Bestselling Boat Plan Designers of 2024

Fun fact: In 2024, you all collectively purchased over 2,500 boat plans from Duckworks! (That's 20% more than in 2023!) For our second year running, we paid out a grand total of over $100,000 to independent boat designers around the world. How awesome is that? 

To celebrate, we're counting down our Top 10 Bestselling Boat Plan Designers of 2024, and sharing the bestselling plans for each one. Check them out, and perhaps get some ideas for your 2024 projects while we await the return of warmer weather. What better time than now to head out to the shop and make a little sawdust?

#10 Eric Henseval: Divinité

Eric Henseval's designs continue to inspire, with several study plans competing for the top spot. His boats are a bit on the larger side, so there are lots of folks out there perusing his study plans before they commit to a full project. This year, his best seller was  Divinité, a "pocket-coastal-ocean-capable SCOW, strongly built in plywood." 

Check out the Youtube video where Eric gives an overview:

#9 Paul Butler: Motor Canoe

For the second year in a row, Paul Butler made our top 10 with his Motor Canoe. This 12 foot motor canoe is light, capable, and easy to build with plans that are written for first-timers. Instructions are are very detailed with photos and sketches in a step-by-step format. Honorable mention to his eye-catching Maxi Mac river boat, which is nipping close at its heels!

#8 Joe Dobler: Pepita

Pepita is an oldie, but a goodie! This 7' 3" rowing & sailing dinghy was designed as a small yacht tender which would row, tow, stow, sail and even power well. A finalist in Cruising World's 1981 design competition that still appeals today. Hat tip to Vita, a cat-rigged sailing dinghy which sold *almost* as many copies. Not bad for a design that Joe first penned back in 1965!

#7 Ross Lillistone: Water Rat

Ross Lillistone moved up 3 places in the rankings this year, thanks to the fun duo of Water Rat and Flint. Water Rat is a fun boat to paddle around, and only takes 2 sheets of marine plywood to build. 34" beam, plan includes two LOA options of 9' or 10'9". A great project for the family to build together over spring break, then take to the beach in the summer!

#6 Bernd Kohler: ECO 55 Power Cat

While technically Bernd sold the most copies of KD 860 Study plans (2 years in a row), we're calling this one for his Eco 55 Power Cat full plans, which shows us there are folks out there actively working on them (rather than just thinking about it). Bernd's designs tend to be larger or more complex than many other boats on this list, so we're excited to see folks taking on a bigger project that will be worth their while.  

The Power version of ECO 55 similar to its sailing sibling, but the hull is optimized for use with a pair of outboard motors. This 18' boat has a nice wide cockpit, and a cabin big enough for a double berth! 

#5 Dave Gentry: Shenandoah Whitehall

Skin-on-frame makes the top 5! Skin on Frame is Dave Gentry's specialty, and his plans include templates for all of the frames, which makes them very achieveable projects for first-time builders. His top selling plan this year was Shenandoah, his skin-on-frame interpretation of the classic Whitehall rowboat -- a lightweight little beauty at just under 14' long. Ruth was a close runner-up.

#4 Selway-Fisher: Float, Sail & Leeboards

As prolific a designer as Paul Fisher is with dozens of boat plans available, this year his top seller was not a boat at all! It was his Float, Sail & Leeboard plans that you can use to set up "just about any canoe as a sailing outrigger." It outsold his quirky Viking 16, and his Strip Planked Motor Canoe.

#3: Jim Michalak

Jim Michalak's designs are super appealing and affordable for new builders, so it's no surprise to see him high on the list. Piccup Pram was his top seller this year, as in 2023. This 11' sail/row pram first built back in 1990 is still a favorite today. Honorable mention to Jonsboat, just a couple of copies shy from taking the lead away. 

Have shots of a completed Piccum Pram you can send our way? We'd love to add some new photos to the plan page.

#2: John Welsford: 12' SCAMP

10 years on, the game-changing pocket microcruiser SCAMP is still being discovered by new folks every day. There was a strong resurgence in interest in the Scamp this year, sending John Welsford flying back up the list. Though we're patiently still waiting for Scallywag plans to arrive (Scamp's big sister at 15'4"), it's good to see that Scamp is still out there making waves!

For those who are curious why we didn't see Scallywag debut in 2024 as expected, John Welsford had an injury to his drawing hand last summer at the Scallywag test build camp. He needed some time to heal up enough that he had full use of his hand. And then of course, it takes time to make the actual revisions, too. Patience will be worth the wait, as we'd of course want to see John take his time and get it right. In the meantime we've seen lots of folks buying study plans for Long Steps and Penguin, probably trying to get hints of what to expect from Scallywag. ?

#1: Michael Storer: Oz Goose

For the second year running, Michael Storer's Oz Goose was far and away the best selling plan of 2024. Though many of his plans are bestsellers (Goat Island Skiff and Quick Canoe alone top some of the others on this list) Goose leaves them all in the dust. The ease of construction, fun performance, and affordable materials make it appealing to aspiring boat builders and sailing schools worldwide. Thanks Michael for the role you've played in introducing sailing to folks from all walks of life!

Build, Share, Inspire: Post Your Reviews!

Is there a hidden gem of a boat that you love, that you think should be discovered by more people? If so, we encourage you to go find the plan page here on our website, and leave a review. By popular request, we've added review functionality to our website so you can now leave reviews on our product pages, and even upload photos of your project for others to see! (Of course you can still send us your photos via email if you prefer not to post them directly.)

Thanks so much for supporting the livelihoods of the naval architects and boat designers who make everything we do possible. The boatbuilding supplies we sell may be the bread-and-butter that keep the lights on here at Duckworks, but without the designers inspiring us and folks around the world, our little business wouldn't be here.

Happy New Year, all!