Carl Cramer, founder of the International Boatbuilder’s Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) and Professional BoatBuilder magazine has died aged 78.
Carl, of South Portland, Maine, was born in 1946 in Hollywood, California.
He grew up in Santa Barbara, moving to Maine in 1964 and excepting protracted adventures in Vietnam, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Nova Scotia, the rest of Carl’s life was centered in Maine around boats and publishing offices.
His early career included yacht designer, boatyard worker, bookstore owner, and a short stint as a taxi driver.
In the 1980s he worked for Downeast Magazine, and then co-founded computer publications based in the mid-coast.
In 1987, after many years of sending his resume, Carl was hired to work at WoodenBoat magazine where he became publisher in 1989, a position he held until his retirement in 2014.
IBEX launch
In 1989, he launched the trade journal Professional BoatBuilder magazine followed by IBEX, held each year in Tampa, Florida.
An enthusiastic sailor, Carl was passionate about boats andn loved a cockpit full of friends, talk, and sunshine.
In a statement, IBEX said: “Carl’s true expertise was people. He relished talking to strangers and made fast friends despite language and cultural barriers.”
The statement continued: “Carl was also a pathological reader, who consumed multiple books every week, then passed them on to friends with pithy praise or condemnation.
“In person, he was a fearless iconoclast and a gentleman. Carl loved to argue morality, literature, and naval architecture, but with a twinkle in his eye and a Heineken in hand.
“His formal attire was a suit paired with crocs. His manners were gracious. He always stood when a woman entered or retired from the room, and he eschewed trash talk. Carl remained gallant in an age when chivalry was long dead.”
He is survived by his wife; daughters Chloe (Doug Gurley) and Morgan (Eric Babcock); and grandchildren Quincy, Max, Sebastian and Isaac.
A celebration of Carl’s life will be held in the summer.
