Boatbuilding Books

For those looking at an older boat, this book offers great insight to how the older boat may have been constructed. That insight is just nowhere else to be found. I have read my copy from cover to cover. I go back and FREQUENTLY reread sections to better understand how to work on my boat. That's what makes this book a BIBLE of fiberglass boat knowledge.

With rampant cost escalation for fuel, dock space, upkeep, and every single other aspect of boating, it is SERIOUSLY worth looking at a 1960's, '70s, or '80's boat instead of a new one.

I am working on restoring an older boat - '80s Hunter. It would not be possible without this book. This book, along with those by Casey, Calder, Payne, Vigor, Wittman, and others are the core of my repair resource.

As has been pointed out, there is not a host of material about Carbon Fiber or more advanced composites/epoxies. For that you could go to West System's books and pamphlets.

For working on my collection of "good old boats".. I would NOT be without this book. I absolutely recommend it.

This book is a very good guide for the novice in looking into doing some fiberglass repair . I think it covers alot of the fundamentals which is necessary, however it did not fully address the area that I was most interested in such as the stringer repair and replacement in my boat. As I said I think it is well worth the addition to my library and would recomend it to anyone who is anticipating any fiberglass repair.

It's really a good book.It was a fast dealivery I will buy more items from Amazon since it was the first time for me.++++++++++++

This is a very old book as far as fiberglass boats go.Must later prcedures,and products not included. There is some usefull info in the book

This is a good book. It is complete, to be sure. For the expert fiberglass repair person, I cannot speak, but it is certainly difficult to read for an amateur. Generally, a bit much to swallow. I think that other books have similar information more elegantly stated. The fault is not with the content, but the presentation.

I would suggest this book for anyone who want to understand the structural elements of a sailboat.

I agree it is an almost indispensable book for anybody building a boat. I cannot rate it with 5 stars only because of the many (however silly and inconsequential) mistakes which plague my "Revised Edition": Something is said to be "200% under the list price" (214); the advice to drain the head sink into the head (page 278) is challenged by the drawing in page 289. The use of asbestos is recommended without a warning (219); it is suggested to deliberately damage the plywood pile so the stuff could be bought later much cheaper! (212); in 224 the author does not realize that he does not need to make a water level with 70 feet of costly transparent tubing (only the extremes should be transparent); it is said that you will have no waste if you cut the ribs with 45 degree angled sides (page 55) while in fact that is valid for any angle, as they are supplementary of each other; a very simple method -2 sticks and a pencil- to draw the deck's crown is ignored; in 326 the drilling of the lowest hole is advised in order to properly align a tang (any hole will do, as long as it is only one). There are a several references to non- existing drawings or photos (one to a non existing section (362)), while a couple of identical pictures is repeated in different chapters. The name of a chapter is misquoted somewhere else. Figures should be numbered, anyway. (As I said, my copy is what Albatross Publishing calls a "Revised Edition"; I wonder about what the UnRevised would be...) All in all, however, the book displays a lot of humor and includes lots of good advice. I would complement it with Michael Naujok's on boat interior woodworking -great color photos- and of course with Nigel Calder's Boatowners Manual, but Mate's is VERY useful as it is.

I had high expectations when I ordered this book (partly because of the other positive reviews) but was thoroughly disappointed.

To start with, the book was written in the early 80's and much of the technical details are outdated and quoted prices unfortunately rather unrealistic. Measurements are only imperial and not metric.

The structure leaves much to be desired. He starts with a chapter on reinforcing hulls and then moves on to hull selection criteria. There is nothing on fiberglass and epoxy production itself, it is assumed that those parts are purchased ready to be used. There is nothing whatsoever on hull production. Mr Mate endorses internal lead keels (cough) but suggest to purchase the keel rather than DIY.

Throughout the whole book are suggested solutions to remedy problems related to heeling yet the one solution that addresses all of them (a multihull!) is done away with as unsafe! I fail to see how a mono that can sink within minutes is safer.

Then there are suggestions like "lower the saw blade on a table saw to prevent injury while sitting on it"!!! Sure, he should've added to switch off a hydraulic press before taking a nap inside of it. He also recommends to deliberately damage plywood and then haggle down the price.

Also rather annoying is his permanent use of the same phrase, testament to his rather poor writing skills. I am half way through this book now and have to push myself to pick it up again. What a waste of money!!!

