.

I love to run along this trail. I can run from Canton to Farmington on flat, safe trails however it would be wonderful if along the way there could be a porta potty.

I understand that would require increased maintenance but I have seen them along other trail ways. Also, it is wonderful when people pick up after the dogs however I have seen more and more "poop" bags along the trails.

Why would someone go to all the trouble to pick it up, just to leave it on the ground in the bag!!!! It would be better off left to decompose on it's own!!

This tunnel in Hamden is now officially open. There is still access to the trail from both sides of the street. I hope that everyone who was inconvenienced by the detours required by the construction returns to enjoy a six-mile stretch of the trail through the center of Hamden that is completely traffic-free - all streets crossing above or below the trail.

Drove from Westport Ct hoping to bike the southern end of the trail after thinking it existed from this web site.. I didn't read far enough! There is no sign for any trail where it is supposed to be. I asked someone at Yale about the trail and learned it has been closed completely for months.

I would confirm that the northern route is open before planning a ride. I rode this trail a few weeks ago with my brother. We started in the middle, in Hamden, and rode to New Haven first. I had ridden this path earlier and I was curious to see whether the trail had extended beyond Yale yet. There are frequent road crossings at the New Haven end through diverse neighborhoods, with police emergency kiosks periodically.

Be cautious and look both ways as drivers are not expecting you and probably will not slow down or stop for you. We were also stopped by a gate, even though the trail beyond appeared to be paved and ready to go. We headed back and somewhere around Skiff street in Hamden, they were doing construction for a paved underpass, whereas previously we had to cross the street at a light.

This section is likely done by now and very welcome as there will no longer be this busy road crossing. The trail generally parallels route 10, with infrequent road crossing until the end at Cornwall Street in Cheshire.

Overall the trail is well maintained, and frequently used by walkers, joggers, road bikes, and skaters. End to end it's probably about 14 miles. I look forward to the trail continuing northward, connecting with the rest of the East Coast Greenway. There is still a section in Hamden that is 'closed'. Well there were closed signs but the trail wasn't blocked so we, like others, carried on.

We made it all the way to New Haven. The end section at Yale was closed so we didn't make it to the very end point. All the open sections are paved and well suited for inline skating. The description of this trail makes it seem like we couldn't skate it.

Coming from New Haven some of the trail is with the backs of buildings, but I enjoyed it. The area is poorer, and quite a number of road crossings, that was the most hassle. I drove down to the New Haven yesterday to ride the southern portion. There is a huge closure at Dixwell road. I brought my special needs daughter to ride it and she doesnt ride on roads. So our ride ended there at the closure.

Prior to the closure I give the trail one star for being well marked and in good condition. Other than that it has many many road crossings, little to no shade, very unscenic with backs of warehouses and industrial area as our views. Very few users but I can see why.

Not worth a drive to New Haven. I cannot review beyond 5 miles from Yale as that is where our ride ended. I ride the portion from Southwick to Farmington often. The only portion off the trail is a small portion in Avon where you follow TM signs on roads for a few miles. Then back on the trail again. Heavily wooded making for lots of shade. In good condition. Lots of enroute parking and eateries.

Still a secret to most. You will see heav use within a mile or so of parking. But further beyond you will encounter few people. Making for a nice non stop smooth ride.

Be careful of the crossing of route 20 in Granby. Cars past by fast. Few stop. Take your time crossing to be safe. North of Granby are woods and swamps. Look out for small animals on the trail.

And enjoy the scenic ride. There is currently a detour of about a mile in Hamden, from the Dixwell Ave. Trail users will have to follow Dixwell. When the work is done in October, there will be a stretch of over 6 miles in Hamden, from West Woods Rd. The miles in Northampton are a little off as all are done. I'm planning on doing a century ride from Southwick to the Yale campus and then back to Southwick.

I've been training up for this since last year as my last big ride was from Southwick to Tim Horton's Ice cream in Plainville then back to Southwick. My question, how long before you can link up with the trail again from that point in Plainville? This trail is beautiful Southwick to Farmington!

Looking forward to making it to the southern parts! A little more information about the improvements in this section. The southern terminus of the trail is now the Meriden-Waterbury turnpike or Rt. You can reach this by going west off Rt. A real nice touch in the improvements is a crushed stone path for runners on the edge of the asphalt.

There have been some recent improvements in parking and this trail section now is about 4 miles long. It goes south now to the Cheshire town line. I hear the next section will connect south to the Cheshire section. The construction is completed and trail reopened not sure exactly when.

The trail is moved closer to the subway plaza and hill is smoothed a bit. The weird detour by the glass place to the sidewalk in front of Peoples bank is still there however. I was hoping this would be fixed as it is I almost got run into by an over zealous rider yesterday. All in all it was a great ride from Cheshire to New Haven, beautiful weather leaves falling, sunlight streaming through the canopy of trees over the trail.

