VIDEO: Wasque

These Down East boats have a classic feel, but their Maine builders are keeping them up to date.

The beautiful and graceful Friendship Sloop evolved from hardscrabble fishing boats used to harvest lobster and fin fish in Maine.

A tour boat navigating around a coastal lava flow in Hawaii this week was struck by a large chunk of lava, injuring 23 people. The basketball-size rock punctured the boat’s roof and covered its deck with volcanic debris

Felicity Ann, the sloop Ann Davison sailed across the Atlantic almost 65 years ago - is receiving a much needed restoration at the Northwest Boat School in Washington state.

Despite facing immense skepticism, 23-year-old Boyan Slat plans on ridding the earth’s oceans of discarded plastics. He is preparing to demonstrate his innovative Ocean Cleanup system in the Pacific Ocean by the end of the year.

Those who appreciate catboats – with their beamy, rounded hulls, un-stayed masts, gaff rigs and ultra-long booms – find that these traditional sailboats are hard to beat, when it comes to practical design and pleasurable sailing.

Cocktail Class boats might be small, but they pack a fun and powerful punch.

Autonomous boating slowly is becoming a reality. And, if a Boston, Massachusetts, startup gets its way, skipper-less boats soon could be put to dangerous tasks, such as firefighting and oil spill containment—or maybe even take you out on your next cruise, hands-free.