Stuart draws boats to a high standard. He has a strong preference for long slim plywood boats of simple construction, has much experience in sharpies and vee bottomed boats of generally traditional styling, but occasionally comes out with something that graphically illustrates his real ability to think laterally in design ( See ACTION STATIONS below).
He is a very good designer, his professional training is as a draftsman which makes his plans exceptionally well drawn, his extensive sailing experience gives him a good basis for shape and proportion and the many boats of his own that he has built means that the structural methods and detail are not only easy on the builder, they produce strong light boats without being time consuming or expensive.
Stuart's maritime artwork, wonderful ink and watercolour prints of everything from Clipper ships to Americas Cuppers through the years will be featured on the site. Stuart also has drawings of Classic motorcycles and cars in his catalogue.
Stuart's recent history includes a spell as the Katikati Yacht Club Commodore, and he is still very active in sailing, semi retired now he has more time to put into drawing and development.

Here are just three of his designs
PLAY STATION. (For big kids.)

Stuart Reid is best known for small flat bottomed and sharpie style open boats, traditional and historic replicas and his stunning marine art prints. But the man has a restless imagination and during my last call at his home just a few steps off the estuary shore in Katikati he showed me the plans for this tiny teenagers tearaway.
With all of the charisma of million dollar ocean racers and performance potential enough to create white knuckles in the crew she should just about be achievable on a newspaper run or after school job plus some second hand bits, the hi tech styling though is anything but cheap and she should not only be a striking addition to the club fleet but also a great adventure machine for a couple of 15 year olds to escape in for long weekends.

Piiwakawaka a Fantail Launch

Piiwakawaka is the Maori word for the Fantail, a tiny bird know to all New Zealanders for its friendly fluttering when you walk through the bush and this, from Stuart Reid, a small plywood fantail launch in the style of the old workboats common at the turn

of the century is a friendly dayboat intended for lakes, rivers or harbours.
She is small enough to slip onto a trailer for those expeditions to the “Trad” or “Steam Society” events.
Though intended for steam, she has included in the plans details of a dummy boiler housing a small (4-6 hp) stationary petrol engine and you have the choice of pulling the starter cord and being under way immediately. Or if you wish to build her as a showcase for a small steam engine, you could take the more leisurely approach of setting the fire, raising steam pressure and listen to the quiet rhythm of the steam engine chuffing as you move out .
If you have ever heard the marvellous tones of those whistles fitted to steamers you’d certainly opt for the latter.
Fred Hodge of Hamilton built the first of the design, he equipped her with a W D Crombie designed 2.5 single cylinder double acting steam engine with Stephenson link reverse gear and a vertical tube, wood staved, coal fired 100 psi operating pressure boiler that he had built himself.
Her beautifully finished red and varnish hull a perfect match for the tiny jewel of an engine.
Easily built but with real grace Piwakawaka could be real fun for an enthusiast or someone with a bit of cheek and a twinkle in their eye.

Smack

Character yachts need not be impractical, this plywood characterisation of an English East Coast fishing smack by Stuart is a very practical camping cruiser capable of coastal passages and wonderful for short haul cruising on a budget. She has enough choices of sail combinations to perform well in a wide range of weather conditions and is light enough to row short distances if you don’t want to fit an outboard motor.
Smack has a cuddy cabin for stowing camping gear, or as a space for a couple of airbeds, it is not so long ago that many of our now leading yachtsmen used to begin their cruising careers in boats that were not as spacious or as capable as this husky little boat.
Superbly simple to build, very easy on the budget and with a lot of character this would be a wonderful exploration vehicle for those who have a large area of tidal or shallow water to play in.
Click to email Stuart Reid