On this Trial Page it shows end of the trail is in across the state line in Mass. However riders this is not the end of the Road. Check out the Southwick Trail on TrialLink. I my wife and I have ridden this trail in many section.

In the past we have ridden the short southington section then the from Cheshier down to hamdem. Last weekend we road the unionville sction 2. Yesterday from the same starting pont in Unionville north to Avon.

This part of the trail was unique to me as it is the only portion that I can remember seeing the crossing streets named. Signs will be posted indicating the closure. The town of Hamden has declined to mark an alternate route for trail users. Carmel the road to Quinnipiac University and Sherman Ave. I was skepticle about doing it because of the warnings on this site, but after doing it this weekend, I would like to say it has changed considerbly.

We went early saturday morning and had a great time. I could tell the questionable neighborhood that "Fractured Rider" talked about but there where plenty of riders and we didn't see anybody from these neigborhoods giving anybody any trouble.

This trail is fenced off and there aren't any streets that you must use. We even saw a police car parked at one of the crossings. I was happy to complete this stetch of trail and would ride it again. There are Yale Students starting to ride on it so you won't be alone. I would not recommend this as an evening ride just to be safe. My husband and I loved the change of pace from hill riding in CT to nice flat shaded areas. We rode from Cheshire to right after getting to Hamden about 12 miles.

Because of what we had read and heard, it wasn't worth the risk of running into the juveniles who are attacking riders. It would be nice if this part of the trail could be patrolled.

Would have loved to have made it all the way to New Haven. On the return trip we stopped at Sergio's for a quick slice of Pizza. There are picnic tables right on the trail so no need to stray too far. Next we will be trying the Farmington leg. I have been enjoying the Cheshire-Hamden stretch of this trail for many years.

On very nice sunny days you need to watch out for little kids on bikes and even Big Wheels and Razor scooters - it seems that parents don't teach their kids to ride single file and they don't really pay attention to their own kids - I have had a few near misses when little kids panic and abruptly stop mid path.

Aside from those hazards, the trail is mostly flat with a few hills near the Hamden end which may be a challenge for new riders. Some interesting spots include the areas before and after Lock 12 where the stones lining the sides of the old canal are still visible, the section that briefly runs parallel to the Merritt parkway and the intersection with Brooksvale park.

This park on the Cheshire hamden line is a pleasant place to stop for a break, look at the horses, goats, bunnies and chickens in their pens, or explore the trails by foot or mountain bike. I have seen a fox along the path, as well as swans in a marked nesting area in Cheshire.

The parking area on Cornwall Ave can get busy, but there is an overflow lot across the street with plenty of room. I suppose you could park at the elementary school a block away if it is real busy. At the time of this writing, the first half mile from Cornwall south is in need of some paving - there is a bump in the asphalt every 50 feet or so and is annoying on a road bike.

And across the street from there is Sleeping Giant State Park - many hiking trails, picnic tables and a water spigot. I agree with the other review that the stretch from Hamden to New Haven is interesting but not worth the risk.

Once you hit New Haven, you are basically in the projects for a mile and what looks like a rough neighborhood. There are a dozen side streets to cross and I found that local drivers did not stop at crosswalks. It is somewhat confusing why the city would spend the money to revitalize the rail trail yet not address the dilapidated surroundings.

Once you emerge from this section, you are on the outskirts of the Yale campus - you could ride another mile to the New Haven Green, but I chose to turn back. The Hamden to New Haven section also lacks anywhere to stop should you need a bathroom - I chained my bike to a signpost and went to the Hamden Stop and Shop. Overall, the Cheshire to Hamden stretch is very pleasant.

As of this writing, the Plantsville to Cheshire stretch is under construction, so it will be nice one day soon to go Southington to Hamden, about 15 miles end to end. Two weeks ago I was attacked on the Farmington Canal bike trail south of Hamden 2 miles by two juveniles using a large chunck of wood and landed a horrific blow across my face.

I stayed upright and got away immediately. Called , gave my report and went to the emergency room for x rays. Two kids were caught and arrested.

Kids are hanging out on the trail and present a major risk to anyone using the trail south of Hamden. Hamden cops acknowledged that kids retreat to the trail after committing crimes because cop cars can't go there. Stay away from the trail from Hamden to New Haven. You're safer competing against traffic on Dixwell. Multiple fractures later, I resolved to never use the trail between Hamden and New Haven. The neighborhoods are dangerous. Fractured Rider.

Plainville has been working very hard on different routes to work away from the live rails. Sunday, June 13th, there are 4 different routes being tested to see which will work best for the merge to the rest of the trails.

Pretty soon Southington and Farmington will be joining so that you can go from the beautiful Cheshire route to Farmington without having to get in a car to continue your trek up to MA border. We have been biking for three years now and thought we would take it to the next level. We started at the shops in Avon and rode to Southwick Ma. We were pleasantly surprised at the improvements made since we were there last year.

The Ma. Of course, we judge a trail by the availability of good ice cream. The next few miles past the restaurant were unremarkable and sadly there was a pickup truck sized pile of trash at the very end of the trail by the bridge underpass.

