Customer Reviews

The Complete Wooden Runabout Restoration Guide

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A comprehensive resource for all aspects of restoring wooden boats. Easy to understand and good additional resource citations.

If you are planning to restore an old wooden boat this book is a must have.
Well written, large font and good content.

Not a complete how to book but gets you thinking before you tear into it. Gets you think about how the shop might tear into it. When it comes to anything past the wood work - you need another book or two.

With that said... the wood working part will give you the information to know what is going on with your boat and IF you can handle the work yourself. That is the value of the book.

I do not think any one book can cover it all and this is the base of the library for the wooden boater.

Having restored and rebuilt classic wooden boats for the better part of 40 years now, I found this book to be a very nice addition to the practical library of folks that are involved with 1940's-1950's runabouts.

Pros: Don gives a very good and wide overview of not just the classic Chris Crafts, but also the "everyman boats" like the Century runabouts and even a good nod to Lyman lapstrakes. This is a very welcome development as the "lesser boats" get so little coverage in restoration publications. Don's writing and book layout with clear photos is excellent in all respects and very clear to understand by veteran and novice boat owners alike. Chris Craft, Century, Gar and Lyman owners will all benefit from having this book on their shelf.

Cons: This book is a compilation of two volumes that span a few decades and it really reflects the author as he matures as a boat yard man. The "con" is the first half, written by the young Don, where he frequently proclaims himself a savior of classic wooden boats, names a "system" after himself, and proceeds to remind the reader at least every 14 pages of how many classic wooden boats he has restored against all odds. Fortunately, the author matures in the following part and divests his earlier massive ego from the project and provides a clear and valuable guide to the finer points of what was not covered in volume #1.

Summary: "The Complete Wooden Boat Restoration Guide" is a very valuable addition to the library of anyone taking on the daunting and often mysterious process of bringing back to life a runabout built 50-60 years ago. These boats were, at the time, built to last just 8-10 years and Don lays out a good set of background information and step-by-step guides on how to bring them up to the standard that classic wooden sailboats were built on for the past 100 years. And, now that he is a little older, he is a little more like all of us.

A comprehensive review of woodenboat contruction and repair. Author concentrates on practical repair and re-construction. Not designed for restoration of show boats, but for serious amateurs looking to re-build and use a wooden boat classic. Plenty of phographs and drawings to help you along. Covers just about every topic from keels and frames to finish and upholstery.

Danenberg is recognized as the master of wooden boat restoration, and this book helps the reader understand why. He pulls no punches in revealing false rumors and bad techniques and follows up with helpful instructions and sound reasons for his theories and practices. This is a must-read for anyone who owns a wooden boat or is contemplating owning or restoring one.

Fantastic,,,so great I bot a second copy for my buddies at the Montrose Wooden Boat Werks...always keep it handy to resolve problems with the ole christy craft skiiii bot.....jb

This book is perfect to get an overview of the restoration. It is easy to read, lots of pics, advices...

Note: I didn't know before opening it but this book is made of the volume 1 and 2 of the "HOW TO RESTORE A WOODEN RUNABOUT"

I recommend this book to everybody who wants restore a runabout.

The book I chose both through Amazon and Classic wooden boating websites is perfect for the job of looking after a special item like a vintage Chris Craft runabout, in addition Amazon's service was amazing. i was advised the item would be approx 4 weeks to arrive in fact I received it 7 days later half way around the world - fantastic!

Great technical book on old wooden boat restoration; HOWEVER, you really need to bone up on your understanding of boat part terms if you're going to keep up with and understand what Danenberg is talking about. This is a must read for anybody contemplating the actual restoration of a wooden boat. There's a whole bunch more to it than just slapping on a fresh coat of varnish!!!! If you're still ready to tackle the project after reading this book, you probably really are up to doing it.