This is a great book. Ferenc Mate has a very enaging style of writing, and he weaves nuts and bolts information and construction techniques into an excellent reference book. He has strong opinions on most matters, and lets the reader know why he believes things should be done a certain way. I found the book very useful not only for boatbuilding reference, but also as a guide to good construction techniques for existing boats. I have learned how to look at a boat's construction with a critical eye-- How would Ferenc Mate have built that? If you are considering building a boat, get this book first.

This is really a GREAT book. I bought in Sydney as I found the layout interesting with several graphs and numerous details. After reading it, I can only recommend it. It is a mine of information which will never be outdated. It will serve both the experienced and less experienced sailors. The text is clear, well written and I look it up all the time as the extra tool in rebuilding my boat. I am picky but this one came far above my expectations. Thank you.

Excellent book for casting small rubber parts useful in auto restoration
worth the money!!!

a good book well put together with a lot of good information witch i enjoyed reading

I felt the information was rather old. I'm still looking for a reference I can actually use.

An amateur can quickly learn casting techniques to make small and simple metal and rubber parts by following examples and illustrations in this book. The Make it yourself foundry equipments chapter is helpful for beginner to start with this hobby without spending too much money. However, the main technique presented is sand casting, there is not enough examples or info on other casting techniques.

This is the only source I have ever found for non-commercial molding of rubberlike compounds. While this 1986 edition does not address possible new developments in this area (Loctite now sells material which appears to be the same as the Devcon product highlighted in the book), it is the only information I have ever seen on creating rubber parts for the home hobbyist and restorer. The chapter on weights and volumes is valuable, as these materials are rather expensive. The metal casting section is similar to others on the market, and is primarily focused on sand casting of aluminum. This limited focus, skimming over most other methods and materials, limits it to a four star rating. If you want to mold rubber parts though, this is IT.

Very good book for the introduction of wooden boat building, but if you're not already a woodworker there are too many terms that is hard to understand with out constantly flipping back and forth to the glossary.

Dave in Oregon

I am very satisfied with the book, it has provided all the information I was in need of. I would not hesitate to buy additional offerings by the author and to use Amazon as my purchasing avenue.

If you want to learn how to build a boat, you need this book. Also, I would suggest getting copies of Paysons earlier books too. There are different plans in the different books. And great info in all his books.

And yes, I have built 3 of his boats so far.

Although I enjoy so much woodworking, my mayor motivation to buy a boatbuilder's book was to go sailing in a budget. This is not my first try, but it is the most down to earth for a curious do-it-yourselfer. Others told me to use mahogany plywood, full epoxy and fiberglass covering to obtain a 10 footer with just $700. I can buy a fine second hand boat for less than that!
Payson says hat I can build a boat that I can be proud of with some reasonably cheap plywood and polyesther and go sailing for a reasonable $200 or even less. And he's right! I am halfway to my boat in just 20 hours or so and can not be more satisfied.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try his skills at woodworking and go sailing in a budget. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that the plans are too small and I had to put some working to scale then properly. But the results pretty much are worth the effort.

Another great book from Harold Payson. It's down to earth and easily followed format is inspiring and makes you want to go out and build another of these wounderfully created boats.

A book you must have in your library alongside the other greats.

I was so happy when I got this book as I have been restoring a couple Chris's for the last several years. But was dissapointed after thumbing through it. There a very few pictures of the different models, infact the illustrator seems to have used the same 4 boats throughout the whole text, with slight exception. The history material is excellent dry reading witha lot of facts most people are unaware of. Every model is listed in the book but sometimes so briefly the reference has no value. All Chris Craft owners should have this on their coffee table or aboard their boat.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in historly of this legenday American boat builder. Chocked full of details about the company and the boats.

I was thoroughly impressed with the scholarly research obviously conducted for the writing of this book. The early years especially are covered with a thorough attention to the personalities that built what used to be America's premier pleasure craft builder. The last half of the book will be especially useful for owners of newer Chris Crafts as every single boat is mentioned in its model year and the lines are extensively covered. I also really liked the cover.

The history that made one of Americas most sucessful boat companies is excellent. The intrigues and negotiations leading up to the founder family parting with their company is great reading and the coverage of the early racing boats leaves little to be desired. The coverage of the massproduced boats is however less informative. The vast majority of the boats designed are only referred to with model name, available sizes and price ranges. All facts and figures are imbedded in the body text which makes the book impossible to use as a source of reference. Almost all pictures are overviews of one boat at the time. There are very few pictures highlighting unique or clever designs, and/or comparative pictures comparing various models and/or year classes.

The legend of Chris craft is a masterpiece by both the author and publisher that should be made available to our all of our citizens.