How they got it there, I have no idea. Anyway, we had a great day on our 40 mile trip along the FCHT. As said there is about 3 miles tared up from the state line into southwick done and due to be officially opened on May 3rd. Stage 2 is underconstruction up to the Westfield line and could be open by the fall. Westfield is going to start on stage 1 of three stages in and it is hoped to be done up to the Westfield river by Northampton and Easthampton are working to connect north to the Norwatuck and over to Amherst.

This connector could be done this year with the exception of one bridge that is easily to by pass on a short section of side walk. So at the present time you can go to the left at Depot rd. To answer Nesher Dad, the trail is complete only in segments. The map on this site is pretty much up to date. There are gaps in Southington, with one short segment complete, but not connecting north or south. In Plainville the commercial railroad is still using the corridor.

The rail trail is developed only after the railroad gives up the corridor. No sign of that happening in Plainville anytime soon. There seems to be construction to the north of Comgamond Rd, but I am not sure of it.

If you look at the Google directions step no. If anyone is familiar with this step and how to deal with it, I would greatly appreciate any advice. Also, can one bike this trail all the way into MA and up to Amherst or is that part still in development? Many thanks. This is a great trail, all paved so suitable for road bike or mountain bike. Wide enough to handle walkers as well as bikers. Runs behind several shops and the owners have back door entrances set up for path users.

Only area for improvement is length, would be nice if the other sections connected. The final unpaved CT section of this trail from MM Also Simsbury has completely repaved the bike trail section of Iron Horse Blvd. Iron Horse was previously paved but had so many cracks that it was not very bike user friendly. That has now been remedied. With these 2 additional trail improvements there is now an approximately 14 mile section of the northern end of the trail that is completely off-road, completely paved, and virtually flat.

This section extends from the intersection of Iron Horse Blvd. This 14 mile stretch also has only 6 road crossings, none of which are particularly busy. As I said before this particlular section of the trail may be the single safest, easiest, and most comfortable continuous stretch of this type length in the entire New England section of the East Coast Greenway.

Complementing the completion of the northernmost section of the trail in Connecticut is the official dedication of a half-mile section of trail in New Haven which Flat Bottom Wooden Skiff Plans Me links the previous New Haven and Hamden sections to create a continuous off-road paved trail over 14 miles long from the Yale campus to near the center of Cheshire.

The new section is in a very urban area but is lined with large trees making it quite attractive. Just be aware that there are 11 street crossings in less than a mile between Morse and Division streets. It has been mentioned in two of the reviews of the trail that the bridges were dropped to connect the Suffield portion of the trail to the Massachusetts state line.

However the trail map has not been updated to show that the actual paved section of the trail extends at least 3 miles further north than what is being currently shown. This section is all newly paved with a yellow center line and now extends to a tunnel that goes under Point Grove Road in Southwick, MA. This is a very nice section that heading north goes past the Congamond Lakes on your right and Edgewood Country Club on your left.

A very short detour to your right at Rt. There are no mile markers up yet on any of this new section but my estimate is that the trail now goes 3. As has been previously noted the section north of the now current Point Grove Road terminus is expected to extend another 6 miles by this time next year. Just a side note for the over 50 crowd like me. An added bonus to this section is that with the possible exception of the trail intersection with Rt.

There is stiil time this Fall to explore this section of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail but if you don't get a chance to do it this year I highly recommend putting it on your calendar for the first warm Spring weekend of Hopefully the patch job will keep the frost heaves in that section away for good. I used to post semi-regularly on here when it was the older site. Anyways, I was on the northern tip a day before Fletch6's post and the workers there told me it would be put in place on the 23rd or 24th.

I rode my bike on the side road to the west and the other small bridge that was out, you had to ford the mucky, oily river, only a few feet. There's a great old country store and coffeehouse on the main drag , called Red Riding Hood's Basket. I read the local paper after this trail, the Suffield Observer and there was a small mention of the northern portion. The contract is done by November 30 so they have until then to finish everything before the money runs out.

Anyway, a very good piece of news regarding the Southington-to-Cheshire portion. Tony Tranquillo, Town Engineer, today said that the state has approved the trail from Plantsville to Cheshire, the bids are out and due in October, and work is expected to start this year. Completion should be about this time next year. Today they dropped the two bridges onto the abutments at the Mass.

This should be done in about two weeks. I managed to be the first one across on my bike and will be submitting some pictures of the crane dropping them. With the 3 miles north into Southwick done and the stage 2 going up for bid on Oct. We are new to biking and every weekend we have tried a different trail in Connecticut.

This is by far the best one yet. We started at the trailhead in Cheshire and continued south for roughly 4 miles before we turned around and headed back. The first mile of so is a little bumpy--kind of like the seams in some of the roads. The trail has cracks in it about every feet or so, but after that it is smooth. It is very shaded due to the large trees that line both sides. A very enjoyable ride. We will definitely be coming back.

