Customer Reviews

A Unit of Water, A Unit of Time: Joel White's Last Boat

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is hard for me to imagine how Douglas Whynott was able to so skillfully capture the subtleties of the lives of the people he met in Brooklin, Maine. Without overly romanticizing his subjects, he shows these boatbuilders and boat owners as they are. At times the structure of the book seems to imitate the way life is approached Down East: things wander off sometimes, but eventually whatever is supposed to happen, does happen. I envy that Whynott got to go sailing on some of the most beautiful boats sailing those waters. Good job, Doug.

As someone who has spent time scraping and painting the bottom of a large sailing boat, this book brought back all the sights and sounds of a boatyard. I could smell the dust and paint fumes, feel the smoothness of varnished rails, and sense the excitment when each boat was hoisted into the water. This book should interest all aspiring boat builders, and prepare them for the painstaking work of boat design, construction and restoration.

Wynott does a superb job describing the interpersonal dynamics of a boatyard's personnel and the importance of good management. Though I found myself irritated at Steve, Joel White's son, for spending his winter in the Carribean during his father's last year, Steve's management style is instructive for leading a group of talented artisans, be they boat builders, scientific researchers, or writers.

I savored every page of this short book, sometimes reading each section twice as not to miss the rich details. It made me laugh, such as the passage about novice sailors who they ended being towed into port and decided to buy a boat anyway, and cry -- Joel's death. I recommend it highly for all who find satisfaction in "messin' around with boats." This book squarely dispells what every boat owner already knows: Boating only looks romantic!

This book combines information about designing and building wooden sailboats in Brooklin, Maine, with the story of three generations of the White family: E.B. White, the writer who sailed in his spare time; Joel White, the boat designer and builder who wrote about boats in his spare time; and Steve White, who expanded and runs the boatyard his father started. The book appeals to readers on many levels but had too much detail and too many technical terms about boat building for a lay person like me. As the story of the comeback of wooden sailing boats in the 1990's and a peek into the life of the White family in Maine, it succeeds very well. Readers who liked this book might also enjoy "The Survival of the Bark Canoe" by John McPhee.

I read this book while I was vacationing in Maine. It made me have an understanding and appreciation of what goes on in those boat yards along the coast. It also made me wish I knew Joel White and some of the other boatbuilders. I found the end of this book very touching. The author portrays White's illness, but doesn't make it seem maudlin or sentimental. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in boats or the people who live in Maine.

I agree with the reviewer who suggested that this book really needs some illustrations. Whynott's word-pictures just aren't sufficient for those whose knowledge of sailing boats is limited.

As a non-reader of Wooden Boats magazine,the source of much of the info here, I'd love to have seen photos or sketches of the boats mentioned, as well as the boatyard crew.

And for the ocean-loving landlubbers among us, a good glossary would be a godsend. For example, what's deadwood? or a spoon-shaped bow?

It's also a bit of a stretch to say that Whynott wrote this book. Take out the extensive -- and wonderful -- citations from the writings of E.B. White and his son, Joel that Whynott lovingly included, and not much of the writing came from the pen/typewriter/PC of Whynott. What did is quite well written, sometimes really well written, however.

What this book really did is send me searching for my copy of E.B. White's "One Man's Meat." I'm not surprised to see this title in the "others who bought this book" section here on amazon.com.

I'm also gonna check out "The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works," by Michael S. Sanders. The Boston Globe review of this book is what interested me in Whynott's book -- which the reviewer liked a lot.

Reading this books just makes me want to quit my day job, move to Maine and build wooden boats. I have spent some time in my youth working in a Maine boatyard, and this book perfectly captures the character of that experience. But for now I guess I'll just need to be transported through the writing in this wonderful book. I've been a fan of Joel White's designs for years this book has built my appreciation for the man as well.

I picked up "A Unit of Water, A Unit of Time" hoping to find a great combination of literature and boating, and was not disappointed. Using a yard that builds wood boats as his setting, Whynott has produced real literature of his own. In doing so, he has woven a literary legend, E. B. White, father of the boat yard owner, into his story in a fashion that shows real respect for the elder White and avoids exploiting his work. The owners and the men who work in the Brooklin (Maine) Boat Yard develop gradually and consistently to become truly multidimensional, technicolor, and human. Meanwhile, the storyteller keeps himself skillfully in the background, well behind his subject. In addition to the inspiring humanity that is clearly evident (albeit with characteristically "down-home" understatement), the lessons for people who operate businesses are extensive and meaningful. Those authors who pedantically shout the lessons of organizational behavior from their unsubtle and all too shallow "how-to" books for business operators would do well to read "A Unit". They could find every one of their lessons demonstrated in ways that respect the reader's ability to draw his or her own generalities from a proper selection of real events honestly described.

Douglas Whynott hung around the Brooklin Boat Yard for a year or so, and faithfully recorded the goings on. Much of the book is like a diary, however (today the garboard strakes were attached), and it does not really give insight into the people involved. Nor does it get very much into the gorgeous W-76, which it is purportedly about. For a good book on Joel White, which really shows his evolution as a designer and builder, splurge for Joel White: Boatbuilder/Designer/Sailor, written by two of his closest friends.

I read this book while I was vacationing in Maine. It made me have an understanding and appreciation of what goes on in those boat yards along the coast. It also made me wish I knew Joel White and some of the other boatbuilders. I found the end of this book very touching. The author portrays White's illness, but doesn't make it seem maudlin or sentimental. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in boats or the people who live in Maine.

Douglas Whynott has a knack for relating the details -- in this case, of the workings of a boatyard and its people -- and letting them amass into whatever bigger picture they may. And the bigger picture is a true one, I am confident; it is most certainly true to the workings and essence of this part of the world and of the vessels being constructed during the key year and of the past. I can only believe the images of the Whites to be as true.

I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in boat building or Joel White, or E.B. White, for that matter.