BearboatXL is the replacement for BearboatSP
BearboatXL: macOS only Alpha
On the Mac, the latest operating system is Tahoe (macOS 26). BearboatXL is compatible with this.
BearboatSP began to struggle as newer versions of macOS and Windows were released. It is basically unworkable now. I have given up — at least for the moment — on trying to maintain a Windows version. BearboatXL is therefore a Mac-only program. It is a complete rewrite of BearboatSP. While it is modeled after its predecessor and will feel familiar to longtime users, it is an entirely new code base built using a more modern version of the programming language.
BearboatXL has a tool that allows viewing of the parameters of an old BearboatSP design. The programs are different enough that it was not possible to write a method to open a BearboatSP file in BearboatXL. However, by viewing the parameters of an old BearboatSP file, it is possible manually to create a BearboatXL version of the old design that will preserve most of its characteristics.
BearboatXL is primarily intended for designing kayaks and canoes, but it can also be used to rough out ideas for rowboats, rowing shells, or even dories. The program is free and may be shared with friends.
This release should be considered an alpha version. While the program is complete in the sense that you can design a kayak from start to finish, it does not yet include all of the functionality found in BearboatSP. In particular, the built-in visualization tools are limited, and most of the analysis features have not yet been ported over from BearboatSP. My hope is that over the course of 2026 I will be able to bring BearboatXL up to parity with its predecessor. That said, the core design tools in BearboatXL are already considerably improved.
Please report bugs. The more reproducible a bug is, the easier it is to fix. If you have ideas about how BearboatXL could be improved, feel free to email me at rlivingston@me.com .
The manual is also fairly rudimentary at this stage. My primary goal right now is to release an early but usable version of the program — partly because I intend to design a new kayak myself. The BearboatSP manual may be helpful in some areas, but I recommend relying mainly on the early BearboatXL manual available on this page, along with the extensive built-in Help system. The inline Help in BearboatXL is far more comprehensive than what was available in BearboatSP.
PrintBearboatXL
When it comes time to actually build a kayak, PrintBearboatXL is a separate program that can open design files created in BearboatXL. It generates printable cross-sections of the kayak for use during construction, and can also export designs in a variety of file formats readable by many 3-D CAD programs.
For now, PrintBearboatXL helps compensate for the limited visualization tools within BearboatXL itself. Designs can be exported and examined in external 3-D modeling programs, allowing for more detailed inspection.
Security
As the online world has become more security-conscious, additional protections have been put in place for applications downloaded from the Internet. The first time you open the program, macOS will warn you that it is from an unknown developer. I may be unknown — but my address is below, so you can find me 🙂.