It was a beautiful day on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. We parked at the Tunxis-Meade Park in Farmington. After having a picnic, in the picnic area complete with bathrooms , we rode out of the park and up the hill to the entrance to the rail trail. This trail is unbelievably smooth and level and very well maintained. At the start there is a pleasant view on a tall bridge crossing the Farmington River.

We looked down on birds below, feeding on insects. The next few miles are through parking lots and on roads, but well marked. For the next few more miles after that ,to the parking area, it was once again smooth and flat and straight. We drove a total of 20 miles round trip on one of the best days of the season and are looking forward to returning in the fall.

I rode down into Conn. You can as of this date get around one by using the road, but when they are start working on the one closest to the Mass. They have however put the second layer of tar down on the first section of the southwick Mass. Rode the section from Route parking lot all the way to Massachusetts and back today. Total round trip about miles.

Wonderful job with this trail. Entire route is very flat, with a few long slight upgrades or downgrades but nothing at all difficult. The work on the new Salmon Brook Bridge is terrific. The trail is, for the vast majority, very far from any roads and passes some pretty bogs and a large plant nursery.

There is one short section near the 22 mile going North marker near the Massachusetts line which is gravel and thus needs to be walked if you have a road bike; also, in this short section there's a small bridge covered with wood planks that needs repair and also must be walked.

The section we rode in Massachusetts looks to be brand new and appears to extend roughly 3 miles into Massachusetts. I understand that this is eventually going to be extended all the way to Northamption. Please let me emphasize that overall this is one of the prettiest and best maintained trails I've been on.

This will be an awesome Fall Foliage ride. The Salmon river bridge in Granby is finished and open. This makes the Trail bikeable all the way almost to the Mass. They have put the first layer of tar into Mass.

The bridge over Putnam Av. It is an interesting section, with a variety of bridges, numerous access points, and surroundings as pleasant as could be expected in a suburban to urban area. Unfortunately there is not as much progress to the north. There is some dispute over the right-of-way preventing Cheshire from extending its section north. Southington is working on extending its section south to Cheshire.

Between Southington and Farmington, Plainville is starting to work on how to have the trail coexist with its stretch of active freight railroad. Just to acknowledge that the changes Mcbess mentioned are indeed true.

There is construction on the bridge on Prospect St over the trail. You can see the trail already from the bridge over it on Grove St. I knew that the trail continued because, when I made the next left after Starr St, I could already see more completed trail. I'm not even sure why the directions tell you to go all the way up on Newhall - I just rode on Dixwell Av to where the trail continues. Is the "out bridge" over Putnam Av rideable?

Or do I still have to ride around it? Does anyone else know anything about if there is more construction on this trail in the incompleted sections between Cheshire and Southington and between Southington and Farmington? Because I plan on trying this ride again some time in August. We had a great time on the Farmington Rail Trail today even though we were a little confused by the directions.

First we are low level bike riders so this review is for all levels. We read the information on the website and part of it is now out of date. The New Haven section is almost complete. There is only a 6 block section that forces the rider onto city streets AND from the look of things it is being worked on as we speak. You will laugh at our adventure but it is worth noting. We started at Yale and parked in a lot on a Saturday.

We also believe that most of the lots Flat Bottom Wooden Skiff Plans Pdf are available on weekends but use your judgment. At the moment there is still some construction on a bridge near the Grove St cemetery so you have to look for the entrance to the trail.

We found this section very flat and in nice condition. It goes through an urban landscape with commercial buildings. Do not follow these directions! Stay on Shelton Ave Ave. Go about 3 blocks and you will see a wonderful entrance to the trail. It is only 9 city blocks not 4 miles.

We turned back because Newhall St is one way South and we were riding against the traffic. This is why I am writing to alert folks to the wonderful developments on the new section.

The young man, Barukh Rohde who wrote on April 28, also documents these changes. I read these but he did not note to disregard the old directions. Later in the day we ended up and the Hamden section and rode through this section south to Goodrich St and understood our error. By the time you ride the trail there may be a new section open! Hi, I last wrote on this website three years ago when I was twelve years old when my dad and I rode miles over four days on the Airline Rail-Trail from New Haven to Massachusetts.

We ran into all sorts of problems on that trail. This year, I had heard about this trail, the Farmington Canal Trail, and decided to try to ride it to Southwick, MA, and to bike from there across MA to my grandparents' house. The trailhead for this trail is very very close to the New Haven train station.

The trail is very nice for maybe a mile to Starr St and Shelton St. Just ride on Shelton to the next street, make a left, make a right on Dixwell Ave, and within a few blocks, you will find the paved trail again. I know, at the moment signs say "trail closed," but that didn't seem to stop people walking on it. Just keep going on the trail. I decided to go around the Putnam Ave bridge that says "bridge out" but I think it may be safe to ride on.

From the bridge, the trail is nicely paved but with an uphill grade that can tire you out by the time you get to Cheshire until Cornwall Ave in Cheshire.

