Fall 2023
Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts
by Phil Bolger. McGraw Hill, LLC. 1994. 432 pp. $22.
Reviewed by Randy Randall
“Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts” is Phil Bolger’s last published book. He died in 2009, but his influence on boat design and new designers continues today. Phil designed almost 700 different boats, for a variety of needs and situations. His boats are generally known for their simplicity and their out-of-the-box thinking. Phil was famous for inventing some unique boats for specific purposes, and many of those boats appear in “Boats with an Open Mind.” The title is appropriate as the reader or boat builder must approach Phil’s boats with that open mind, willing to set aside conventional boat plans and look at boating differently. The book is a compilation of articles and stories that appeared in magazines such as “Small Boat Journal” and “WoodenBoat.” It’s the kind of book you keep on the cabin bookshelf and dip into whenever there’s a lull in the wind.
While it’s true that Bolger was probably most famous for his more unconventional boats, it must be noted that he did accept commissions for more traditional boats, which he executed in workmanlike fashion. Bolger worked with many of the prominent boat builders of the day, as well as amateurs and the DIY-types. He collaborated with Harold Payson, in Maine, to design a series of “Instant Boats” specifically aimed at the novice boat builder. Hundreds of people have had success building these boats. Years ago, I was the Scoutmaster for a small Boy Scout troop, and I had this grand idea that we would build some canoes during the winter and paddle down the Penobscot River in the spring. I sent a letter to Bolger telling him about my idea and he kindly responded with a design for a plywood canoe the Scouts could build. The boats were cheap and easily constructed, and nested together like dories on a Grand Banks schooner, to make it easier for us to transport them. Like many great ideas, this one never quite got off the ground. But I still have the plans and was so grateful to Bolger for taking the time to help us out.
Part of the charm of “Boats with an Open Mind” is Bolger’s commentary that goes along with each design. He describes the background or circumstances surrounding the request from the client and how his design uniquely met the criteria they were looking for. Along the way, Bolger renders opinions about everything from rowing to sailing to cruising and rigging a small boat. Bolger lived in Gloucester, Mass., and he was just old enough to have known such famous boat designers as L. Francis Herreshoff, Howard Chapelle, John Gardner, Thomas Day, and a variety of other luminaries in the world of mostly wooden boats. When Bolger quotes some old-time boat builder or designer, he’s repeating what he heard or learned firsthand.
Bolger continues to influence young boat designers today. His plans are still available, and his boats are still being built. Bolger has a prominent presence on the internet as well. There are many discussion threads and pages about Bolger and his boats. Whether you’re just discovering Phil Bolger or you just like reading his creative ideas and wry comments, “Boats with an Open Mind” is a fun way to get to know Bolger and his unique boat designs.
Frequent contributor, correspondent and friend, Randy Randall is co-owner of Marston’s Marina in Saco, Maine and a dreamer and waterman of the first order.
