Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More! (Paperback)

by Jim Michalak (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Yes, you can build a boat! It’s one of the most enjoyable, rewarding things you can do.

This book contains full building plans (in a large 11" X 17" foldout section) for six different boats, including a fourteen-foot sailboat, a two-person canoe, two rowboats, and two motorboats. And it contains instructions for making your own oars, making your own sails, and a wealth of other practical information.

This book takes the complete novice — armed only with a gleam in the eye, and a basic knowledge of hammer, saw, and screwdriver — and walks him or her through the process of building a boat. The basic materials are easily available from any lumberyard: plywood, boards, nails, and wood glue. The process is simple, the result is extraordinary — your own boat, ready to take you over the water, built in your spare time, for a fraction of the cost of buying a new factory-built (boring!) boat. And the sense of accomplishment is beyond compare.

Full plans and detailed step-by-step instructions are given, with over one hundred drawings and photographs. Those instructions can be applied to any of the plans included: for a sailboat, a motorboat, a rowboat, or a canoe.

This book goes beyond just building your boat: it includes chapters on making your own oars and sails; making kick-up rudders, pivoting leeboards, flotation compartments, and hatches; tips for cartopping and trailering your boat; information on fixing used outboard engines; and much more. It is an introductory book that will continue to be pored over as the beginner transforms himself or herself into an experienced boatbuilder.

Also included are a catalog of twenty-three other boat designs for dreaming over, a guide to boatbuilding sites on the web, a guide to materials suppliers, and a bibliography of further reading.

A great book for families, for scout groups, for school shop classes, for anyone who enjoys messing about in boats. If you've ever dreamed of building a boat, this is the book for you!

From the Publisher
This book is an extraordinary value -- full building plans for six different boat, and clear, methodical instruction to help anyone build their first boat. Over a hundred photos and drawings to illustrate the process.

Full building plans included for:

Mayfly: 14' sailboat

Piragua: 13' pirogue, or simple canoe

QT Skiff (rowing version): 13' rowboat

QT Skiff (motor version): 13' motorboat

Jonsboat: 16' jonboat

Robote: 14' taped-seam rowboat

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Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Breakaway Books; Book and Access edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891369296
• ISBN-13: 978-1891369292
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, May 12, 2003

By	Gary Strawn "KonaEarth.com" (Kona, Hawaii) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though I has some woodworking skills I still thought boatbuilding would be too difficult. I had searched the web but only found vague descriptions of overpriced plans. Then I went into a large bookstore and sat down with every book they had on boatbuilding. Most were either too complex (historic carvel planking) or too simple (ugly plywood box). Michalak's book was perfect. Not only does he include usable plans but he also discusses all relevant information in an easy to understand manner. Now I not only want to build the boat I had in mind, but I also want to build several other boats from this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never built a small boat before ? This is THE book., September 6, 2002

By	Luke Spreadborough "lukesp" (Brisbane, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond is exactly what it says it is, complete with free plans for six boats and enough knowledge to not only get started but finish your chosen project.

Jim's construction methods are both simple and practical using readily available materials and a minimum of tools. If you have always dreamt of building a boat but baulked at the complexity or the price then this is the book for you.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent value and information, December 18, 2002

By	"anomadalaska" (Fairbanks, Alaska United States) - See all my reviews

Of all the books I have on boat design, this is my favorite. It is also the most easily understood, the cheapest, and the only one that came with big sets of plans.

This book is a great deal. Not only is it filled with all the information you need to go out to your garage/yard/shed and build a boat, it also, gives you the basics for sail, power, and rowing and the plans to do it. All the info, plans for 6 boats, and Jim's great insight for less than the price of a set of plans.

I think Jim's insight into choosing a boat to build is the best part of the book. If you are thinking about getting a boat or not happy with your boating exerience to date you should buy this book and read that section a few times.