Building A Fiberglass Boat (Paperback)

by Arthur Edmunds (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Arthur Edmunds is one of the country's top naval architects and his knowledge of the boat building industry has never been more apparent than in this book.

Art has written this book so the reader, unfamiliar with the construction process, will understand every aspect of the process. But this is not a beginner's only boat building book. Advanced craftsmen and top professionals have equally as much to learn from Art's years of experience.

Art takes the reader from the first step of Building a Fiberglass Boat to the last step, in a manner that will certainly inspire all who ever pondered the notion. He expertly explains why a competent craftsman would want to undertake the, seemingly, overwhelming task of building their own boat.

Art has described the two most popular sizes and styles of boats as examples for the project; a twenty-five foot open boat and a thirty-three foot cruising boat. Sail is also explained, although there is little difference in the basic construction methods. By referring to these example boats, the reader can envision a boat of any size, limited only by the reader's imagination and wallet thickness.

Everyone can learn from this book. If you have a boat just waiting to be built, you will now have the knowledge. If you never plan to build a boat, you will understand the entire process, making the "Buying Experience" far less confusing.

There are no "Trade Secrets", only knowledge not yet learned. Illustrated.

From the Author
There are many people who read boating magazines or go with boat owners who need crew to accompany them for fishing or just for a relaxing afternoon cruise. These people are well informed about boats that are being sold and they go to boat shows to inquire about what is new on the market. Often these experienced people become boat owners by building their boat exactly as they want it. Many times they cannot find what they want from the many manufacturers. All it takes is time and energy and less of an investment when compared with boats from the dealers.

This book is written for those people who know what they want in a boat and have a great amount of satisfaction in their workmanship. Glass fiber hulls have become dominant in the boating world as the most desirable material. By far, the most important quality of glass fiber laminates is longevity. Boats built in 1950 are still being used with great success. That is why this book concentrates solely on this durable and popular material. Any conceivable shape can be made from glass fiber when laminating a custom hull. The building techniques are explained in these pages.

Glass fiber laminates are man made products that are a combination of the glass fiber filaments and a binder of resin. As such, the quality of the finished hull depends solely on the patience and skill of the person who builds it. The skill of laminating is very easily acquired with a little practice on some sample laminates. Like any other piece of workmanship, it is the careful attention to detail that results in a fine looking and long lasting boat. Boat building cannot be done in a quick and haphazard manner. Concentration and perseverance must be judiciously applied to obtain the boat of your lifetime.

As you read these pages, you will soon understand the many tasks and time involved in a boat building project. You may decide building your own boat is not a project you have the time to complete yourself. Even if this is your decision, you will have the knowledge to contract the project to a competent builder, confidant you will have the boat of your dreams when the project is complete.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Bristol Fashion Publications, Inc.; 1 edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892216167
• ISBN-13: 978-1892216168
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #302,229 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars superficial book for boat building, October 17, 2002

By	Kari Kolehmainen "ruiner" (Finland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have recently read (and bought) few books about boatbuilding and desing and this book has been most fruitless so far. First of all
it is VERY short for the topics it covers (only a bit over 200 very, very short pages) and hence none of the topics are discussed in detail. Anyone who is considering of building his/hers own boat will probably want to read all books of the subject, since there aren't too many.
There is however much better books for this subject. From early 80's there is "Fiberglass Boatbuilding For Amateurs" By Ken Hankinson which is much more profound text of fiberglass boatbuilding. It is out of the print (I think) so you need to find it used.
This book is only one that is in print and covers fb boat building in practice (at least only one that i know). So If you can't find Ken Hankinsons book, this works as poor substitute.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lack of pictorial illustration, February 25, 2000

By	Tang Kok Yuen (Singapore) - See all my reviews

Most of the process are described in writing. Lack of pictorial illustration make this book ineffective. Poor introduction causes disorientation in the first few chapters. Not recommended for beginners. Good facts book for apprentice and small scale boat building workshop with some basic knownledge. Lots of "pointers" and "how to" but not really clear enough to build a boat.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference tool, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This book will give the information needed to build a quality boat but the craftsman must have basic knowledge and good skills. I have been a shipwright for more than 40 years and still learned from this book. I don't believe it is, or was even intended to be, the last word on boat building but it is well worth reading regardless of your talents. Add this to Mr. Edmunds Designing Power & Sail and the reader will be well on the way to a complete understanding of design and construction.

For a potential boat buyer the bonus is learning what makes a well or poorly constructed boat.