The Elegance and Joy of Wooden Pond Yachts

Wooden pond yachts have been around since the 1880s. As more people moved to cities during the Industrial Revolution, residents sailed their pond yachts at the local parks as a recreational activity. Thom McLaughlin discusses the history of these model boats and how he got involved with the hobby.

“I personally like to think that this former agrarian society needed a connection with nature,” McLaughlin says. “And these boats provided that in some ways.”