The problem as I see it,is, its a best kept secret,not enough marketing,even long time Chris Craft owners do not know of its existence.

Great book. Takes you through the process and all the thoughts and tricks of doing it right. Not rocket science, but very helpful and confirming of your ability to do this. Good pictures and examples.

I highly recommend this book for anyone considering either or both of these construction methods. The author's experience shows in breath and depth of the subjects addressed in this book. I enjoyed the knowledgable way he writes of determining scantings, deck-to-hull details, and the laminating process itself. The detailed text is accompanied by excellent drawings and illustrations of the author's points. The author's Continental orientation is evident from the boats selected for illustration. The author goes into all facets of building using these methods, including mold building and backbone setup. If you wish to learn about the details and practical issues of using these methods, this is an excellent addition to your library.

The basic information on technique is helpful; however the author uses some odd language for the american reader. It takes some getting used to. For example he uses the word rebate instead of the wood working term rabbet and he says cramps for/or clamps for no apparent reason. He also barely hides his distain for strip planked hulls.

This book is really about cold-molded boatbuilding. There is little useful information about strip-planked methods. He pays cursory attention to it in some chapters, and always at the end, as an afterthought. I am still looking for a good book on strip-planking.

If you are interested in cold-molding or double-diagonal type applications, this book is technical and thorough. Useful as a reference. Buy it thinking of the title as "Cold-Moulded Wood Boat Building, With an Afterword on Strip-Planked Methods"

My son just bought his first sailboat - a wooden "fixer" but she floats. I have been asked to help with the sewing projects required for her restoration. Very helpful book - was hoping for more info on seat cushions as they are so different from regular household cushions in shape. Overall very good!

This book is concise and straight to the point. If you are looking for information on how to sew curtains and placemats you will not find it here. If you want to do serious boat canvas work you should have this book in your library.

This book is simply a collection of the instructions for the Sailrite kits. You can get it all free at www.sailrite.com

One of the better canvas making guides out there. I have already made several projects from the book, They are well laid out and easy to follow. A must own for the DIY canvas people...

Gee- if I only had a million dollars! No, really 10-20-30 million. Anyway some beautiful boats, interiors etc The Hinckley tradition. These guys should make a beautiful coffee table book in large format. The color pictures are glorious but not enough. Gee I've never talked about pictures before- just guess I'm in love or is it LUST. OK- this books best sections are on interior and exterior maintenance- how to do it the right way! They also take on mechanical, electrical, rigging etc. But for practical information here go to NIGEL CALDER. If you'd like your boat to shine like a Hinckley, or just want to know the right way to do things, what works, what doesn't. This is the book for you. I bought it for ideas in redoing my interior, but am happy with the whole book. Would I buy it again. Even though a little pricey- YES.

Messrs. Hinckley have written a book that I've gone back to on several occasions, I suppose because of their Suburb writing style, but also because they address the problem of preventative maintenance and you know that old saw, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is as true now as it ever was. This book is not as detailed as some others when it comes to on-board systems, but it's useful and nice to have around.

This book was a big disappointment. The pictures were nice, but the topics were covered with only a few sentences or maybe a short paragraph at best. I am returning this book in search of a more in-depth book.

Hank Hinckley, of the famous boat-building family, focuses on usable, detail-rich information that can help anyone maintain a boat more efficiently and professionally. Most books of this sort stop short of naming names. You are advised to use "good quality varnish" or "high quality sandpaper readily available at your local hardware store." Hinckley gives names (and numbers) and describes why particular products (and methods) have become the norm in the Hinckley yard. The photogaphs of Hinckley's boats are mouth-watering but he makes it clear and believable that there's value in his methods for more modest craft. I followed his method for exterior varnishing and found it to be quicker and better than my (previous) approach. Knowing for example that the Hinckley yard finds a heat gun to be the fastest way to strip old varnish was recommendation enough for me to try it--they're right and should be--they're pros after all. It seems smart to me to seek the advice of a professional, that's really what Hinckley's book amounts to, in readable, useable and enjoyable format.

As others have said in their reviews, this book does not contain EVERYTHING you need to know to build this boat, but you will need this book to build a Haven. You should also join HavenBuilders.com to see hundred of pictures of the construction process, by dozens of builders. There is also a Forum on the site where builders share ideas on how to perform various parts of the construction process.

Great book taking the prospective builder through the construction of this beautiful boat. As good a book on boat construction as I've seen. Check it out with the book, then buy the plans and build it!

