While we were building a couple of new AMPHORAS, we took the opportunity to re-do the plans, taken from Peter & Mike Stevenson's book The Amphora, but with some changes to the dimensions and techniques to reflect what we've learned over 40 years. So now we have an entirely new set of AMPHORA plans which we are excited about, and we hope you will be too!

Here is a link to the Amphora Materials List so you can get an idea of what's required to build this little boat!

The AMPHORA is a great little boat. We wanted to get that out there right away. It’s simple enough to be built by beginner builders of all ages and still remain a satisfying project for someone who has built dozens of boats. We know this for a fact because we built the first one in the early 1970s and the latest one in 2013! The AMPHORA started out as a kid’s building project, one in the series of three books by Peter Stevenson, aimed at getting young builders making projects. Peter based the AMPHORA on the classic lines of Greek fishing boats, and the rugged, all-purpose style of those hearty craft carries over into the stable, easy-to-handle little version here. The AMPHORA is our simplest boat project, and having just built a new one, we were reminded just how perfect it is for first-time builders!

The beamy shape of the Amphora makes it a great little dinghy, and being based on working boats of the Adriatic, it doesn't mind a bit of knocking about. The photo to the right is the same boat as the one just above, but now ten years later! We're going to do some touch up painting soon, and since this Amphora is sitting in saltwater now, we're going to add a bit of bottom-paint tokeep the sea growth off, but I thought this shot shows how nicely these boats can stand up over the years, with only a bit of care. This boat was fiberglassed with epoxy resin, but has been sitting outside, uncovered, for half of its life!

The AMPHORA is light, stable, and easy to row. It can handle a trolling motor for electric adventures, and you can throw it in the back of a pickup. It makes a great dinghy if you have need of a shore tender. The boat is just under 8' long, The AMPHORA is a boat which is very close to our hearts here at Stevenson Projects, and we hope you'll enjoy building and exploring with one of your own! Over the years, we’ve enjoyed using the AMPHORAS we’ve had as dinghys, and to play around exploring little bays and marinas. People have built them all around the globe and we’ve received lots of pictures and stories of their adventures. More recently, we decided to build another one to see if it still had the right appeal to draw new builders into the world of working with their hands. We think it does, and a new group of young builders has confirmed this for us!

 

L.O.A.: 8'
BEAM: 4'
Height over the Stem: 28"
Disp.: approx 65-75 lbs.
Can carry two adults or three kids

Amphoras Built At Harvard!

Click Here to take a look!

The Amphora is a wonderful boat for young builders to learn to work with their hands, as well as being a great dinghy for all sorts of uses! We have some amazingly fun photos builders have sent in over the years of their adventures.

Click Here to start exploring the photo galleries!