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Yachting Manuals: DIY Yacht Construction

Explore the best illustrated books on yacht construction. Discover manuals with techniques and advice for the DIY-construction of kayaks and yachts in plywood and polyester.

Boatbuilding Manual (5th Edition)

Since its first publication in 1970, 'Boatbuilding Manual' has become the standard reference in boatbuilding and boat design schools, in the offices of professional builders, and in the basement workshops of home builders. No other boatbuilding text has simultaneously served the disparate needs of professional and amateur audiences so successfully.
Carl Cramer, the publisher of WoodenBoat and Professional Boatbuilder magazines, has fully updated this fifth edition with the latest in boatbuilding techniques and developments.
Includes the latest wood-epoxy construction methods that make amateur building more successful than ever before. Also recommendations on products and materials, saving you time and money substantial time and expense

Topics include: Plans, Tools, Woods, Fiberglass and Other Hull Materials, Fastenings, Lines and Laying Down, Molds, Templates, and the Backbone, Setting Up, Framing, Planking, Deck Framing, Decking, Deck Joinerwork, Interior Joinerwork, Finishing, Sailboat Miscellany, Steering, Tanks, Plumbing, etc, Mechanical and Electrical, Potpourri, Safety.

Product details

Author:Carl Cramer, Robert M. Steward
Details:448 pages, 9 x 7.5 x 1.3 in (24 x 19 x 3.3 cm), hardback
Illustrations:illustrated
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 2011)
ISBN:9780071628341
Book cover: Boatbuilding Manual (5th Edition) | IMC

Boatbuilding Manual (5th Edition)

Language: English

Wooden Boat Building (Adlard Coles Classic Boat series)

Wooden boats didn't disappear with the invention of GRP. Building them is a classic craft that attracts people with a keen interest in traditional boats and is a thriving activity amongst professional craftsmen and DIY boatbuilders alike.

This thoroughly modern book aimed at the novice builder and accessible to the amateur takes a fresh new approach to a timeless activity.
The focus is on classic boat construction and restoration, but at all stages modern methods, materials and techniques are employed, together with step-by-step diagrams and explanations.

Well illustrated with colour photos and detailed close-up watercolour illustrations, this book will be invaluable for students of boat design and construction, do-it-yourself boatbuilders and even modelmakers. A landmark in wooden boat building books.

Product details

Author:Jean-Francois Garry
Details:128 pages, 9.7 x 6.7 x 0.39 in (24.5 x 17 x 1 cm), paperback
Illustrations:many color photos
Language:English
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (GB, 2010)
Series:Adlard Coles
ISBN:9781408128534
Book cover: Wooden Boat Building (Adlard Coles Classic Boat series) | Adlard Coles | Bloomsbury PLC

Wooden Boat Building (Adlard Coles Classic Boat series)

Language: English

Aero-hydrodynamics and the Performance of Sailing Yachts - The Science Behind Sailing Yachts and Their Design

A groundbreaking, technical analysis of yacht design, linked to the theory and testing of how a sailing yacht behaves underway. It is cutting edge - the author (a world expert in the field) has drawn his conclusions from years of research, analytical testing in wind tunnels and tanks, and his results represent the state of the art in performance prediction which underlies all modern yacht design.

State of the art and with a revolutionary modern approach, "Aero-hydrodynamics and the Performance of Sailing Yachts" provides a systematic and completely up to date analysis, complete with colour photographs and diagrams throughout. An essential, and long awaited, work for all professional yacht designers, racing sailors and students of yacht design.

Product details

Author:Fabio Fossati
Details:368 pages, 10 x 7.5 x 0.98 in (25.5 x 19 x 2.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:many color photos and drawings
Language:English
Publisher:Adlard Coles (GB, 2009)
ISBN:9781408113387
Book cover: Aero-hydrodynamics and the Performance of Sailing Yachts - The Science Behind Sailing Yachts and Their Design | Adlard Coles

Aero-hydrodynamics and the Performance of Sailing Yachts - The Science Behind Sailing Yachts and Their Design

Language: English

Alfred Mylne - the Leading Yacht Designer (Volume 1) - 1896-1920

Beautiful boats last a long time, but ugly ones die young. That is one reason why there are so many Alfred Mylne designed yachts still sailing, even though some of them are well over 100 years old.
It was in 1896 that Alfred Mylne, at the age of twenty-four, set up his yacht design office in Glasgow and the company is now one of the oldest British yacht design firms still in existence.
Boat design features which are widely believed to be quite new are found in early Mylne designs and between 1896 and 1920 Mylne designed several beautiful, race-winning yachts. Alfred Mylne yachts still turn heads today, even in San Tropez or Antigua.

In this book, Ian Nicolson uses original plans from the archives of Alfred Mylne to demonstrate the beauty of the earliest Mylne yacht designs and to tell the story of Alfred Mylne the man.