This book contains some excellent photos of how to build a classic small sailboat, along with a clear step by step procedure for construction. It is, however, lacking in one regard. They fail to mention that you cannot build this boat without ordering the plans from the author. I suppose with a comprehensive experience with lofting you could reverse engineer a fine copy of this boat, but based on the title you would tend to believe that it presents everything you need to reproduce this boat. I still found this book useful in presenting some basic construction techniques, and an orderly process, for constructing this, or a number of similiar boats that utilize a basic plank on frame construction. The other problem this book presents is any sort of detailed instruction for manufacturing some of the parts. For example, how do you construct a form fitting, several hundred pound, lead keel. He has some pictures of the process, but no detailed instructions on how to do this. This is still an interesting book, and I would recommend it to someone who already understands most of the basics of sailboat construction.

I saw a lovely little boat in Penzance Harbour, decided I liked the look of it, and tracked down what it was - a Haven 12 1/2! I bought this book to whet my appetite with respect to building one sometime in the future. First off - this book assumes a certain level of boatbuilding knowledge. That is not to say that you must be an experienced builder; you'll just need to read "Building Small Boats" by the same publisher concurrently (which I also own - it is fantastic). This is not an easy boat to build, and the first thing that will strike you is the amount of work involved. It's at least twice the amount you're expecting if this is your first boat. Prepare to be shocked.

As for the content, the book pretty much consists of 224 individual steps in building the boat - each with a black and white photograph and a paragraph or two describing what needs to be done and some common problems you might encounter. As I said before, sometimes these descriptions slip into jargon which you need to have prior knowledge to understand, but if you're serious about building this boat you should be researching the topic quite well anyway. Some of the photos would benefit from being in colour but this isn't really a concern. They get the general gist across.

The book closes with some beautiful sketches of the boat in plan and cross section, and small excerpts from the boat plan. Note that this book does not contain actual plans. Unless you are very adept at lofting (and not too concerned about accuracy) you will need to buy the plans too.

The book also gives you advice on how to care for the finished boat and use it.

In conclusion, a fantastic book for what it is, but you will need to buy the full-sized plans (which are expensive), and if you are a first timer you should also buy "Building Small Boats" or a similar book as well.

Well, my criticism is not so much about the book, as it is about the lack of detail available about actual contents. There was no way to search inside the book on-line. Googling the book gave little more info than the brief bit on Amazon.

I was looking for a book that not only told you how to put a plank on, but to finish the job... pound cotton in the seams and pay them with sealant. This was the only book in the Wooden Boat series that would seem to possible address this, but no. There seems to be a real lack of info about this, and what sealants to use, etc. Oh, there is info. on line in forums, but bring up the subject and within a couple hours folks are insulting each other and slinging mud, etc. There is apparently a lot of controversy, and little real info.

Good book about actual construction, but it to the point of a hull sitting there with open seams. I will keep looking.

I found this book very informative and interesting. I highly suggest reading it entirely before you begin your project in order that you have as good an understanding of these concepts as possible. It is a collection of articles from Woodenboat Magazine specifically about planking and fastening issues. Some of the information may seem esoteric but that's what wooden boat building is. I see that one of the reviewers has had difficulty understanding its terms and I concur that this book is not for the novice- or for that matter the uncommitted. If you are a novice, as I was before I began the repairs, I suggest getting out a dictionary and making the commitment to figure out what these folks are writing about. This book paid dividends for us and was like having a professional boat builder there beside us- what could be better than that? When we were done with our repairs the sailboat didn't take on a single teaspoon of water- good luck with yours.

I don't know why the other reviewer bought this book. This is a collection of articles by different authors from Woodenboat magazine regarding ... planking and fastening. It's not really a fun book like some boat design books but more of a manual on how to complete a boat. If you're building a tradional(non-plywood)wood boat, you'll find at least one and probably several articles in here that will more than pay for the book in time and money saved. I gave it 4 stars because it could be a bit better organized.

On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being written for the novice and 10 being written for the professional, I definitely have to rate this book a 10 for it's technical difficulty. The author apparently feels it's more important to impress the reader with how much he knows and all the fancy words that a "real" professional would use rather than write an easy to follow how-to book that most novices can follow. This is not to say that this is the only marine how-to author who is guilty of this. However, this guy pushes it way over board (no pun intended). After spending 15 minutes with this book, I had to pack it up and send it back to whence it came. Even the pictures were difficult to follow. Sorry, Pete. Maybe I'll come across one of your other books that I can understand a little more easily. But this one had me baffled from the word go.