Boatbuilding: A Complete Handbook of Wooden Boat Construction

This is a great text (one of the best) to use for specific issues as you approach a given boatbuilding task (and by boatbuilding I mean the old fashioned way). it is not a very good 'how-to book' of the sort that will give you an overview and make you want to go out and lay down a keep or something. but if you need to know a task very focussed and involving the old methods, this will give you that. Just don't think you will use it to read cover to cover on a chilly autumn evening as you dream about building a boat in your backyard once the weather turns.

While this book - often described as a "classic" - is not an easy book, it is also a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in wooden boats and building or repairing wooden boats. i liked this book for two major reasons. The first is easy to understand - it is one of the great books written by one of the great builders. The second reason is more bizarre. I love the style of a past generation. The writing style, the structure of the written page is a thing of beauty. This also means that a new generation brought up on gr8 txt will find this too complicated to understand. I would heartiy recommend that such a person do buy this book - not only will you have the advice on repairing or creating your wooden boat, but your language skills will have been developed further.

This comprehensive DIY book is over 70 years old and therefore brings us back to the times before the plastic revolution in boat building. Wooden boats have been built for thousands of years and I am very happy to suggest both to the enthousiastic wooden boat connoisseur as well as to the amateur the authentic materials and working ways of boat building that are thoroughly covered in this book. The tools are traditional, instructions are easy to follow and the boats presented are of classical design and a delight to the eyes. I am convinced that the tested designs will perform reliably on the waters that they are designed for. The book of course is excellent for even just reading, should you not yet contemplate the idea to actually build a boat from wood yourself.

If you are curious about how those naval architects and engineers are able to draw those beautiful ship curves that define the design of a boat's hull then, you need look no further than this gem of a book by Howard I. Chapelle. Chapter two is all about lofting and takes you through the process of fairing in water lines, buttock lines and station lines and illustrates how drawing any two determines the shape of the third type of line or dimension. This technique can of course be applied to airplane design or the design of any complex double curved surface, that your little heart desires! This book should therefore be of interest, not only to boat builders but, also to anyone designing interesting products, vehicles, structures and edifices. The drawings are also delightful to look at and study.

utterly superb book. Have just started to read it a second time.No this is not about the new lightweight stitch and glue wonder designs, but boats still need to stay together.Goes into detail about framing, joints, engines hatches, ventilators, winches and more and more and more.Utterly packed with detail, unbelieveable detail. This is the book that tells you how to do things. In 200 years people will still read this book, that is how good it is.Cannot recommend it highly enough

The best book written about classic wooden boatbuilding techniques.

I'll have to say this book is the most the most completely written, demonstrated, and explanatory book on the subject. I was hesitate to buy but it is well worth the money !

This is a must have book, recommended by Traditional Wooden Boat Building schools. Though a good seamanship and shipwrigth vocabulary or glossary at hand is essential, for the most part this is reader friendly book to the amateur and professional alike.A standard, that should be on every would-be or current wooden boat builder's shelf.

Have not read all of the book yet. This purchase was made on the reputation of Howard Chapelle, a fairly prolificwriter of wooden boats in America, but has considerable appreciation worldwide. He jumps straight in with some technical jargon that you would probably under stand if you were a joiner/boat builder and lived in America. Excellent technical descriptions, maybe a notebook and pencil to make the occasional note. An excellent read.

Great book.

Looks alright

Simply the most comprehensive book on the subject that is available. A master of design and lucid explanation, comprehensively illustrated and showing some most attractive designs.

I bought it for my hubby. He likes it a lot and has found it very useful with planning one of our projects.