At Cornwall Ave, the trail abruptly ends for a while. I made a right on Cornwall, went up the hill, and made a left on Route A mile into my ride on 10 which, by the way, is decently flat for a street in the CT hills and I was hit by a car I was putting away my cell phone, and I must have strayed out of the shoulder because I felt a large piece of metal hit me, and the next thing I knew it was half an hour later, and I was lying with my head on the curb with a huge headache and my hair all bloody.

I like this trail, although the grade can tire you out after a while. I hope to try this again, maybe in August. I took several pictures of this trail, and they are all on this website. For now, goodbye, B. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful ride.

We parked our car at the Quinnipiac Sports Center parking area in Hamden, and rode south seven miles. I wanted to check on the progress of the extension of the trail towards Yale.

It was a relatively flat ride with a few gradual grades and the asphalt was extremely smooth and easy to pedal. I heard peepers along the trail for the first time this season along a pretty wooded area by several small ponds.

Construction continues at the end of the trail with work progressing on an attractive bridge and several cement sidewalks. When this trail is finished, it promises to be a superior bike ride. We look forward to the day when we can ride from Cheshire even from Southington to Yale in New Haven. We have had a remarkable , but so have the areas to the north and south.

The truth is that we are close to having one of the premier regional multi-use rail-trails in the United States. To our south, New Haven has completed the design for the final section north to Hamden, with construction starting in the spring of In Hamden, the final 2. Cheshire is looking for funds to complete their remaining gap in the trail north. In Southington, the town is designing the section from Cheshire to the paved trail in the town center.

The rail corridor north to Plainville was recently abandoned and can finally go into development. Local advocates and the Town of Plainville are working on both an on and off-road route for the trail.

Negotiations continue with Pan Am Railways on the still active rail line to create final trail routes in the existing right-of-way. From Farmington, the trail is paved for 21 continuous miles with a soon to be finished break in East Granby and a small gap in Suffield. Farmington and Avon are complete. In Simsbury, the piece of the trail that currently runs on sidewalks from the Hop Brook Bridge to Drake Hill Road and then to Iron Horse Blvd will be replaced by an easement for the trail and construction will take place in In Massachusetts, the trail has been completed 3 miles north from the state line in Southwick.

The 3. Phase III will follow. In Westfield, one of the few elevated trails over a community in New England has been designed and is awaiting funding. Farther north, in a town known for resistance to the trail, a new group, Friends of the Southampton Greenway now exists. Even better, the town has recognized the trail by placing it in their new open space plan.

Massachusetts has earmarked funds for the purchase of the right-of-way, and the railroad is willing to hold the land until the town is ready to move on the project. The first 4. Finally, in Northampton, the connector between the Norwottuck Trail in the northeast to the Manhan Trail in the south is being constructed right through town.

The connection with the FCHT is in design, and will include a section of rail-with-trail. The majority of the FCHT is in completion due to the tireless work of local advocates, area towns and like-minded agencies. More than 6 years after the last section of the trail in Hamden was completed, as far south as Connolly Parkway, there is finally some progress on the trail from that point south to the New Haven line.

The entire route has been cleared and graded, with preparations made for a bridge over Putnam Avenue. With New Haven ready to work on its short section south of Hamden, by next year there should be a continuous paved trail of over 15 miles from the Yale campus to near the center of Cheshire. Granby has been busy closing the gaps to the mass.

Anyway, according to the Planning Department of the City of New Haven, the New Haven section will be finished by late summer next year. Currently, just past the last tunnel that was cleared is a temporary art show of long boats, made out of bricks and other materials, for about 30 or so boats for maybe feet.

It's still there and you can follow it to the parking garage just south of it. The trail will continue 0. Past Science Park and the 2 recent 0.

The funding is in place and it will be done by next summer. The same is also true for the Hamden section. The funding is in place and the last 2. There's lots of debris and material to be removed. This will be the hardest part. Just like that. I must say that this 2-mile section of trail was quite enjoyable and is the exception, meaning that the trail made me want to see what was in this center of Plantsville Village, not the rest of the trail.

A ballast running path like most of the trail follows shortly at Kane and Curtiss Streets with benches and a parking area and 10 bicycle racks. When you come along to the Center Street area, this is where it gets interesting. This little old bustling village is still intact and although some factories are abandoned, they are in great shape structurally. Most from the side look abandoned but it turns out to be a business park on the other end and mostly restaurants and nice bars.

It consists of a village of industry mixed with small apartments and quaint stores that's very pedestrianized, with small promenade streets. The crosswalks are brickwork with lots of benches, lightposts and bike racks. I saw it on an evening weekday, so I can imagine what it's like when it's teeming with people. Back on the trail, past some other factories, you go over a small bridge where there looks to be a small depot on the right.

There's a bumper near the river and a siding and going around to the front it's 3 or 4 companies in this weird annex of buildings, like an unsymmetric array of barns. There's a parking lot near here with spots for 17 cars and 8 more bike racks.

