Ultrasimple Boat Building: 18 Plywood Boats Anyone Can Build (Paperback)

by Gavin Atkin (Author)
Key Phrases: design waterline, flying mouse, cat ketch, Stanley Surform, Anthony Smith, United Kingdom (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The first complete how-to guide for building the latest generation of quick and easy boats

In Ultrasimple Boatbuilding, renowned designer Gavin Atkin shows you how to create elegant, seaworthy plywood boats with a minimum of time, experience, and expense. Using clearly written and illustrated step-by-step instructions, Atkin explains the basics of stitch-and-glue construction, tools, materials, shop safety, and more, as he helps you choose and build the simple boat of your dreams.

About the Author

Gavin Atkin is known around the world for his minimalist boat designs. His award-winning creations, including the celebrated Mouse, have been built by countless boat enthusiasts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (October 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071477926
• ISBN-13: 978-0071477925
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,537 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Sports > Water Sports > Sea Kayaking
  #16 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing > Instructional
  #21 in	Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Ships > Boat Building

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultrasimple Boatbuilding Review, December 1, 2007

By	Jay H. Kammerzell (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who is contemplating building their own boat. This book was a special treat for me because there is a picture of a boat I built in it.
The prospect of building a boat can be very overwhelming. It is a process of figuring out your needs and then deciding on an appropriate design. This is followed by determining if you have the tools, money, space, skill, and time to see a project go from a pile of wood to a pleasant afternoon sailing on a local lake with your family. If you are like me you begin this process by reading as much as you possibly can prior to actually creating sawdust.
Gavin Atkin's book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the "how" to build a boat. Although you may supplement this information with additional material from other sources, Atkin gives enough practical information to actually build a boat. Atkin makes building a boat for someone who has never done it seem very doable, even fun. The second part of the book is filled with designs to whet the appetite of anyone who
is in the process of trying to decide what would would be the right boat for them. Mr. Atkin includes complete plans for seventeen of his own designs, all very doable, plus he reviews designs done by other popular designers.
My boat recently succumbed to dry rot and was hauled to the dump. I am now in the process of deciding which is the "right" boat to build and Gavin Atkin's book, "Ultrasimple Boatbuilding", has renewed my interest in building my own boat again.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpfull book, November 8, 2007

By	Tim C. - See all my reviews

Ultrasimple Boatbuilding contains invaluable information for a first time boatbuilder. For someone with not a lot of tools, nor experience with woodworking, nor a lot of money to spend on a boat, but dreams of getting out on the water, this book is a great place to start. I liked the way the author describes putting a plywood boat together with enough details for the reader to feel that he/she can actually do it. There are plans for 17 boats to choose from, so it's just a question of picking one and getting started.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone can build a boat, November 15, 2007

By	Kellan Hatch (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't know of any pleasure greater than enjoying an outing in a vehicle that you built with your own hands. A boat is one of the few vehicles that most people can actually build from readily available materials and without years of training and a treasure trove of specialized tools. Unfortunately, too many would-be boat builders jump in too deep, too soon. Mr. Atkin teaches us that anyone can build a boat and provides a perfect entry point for anyone thinking about leaving terra firma in a craft of their own making. Not only does he include many free, easy-to-build designs, but he teaches through clear, comprehensive text and illustrations, the basic skills and techniques that apply not only to build the designs in the book, but to future projects beyond the book. If you're planning a boat project with kids this is THE book. As an added bonus, Mr. Atkin invites us to join his discussion group, where we can share tips and tales with the author and others who have built and enjoyed his designs. Ultrasimple Boat Building is not only a great starting point for newbies, it's a great launching point for future hard core builders.