New Plywood Boats [Paperback]

Thomas Firth Jones (Author)

Book Description

Series: Seafarer Books | Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Boatbuilding is a tirelessly evolving craft, with new techniques and materials constantly being developed. This book is for all those interested in the satisfying challenge of designing and building boats with marine plywood (as well as a variety of other materials). Thomas Firth Jones gives detailed accounts of his exciting new building projects over the last ten years, from row- and paddleboats to multihull prototypes. Each is discussed in detail, emphasizing design, construction, and such component materials as solid and cored fiberglass and clinker-planked cedar. Packed with photos and diagrams, New Plywood Boats gives insight into the new technology and techniques of boatbuilding, and includes a special section on the work of designer Phil Bolger. Throughout, Jones examines every line and detail, giving the reader a unique opportunity to study at his side. A book full of inspiration for the small-boat enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I am not given to tantrums but what really provokes major wobblies are those unrequested emails, with umpteen high-res images attached which take forever to download. One such started coming in a while back and more in anger than in sorrow, I picked up this book. Mr. Jones so calmed me down that when the Mac pinged a whole hour later, I paused briefly to bin the email unopened and returned immediately to his book.

What is it, I wonder, which makes boat designers such good writers? On the face of it, a book which discusses the design and construction of a selections of simple small boats, daysailers, outboard runabouts, slender motorboats and simple multihulls may not seem like the stuff of real reading. Informative perhaps but like a computer mag, not something anyone would actually enjoy in a literary way? But Tom Jones combines the instruction with insights into why boats are shaped the way they are and with all kinds of anecdotes and digressions. The best part of the practical stuff is that six of the craft described come with building plans; the best part of the personal writing comes in an appreciation of Phil Bolger. One for the boatshop and beach. --Watercraft Magazine

Tom Jones is a professional boatbuilder, designer and writer he is also a highly experienced offshore sailor, as evidenced for example in his book Multihull Voyaging. He has, in fact, made six trans-Atlantics in boats of his own design. New Plywood Boats has chapters on Row and Paddle Boats, Daysailers, Runabouts, Long Narrow Powerboats and Sailing Multihulls, each chapter containing plans and construction details for a number of craft, not entirely (but mostly) built of plywood, ranging in size from a kayak to a thirty foot powerboat. There are lots of drawings and photographs, and entertaining anecdotes about boats and their owners. The US origins of the book are evident in the selection of designs (some being developments of traditional North American craft), and to some extent construction materials, but it is none the worse for that. There is a distinct similarity with some of Phil Bolger s work, and indeed the final chapter is an appreciation of Phil. New Plywood Boats is worthy of a place on the bookshelf (or in the workshop) of anyone seriously interested in building a plywood boat, and will be of interest to all of us who enjoy daydreaming about being on the water. --Cruising magazine

In New Plywood Boats, Thomas Firth Jones aims to inspire by example. This professional boatbuilder gives detailed rundowns of some of his projects through the past decade. With each boat, from canoes to multi-hull prototypes, Jones discusses design, construction and materials including solid and cored fiberglass, and clinker-planked cedar. He also includes 50 line drawings and 30 photos to help the reader visualize each project. For those who are sufficiently inspired, New Plywood Boats offers six complete plans, including designs for a 9-foot nesting tender and a 30-foot trailerable diesel cruiser. --Soundings

About the Author

Thomas Firth Jones is a professional builder, designer and writer. He operates a boatbuilding shop in Tuckahoe, N.J. and has sailed more than 50,000 miles-six times across the Atlantic-in boats of his own design and construction. His work is regularly featured in Boatbuilder magazine and he is the author of several books, including Multihull Voyaging, also published by Sheridan House.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574090968
• ISBN-13: 978-1574090963
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Plywood Boats, September 3, 2001

By 

Jeffrey H. Sutherland (Ocean City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Plywood Boats (Paperback)

It follows the style of Mr. Jones prior book "Low Resistance Boats/ Boats to Go". It is informative on the different methods of building boats and the advantages and disadvantages. It is especially informative to those like myself who often ponder building a wooden boat and have pre-conceived notions that we are going to use "traditional methods". Tom has tried a great variety of methods and candidly admits that some of his pre-conceived notions and methods did not always turn out as he expected. He also describes how modern methods and materials can be used to build boats with a tradional appeal and why traditional is traditional and not always practical.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice retrospective... but not too informative, June 12, 2003

By 

Robert Deering "Deering" (Juneau, AK United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Plywood Boats (Paperback)

Author rambles on about various old designs and the philosophies of the designers/builders, interspersing a few fuzzy B&W pictures and snippets of hull profiles. Might be interesting to the history buff, but if you want clear, relevant information on how to build a wooden boat... this book isn't for you. There are many others to choose from - I'd recommend Buehler's Backyard Boat Building and Gerr's Strength of Boats as two helpful books I've read so far.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Opinionated and Informative, July 13, 2005

By 

Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Plywood Boats (Paperback)

One day I dream of building the sailboat that will carry me through my retirement years; to that end, I've read a lot of books on boatbuilding, and encountered a lot of strong opinions. And of all the modern-day authors I've read, few are more opinionated than Thomas Firth Jones.

Jones doesn't mince words when giving his opinions of designers, materials, or other builders. He's very critical of the stitch-and-glue method, and of builders like Sam Devlin, who strongly favors it- although that didn't stop him from modifying one of Devlin's designs to fit his building style. He is very critical of Phil Bolger's popular small sailboats, though he counts Bolger as a friend, and is effusive in his compliments of Bolgers' powerboat designs.

Jones didn't start building boats until he was 40, although he spent a lifetime as a woodworker, and he seems to be very much an autodidact who taught himself a good deal of what he knows about boatbuilding. He's not afraid to describe mistakes he made along the way, or to describe some of his designs as failures. In general, his opinions are backed by experience and experiment. There are exceptions, of course. His knowledge of kayaks, and of kayak paddles, is poor, which wouldn't bother me if he didn't make sweeping generalizations about the optimum paddle for a boat. And his opinions about economics are startlingly ignorant. He doesn't appear to have read much or spoken to many people with different views, and (for example) dismisses Phil Bolger's libertarianism in an almost condescending manner.

But those few points aside, this book- and Jones' earlier book- are a treasure trove of ideas about design and construction, and a very useful addition to anyone's boatbuilding library.