The right-of-way ends here but across the road in the weeds, just an inch to the left of the tracks is a nice gazebo. There were 32 bike racks in total on this 2-mile stretch of trail. At this point going south on the trail, it becomes a paved sidewalk that goes from the woods, down to street level in front of a plaza and eateries.

The old sidewalk is now a paved walk and then crosses over behind the eateries and becomes the trail again. You can see the old section of it at the intersection with the new parts. I'm guessing the reason is new development since the old parcel there next to the eatery has backhoes and lots of dirt.

Also at the southern section, the street before you hit the Stop and Shop terminus, there used to be a factory that was abandoned and spray painted by the locals. It's now demolished and you can see the debris piled there. The trail goes around it and to road level. The last 2. The closed gap will complete Newhallville will have lots of street crossings - if you've ridden here, you know. See that trail on here.

Towns to the north of the trail plan to close the remaining gaps in It is a weekly half-hour show about the Rails to Trails movement in the U. Initially, the show will focus on the Farmington Canal Rail-Trail, highlighting interesting people involved, things to see and do along the corridor and looking at the difficulties in developing an interstate trail system in New England, an area without a lot of natural focus on regional projects.

Trail Rated is a half hour show that will be available to all public access stations in New England. To obtain Trail Rated DVDs for your local cable access channel or to offer up story ideas, contact the hose, Steve Mitchell, at Work should begin this fall once the money is in place.

Here's the problem. The trail ends near the new English Dept building under one tunnel, two streets from Audobon. This means they will clear the trees and debris for 2 more tunnels! Great news, but not really. It ends at Hillhouse Avenue. They should complete is under two more streets Orange and State , under the parking garage, etc. I guess funding is always a problem. It will take a little while I guess. Technically after the new additions are finished, you can follow the ROW a few more streets down to Bassett Street.

There are some grassy and wooded areas, a stretch with lots of glass with double rails in place, etc. Then it becomes very overgrown, but you can follow it closely and do some rough riding through neighborhoods until you hit Stop and Shop where it starts. There is a lot of debris still by the industrial park. This trail is along Rt. It really starts in New Haven and heads north to Northampton, Mass. It has many unfinished sections and will be a great recreational resource when all are finished.

Some of the confusion in the Avon Simsbury area comes from the Farmington River and its flow to the Conn. It heads south from its start and then goes back north almost at the Plainville line, where it goes thru a cut in the Metacomet ridge at Tariffville.

I rode the Simsbury section yesterday north and south from the middle where the best parking is at the Jct. There are two sections north of here into Mass. To the south it is perfect with occasional toilets and in some places double wide with asphalt for those that want it and a double dirt path.

The detour to the south of this section is to the left and not on Rt. This trail has given my sister and me many special memories.

We can't wait until it is extended so we can take our journey further! Last month I was there and it was orange fenced in with construction being done. The other day, it's been opened.

At each crossing are two stone columns one on either end of the trail and a crew was there fitting one in the ground. There are 2 blue emergency police phones as well. Progress is slow but steady. The surface is wide and smooth pavement, allowing room for people traveling both directions. We parked at the Brickyard Rd.

We have a 6 year old who had no trouble riding along, and there are a lot of benches and resting places if needed, especially on the beautifully designed bridge over the Farmington River.

Overall, a great place to ride, but there were many people out today. I imagine it would even be busier in the summer. Although it is only a sixth of a mile long, it is worth checking out if you happen to be in the area. It goes diagonally under the intersection of Trumbull and Prospect streets, and right by a newly constructed Yale engineering building.

The connection to Hillhouse is by a ramp leading up to street level from the below-grade trail, which is fenced off underneath the street. There is also some progress at the north end of the New Haven section. Some clearing work has been done north of the end of the paved trail at Munson St. I can't wait for the rest of the trail to be completed all the way to Simsbury! Hats off to the trail section maintainers, it's truly a lovely greenway.

We enjoyed about a 20 mile down and back ride yesterday. This will be great if it gets extended to NH. Enjoyed the weather and the restored lock. Lots of people enjoying all kinds of activities for a week day. I rode off the side streets of the trail and there is no signage saying there's a trail nearby. There is some overgrowth of weeds where little paved paths extend to the street near the Grove Street Cemetery and it's a little dangerous but nothing too bad.

An update on the tunnels and construction of the new Yale building on Temple Street. The path is cleared until the Grove Street garage quite well. The only thing that's changed is there's a boarded up entrance to the first tunnel for the construction. The foreman told me the construction is ahead of schedule and the trail will be completed through and adjacent to the building by September !

After the Grove Street garage, the trail is still overgrown. I found these photos at a great Web site for different sections of Southington. I ran into some people from Southington while doing the Larkin Bridle Trail last week. The owner said he does not want to turn the rail into a trail but the town is negotiating to keep the rail active and make it a rail-with-trail.

