Customer Reviews

Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More!

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Even though I has some woodworking skills I still thought boatbuilding would be too difficult. I had searched the web but only found vague descriptions of overpriced plans. Then I went into a large bookstore and sat down with every book they had on boatbuilding. Most were either too complex (historic carvel planking) or too simple (ugly plywood box). Michalak's book was perfect. Not only does he include usable plans but he also discusses all relevant information in an easy to understand manner. Now I not only want to build the boat I had in mind, but I also want to build several other boats from this book.

Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond is exactly what it says it is, complete with free plans for six boats and enough knowledge to not only get started but finish your chosen project.

Jim's construction methods are both simple and practical using readily available materials and a minimum of tools. If you have always dreamt of building a boat but baulked at the complexity or the price then this is the book for you.

Of all the books I have on boat design, this is my favorite. It is also the most easily understood, the cheapest, and the only one that came with big sets of plans.

This book is a great deal. Not only is it filled with all the information you need to go out to your garage/yard/shed and build a boat, it also, gives you the basics for sail, power, and rowing and the plans to do it. All the info, plans for 6 boats, and Jim's great insight for less than the price of a set of plans.

I think Jim's insight into choosing a boat to build is the best part of the book. If you are thinking about getting a boat or not happy with your boating exerience to date you should buy this book and read that section a few times.

A very good book from a very good designer. This book covers all the information you need to build the boats from the full sized plans that are included. It is all explained in straight forward english you don't need to be a naval architect to understand or build these boats. All the materials can be bought at your hometown lumberyard except maybe fiberglass and epoxy. But not to fear Mr. Michalak has included suppliers and also references to other books and websites. If you like the squareboats of Phil Bolger (SQUAREBOATS ROCK) you will love Mr. Michalaks boats. Even if the boat you want to build isn't in this book his plan prices are very cheap $17.50 to $52.50 and this book will give you a better understand of building them. This book not only shows you how to build a boat or boats but how they function and why they function that way. It also has a section on how to sail your new boat. It is a VERY good deal! My advice is buy it, read it, build it, and do it all over again (at least until the wife says how many damn boats you gonna build).

This book probably covers every thing you need to know about building simple practical boats. It covers more than any other book I have seen by a wide margin. It includes complete plans for a half dozen boats. Michalak also sells plans for other boats at reasonable prices.

You will also find excellent sections on flotation, sail making, used outboards, flotation, how to learn how to sail, how to right a capsized boat and more. Highly recommended.

I am new to boat building, even new to boating (occasional canoeist), and have been reading a lot of sailing texts and boat building books. This one is the best, period. Experienced boatbuilders find it useful, but for those of us with no experience, it is a primer of basic boat construction. I loved the illustrations in Bolger's books and the other texts that I got through interlibrary loan. I borrowed Harold Payson's books from a friend, but the combination of clear writing with easy to comprehend drawings, and best yet, complete plans for 5 boats, make this the one book you have to have. Even if you have 10 books on boat building, you need this one. I finally decided to build a PD Racer as my first boat (NOT a Michalak design) and this book and the help of Dave Gray of Polysail were ABSOLUTELY the things that got me started and have kept me going. Without this book, I would have a pile of bonfire material and some bad memories, instead of a boat. Thanks Jim. And my next boat will be a Piragua! (And I wonder if an IMB can be rowed and sailed all the way on the Intercoastal?)

Mr. Michalak as distilled the craft of boat building into a simple, easy-to-read book. If you have not yet built a boat or are still a novice boat builder, this book is for you. If you have already built several "instant" plywood boats, you may not find the book appealing unless you are looking for refresher material. I mention "instant" boats since the boats and plans in the book do not require jigs as opposed to building more traditional planked boats.

In this book, the reader is taken through a concise history of wooden boats and then immersed in the process of boat building. Readers must have a bit of forethought and some basic tools before adventuring into the boat building process but once the process is described, the Mayfly 14 is the demonstration model and context for the description. Five additional boats and their construction processes are also elaborated (four if you want to generalize the QT Skiffs; one is a rowing design and the other is a motored design). There is a heavy emphasis on building with chine logs (structural supports and fastening points) with taped-seam construction being inserted as well. The location of the taped-seam information was a problem point for me; the taped seam construction section was placed after the description of the QT Skiffs rather than put in the section describing the boat building or in the appendices. It just wasn't a big enough problem to warrant dropping this review down to 4-stars.

Following the boat plans is a brief (well, 45+ pages) presentation about how to use you boat(s); including a sailing primer. Also included are some sensible considerations regarding safe use criteria, building hatches and vents, cartopping, and trailering.

In the appendices, we are given insights to calculating how big of a motor to put on a boat and how fast it will probably go. There is even a section devoted to electric motors and what you can expect from them. This was probably unnecessary but since it is an appendix it works. There are sections on sail area computations, methods for joining plywood and making bevels are also included. The book starts wrapping up by including some additional resource information with directions to websites, suppliers, and further readings. The book closes with teasers to additional designs and plans by Mr. Michalak.

This review will become obsolete once Amazon has the Look Inside feature for this book so I'll spice it up a bit more.

The price of this book is amazing! You get basic plans and building instructions for six boats! If you look around the internet, unless you are getting really skimpy study plans, you can't buy 6 different plans for the price of this book! Even when you order individual plans from Mr. Michalak (and I have), you will pay more for the individual plans than for this book.

It is hard to beat the information too. With this book, you can build a boat, learn basic boat handling and be introduced to sailing, paddling, and rowing. You won't be very accomplished if all you do is read the book so plan on getting wet if you want to do it right.

The boat plans in this book are well chosen. You can build sailboats, a canoe/kayak-like paddler, a jon boat, rowing boats, and motorboats; you have options for most water-activities. If you can't match a water-based interest of yours to one of these boats (i.e., overnight/camp cruising or house boating), the plans list in the appendix will help.

If you are a beginner and read this book carefully, you will not be disappointed with your project. I highly recommend this book for beginner boat builders.

So far I've built two of Jim Michalak's boats, including the pirogue that's in this book. And I've cut out the plywood pieces for a third one, a 15-foot canoe. I figure it will take a weekend to put it together stich-and-glue style.
The pirogue was a hit with everyone who got into it. It's just right for one parent and one small child, and narrow enough to paddle through the water with a double paddle, like a kayak. (I.e., you don't have to be an expert canoe-paddler to enjoy it).
Michalak's boats are strong, good-looking and simple to build. And yes, you can build several of them directly from this book, although once the lumber list goes over four sheets of plywood I would suggest you buy the full-size plans.
You can build one of the smaller ones with a Skilsaw, 20 or 30 gluing clamps, a long straight-edge and a screwdriver/drill. I like my wife's battery-power screwdriver -- I may have to get my own....

An excellent book that covers all aspects of building small wooden boats delivered in a simple and easy to understand format. Also goes beyound boat building to trailers and beginner sailing tips.

Well done Jim

And I think he can. The book presents several boats that are within range of the pocketbook and the infomation, including techniques for building them. This spring I am going to build the flatiron skiff. Versatile, lightweight, and inexpensive, it will be a great project. Grandpa