A great trail going north through Farmington into Simsbury. The Farmington River bridge is beautiful. These trails are one the best things CT has done in years! Sunset rides are great for the family. From Hamden to the new stretch at Science Park built in it's all abandoned industries who piled their junk. There is a pedestrian bridge out as well. When the trail ends, you can keep going because this is where it goes under New Haven through the tunnels.

There's a new biomed building being built at the middle of this portion and the canal runs through and under the property and street. The billboard on the front of the building states they are working on the building and the greenway.

It's a wonderful addition to our town. As a serious amateur photographer, I'm finding it a wonderful place to take photos. I have an ever growing gallery dedicated to the Southington section of the trail.

Please see www. This will hopefully be done by late spring. There is a 7. At the end of the 2 miles there is an mile gap until it continues into Farmington where the trail continues north to the Massachusetts border with Suffield, CT. I have ridden some of the unpaved trail after the Cheshire section ends and the rails are still in the ground as well as abandoned stone abutments in the river.

As you might expect with any trail traveling through densely populated municipalities, there are numerous street crossings. However, warning signs and marked crosswalks are in place at each one.

The asphalt trail surface is narrower than those of many newly constructed multi-use trails; expect congestion on good weather days. An unpaved ballast jogging path is located right next to the asphalt trail surface; it was being used extensively by runners on the day of my visit it must be easier on the knees.

Unfortunately, commercial development near the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Hamden has encroached right on top of the former railroad and canal right-of-way. So, trail designers were forced to create a rather circuitous loop around a shopping center there. As a result, trail users are faced with battling some rather steep hills in that area.

Grades along remaining portions of the trail are negligible. All in all this trail was well worth my trip from about 2 hours away. After starting on Copper Hill Road E.

Granby , we headed south across Rte 20 and found that the trail ""ends"" at the Granby Station Depot now a daycare center. We dared to cross the street into the woods to continue onto the old rail bed, then we rode and walked through the ties and poison ivy, crossed the old trestle, then we came onto Railroad Avenue the trail is totally overgrown in this area.

We came upon Floydville Road and found we could not cross over to continue since the trail is overgrown and occupied by Culbro Tobacco Co. We ended up road riding in a circle to get back. The point here is that the maps and decriptives at the trail boards are misleading in some areas.

No big deal though. We'll be back to do the northbound leg when then weather gets cooler. Oh yeah, my hats off to the ""roadies. I remember it being paved a year or so ago and just recently, extra touches were added.

It's a. With your back facing the fence across the street there's a large building undergoing renovation on your left and some houses and on your right are newly built townhouses. The section has a 2 foot wide gravel trail on the right much as in the Hamden-Cheshire section, for joggers. There are newly planted plants on the sides with woodchips and little paved trails going to the side streets with bollards indicating the entrance s.

It does have cross a semi-busy street and the trail passes a playground and basketball court on the right before ending at Canal and Prospect near Lock Street at the Grove Street Cemetary. A welcome new addition is 4 stone pillars, 2 on each side of that intersection on the trail.

Each pillar has a circular metal seal declaring it the Farmington Canal Greenway with the year on it. They weren't there in May so it must be brand new. It's a nice section and quiet. Past where the trail ends it goes through a small industrial park and crosses a main road and goes into the woods unpaved and there's still the tracks and trestles there for about 15 miles.

This is not recommended riding. The Hamden section is fun to follow through neighborhoods and track the bed with the old tracks still there. There's a small portion at science park in new haven which stretches towards the grove street cemetary and ends there. New additions include railings, street signs and newly-planted flower beds.

At the end is the tunnels which have utility lines underneath. The trail will eventually hook up after going underneath the city of New Haven to the Freedom Trail, which will go parallel to the trains on State Street and beyond. I rode through a couple of the tunnels and after the second one I couldn't go any further since it was too overgrown.

There are some industrial parts off of Dixwell in Hamden that need major cleanup. There are two old companies who have vacated their premises and there are hundreds of tons of concrete and tree stumps. From then on it's just a neighborhood and then a gun factory. The city of New Haven and the Yale Daily News have been doing updates on the trail and plan to have it finished soon, hopefully within one year.

There are two sections of this trail: Hamden to Cheshire about 7. Conditions were excellent throughout - well paved, clean, wide, very shady for the initial 6 miles and then a little bit more open after that. The first mile or 2 from Hamden runs behind a few shopping centers and you can hear the Merritt Parkway, but that ends pretty fast and it becomes very quiet.

Nice benches at many points. Many families along - a nice option for young riders. The town of Hamden has a map which covers the Hamden-to-Cheshire section of the trail. This trail is definitely worth a trip - we had a great afternoon.

This is a great ride through Hamden and Cheshire. I ride it quite often. It's a relatively flat trail. Sometimes the trail is crowded on weekends. Keep your eyes on young kids whose parents aren't paying attention to them.

They have a habit of getting in the way. The roller bladers need to be a bit more considerate and not skate abreast of one another. The paved trail begins at the Phelps Road bridge in Suffield and runs south to the East Granby town line.

The end result is that this traditional looking sailing skiff is lighter than many racing dinghies. Not bad for a boat a little under 16ft 4.

By the way, the photos of this series show a 16 year old boat that has spent a lot of time living outside under a good cover in the tropics. There is no degrade as you can see.

That was with a picnic aboard � about lbs kg of crew and gear. Nice moderate sailing breeze � we covered a lot of ground that day covering open water and skimming over shallows. Rigging the Goat requires very few manufactured parts compared to all the expensive parts on the modern sailing dinghy.

The main rigging guide to the GIS is here. A simplified rigging guide for balance lugs is on the Oz Goose website for countries without good access to boat parts. Or just to save money but keep the performance. It has not been repainted or revarnished � the sail and ropes have not been renewed.

The loads on everything are so light compared to a modern boat. A testament to coating a boat with a good quality boatbuilding epoxy system and then following it with a quality paint system. It costs more in the first place. Owners enjoy the freedom from extra boat maintenance that would have been necessary if cheaper materials had been used. For example, the two or three major sandings back and repaintings that are required if cheaper materials are used.

There is a lot of information about use and advantages of epoxy in my boatbuilding FAQ. We spent much time working on providing more pics and drawings and a clearer layout. One expansion are a series of photos giving information about the different systems of rigging the boat. This makes it easier to find the few fittings required independent of your geography.

The reason � it is really pretty. But can back that up with performance, a forgiving nature and ease of building. And this is the first photo I ever saw of it from Peter Hyndman all those years ago.

I was really surprised by the size and volume. More pics on this page. Light � makes it easy to move around on shore and is one of the secrets behind the modern performance. Versatile � it rows quite OK, sails like a rocket and can take a small outboard for non sailing days.

For a very nice video of a Goat in a real race against Lasers and Fireballs look here. Thanks to Enrico Franconi in Italy. One of the fun things about the GIS is that the lug rig upsets racing dinghy type sailors.

Some ring me up and email me asking if they could put a more modern rig on the boat. So far I have managed to convince all of them to stay with the four sided lug sail. And all of them have been grateful when they realise just how quick this sailing skiff goes. The lug sail is highly efficient, quick to rig and unrig. However we, the designer and users, have done significant research and development into the Lug Rig.

Later that led us into making sails with ReallySimpleSails. Or if you want a modern fast light boat look at our Viola 14 Sailing canoe. One of the biggest hints I can give them is to specify a low stretch halyard for the mainsail � spectra or dynex. If you are used to sailing modern sailing dinghy types like the Taser, Laser, OK, National 12, Windmill you will find the Goat has much of the feel of these boats.

Lively and responsive. It can sail in modern company with quick conventional dinghies and not be completely outclassed. George and Daniel raced their Goat with a regular dinghy race fleet here. It is our first step towards a yardstick handicap number.

However it has a much greater carrying capacity than any of the modern boats. I have had it out with 4 Adults and it sails very nicely indeed. It is an advantage of the easily driven hull form.

The other advantage of the lug rig is that it reefs very simply. The sail area is quite big at sq ft 9. When the weather blows up then it can be reefed for good control. This is also why the GIS is relatively cheap to get on the water. A single big sail is a lot cheaper than having several smaller ones. Generally adding a jib doubles the cost of rig and sails. The plans for the Goat Island Skiff are more like a book than a plan. Detailed information on each building step, how to join the plywood, how to mark the shapes of the panels, how to use the epoxy � it is all there.

More a course on boatbuilding than a simple plan. One of the first things you notice looking at the GIS is the lack of timber framing. The interior is very clean and open. Loads are carried by the ply and the timber is just there to hold it together.

Wooden boat plan with simplicity. Building space does not have to be enormous with initial prefabbing of panels and parts taking much less. I suppose the minimum for final assembly would be around 18ft by 6ft � a standard carspace would be more than adequate.

The boat is quite movable while under construction so could be worked on in the open and moved under shelter when not building. As the major ply components are constructed on the flat, very little space is taken up until over halfway through the project. This sailing skiff will sail much the same as most boats its size, but there are a few peculiarities that come with the flat bottom.

A lot has changed about how to keep boats flat � and it also extends the ability to sail in stronger winds. As with almost all boats the skiff will sail fastest if sailed level Photo above is just as a gust struck � with little or no heel.

As soon as the boat has achieved any sort of consistent speed it should be brought upright. When the water is very choppy the boat may slam badly if sailed upright. A small amount of heel will smooth its movement considerably.

The minimum amount of heel that stops the worst of the slamming should be adopted. Reaching downwind then Flat Flat Flat. Use the Steer for Balance method. The forward and aft buoyancy tanks Flat Bottom Wooden Skiff Plans Lyrics are designed for use as seats when rowing.

The boat will perform best sailing with crew weight concentrated around the middle thwart.

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