Product details

Author:Ian Nicolson
Details:128 pages, 6.7 x 9.7 x 0.59 in (17 x 24.5 x 1.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:90 b&w and color photos
Language:English
Publisher:Amberley Publishing (GB, 2015)
ISBN:9781445646336
Book cover: Alfred Mylne - the Leading Yacht Designer (Volume 1) - 1896-1920 | Amberley

Alfred Mylne - the Leading Yacht Designer (Volume 1) - 1896-1920

Language: English

Boatbuilding Techniques Illustrated - The Classic Text

Sound woodworking skills are essential when building a boat from scratch or just completing a hull, whether it is made of steel, aluminium, GRP or any form of wooden construction.
This highly illustrated book provides help any aspiring boatbuilder decide what materials and tools to use and how to use them. Richard Birmingham's classic text covers the wide range of techniques and skills needed when constructing a boat, from interpreting the plans to hints on working different timbers. He answers many of those puzzling questions which need to be solved in a refreshingly clear and direct manner.

This book will prove an invaluable reference to the home builder or newly trained apprentice in a fitting out yard.

Product details

Author:Richard Birmingham
Details:320 pages, 9.7 x 6.7 x 1.02 in (24.5 x 17 x 2.6 cm), paperback
Illustrations:b&w photos and drawings
Language:English
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (GB, 2005)
ISBN:9780713676211
Book cover: Boatbuilding Techniques Illustrated - The Classic Text | Bloomsbury PLC

Boatbuilding Techniques Illustrated - The Classic Text

Language: English

Boatbuilding with Aluminum - A Complete Guide for the Amateur and Small Shop

Aluminum is the ideal boatbuilding material - light, economical, maintenance-free, and easy to work with. This second edition offers you everything you need to know about working with this material, from welding to fitting out and painting.
Stephen F. Pollard has constructed 12 large sailing yachts, some well-known ocean racers, large powerboats, and hundreds of small, welded-aluminum workboats and pleasure boats.

Product details

Author:Stephen F. Pollard
Details:320 pages, 9 x 7.9 x 0.91 in (24 x 20 x 2.3 cm), hardback
Illustrations:illustrated
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 2006)
ISBN:9780071443180
Book cover: Boatbuilding with Aluminum - A Complete Guide for the Amateur and Small Shop | IMC

Boatbuilding with Aluminum - A Complete Guide for the Amateur and Small Shop

Language: English

Building Classic Small Craft - Complete Plans and Instructions for 47 Boats

Offers plans and instructions for building 47 functional wooden boats for oar, motor, and sail, including dories, peapods, Sea Bright skiffs, wherries, and Rangeley boats.

Product details

Author:John Gardner
Details:560 pages, 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.83 in (27.5 x 21.5 x 2.1 cm), paperback
Illustrations:555 photos and illustrations
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 2003)
ISBN:9780071427975
Book cover: Building Classic Small Craft - Complete Plans and Instructions for 47 Boats | IMC

Building Classic Small Craft - Complete Plans and Instructions for 47 Boats

Language: English

Cruising Yachts : Design and Performance

Dr Thomas Harrison Butler was a skilled, yet amateur, designer responsible for some hundreds of classic English cruising yachts which still grace our seas. "Cruising Yachts", his design manifesto, first appeared in 1945 - the year of his death - and last appeared in print in 1995.

This long overdue Fifth Edition has been produced in collaboration with the Harrison Butler Association, and is a complete re-setting of the original text, drawings and mono photographs, documenting in detail HB's approach to the design and equipping of a yacht, providing an annotated catalogue of notable designs, and including a biographical portrait by HB's daughter, the late Joan Jardine-Brown.

New for this edition are a modern gallery of colour photographs of HB yachts, and a thoughtful and illuminating Foreword by the late Ed Burnett, who was our foremost designer of modern yachts in the classic English idiom.

Product details

Author:Thomas Harrison Butler
Details:208 pages, 8.5 x 8.5 x 0.75 in (21.5 x 21.5 x 1.9 cm), paperback
Illustrations:extensively illustrated, 8 pages color photos
Language:English
Publisher:Lodestar Books (GB, 2015)
ISBN:9781907206368
Book cover: Cruising Yachts : Design and Performance | Lodestar

Cruising Yachts : Design and Performance

Language: English

How to Design a Boat - Sail and Power

A guide that is designed to take the novice step-by-step through the stages of designing both power and sailing boats, explaining the reasons behind the procedures and using typical lines plans and working drawings to help understanding.

Product details

Author:John Teale
Details:144 pages, 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.31 in (21.5 x 14 x 0.8 cm), paperback
Illustrations:drawings
Language:English
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (GB, 2011)
ISBN:9781408152058
Book cover: How to Design a Boat - Sail and Power | Bloomsbury PLC

How to Design a Boat - Sail and Power

Language: English

Lofting a Boat - A Step-by-step Manual

Lofting is an essential stage in the transition between designing and building a boat in order to turn the design plans into boat lines plans to measure off and build the full-size boat. Its a tricky art, but this book shows exactly how it is done in clear, step-by-step diagrammatic stages.

Aimed specifically at the amateur DIY builders and restorers, it will enable anyone to build a boat of any size, whether power or sail. The author has been teaching lofting to boatbuilding students for over 10 years, and has found that the key to understanding is visualisation - hence the plethora of step-by-step diagrams in this book to assist the reader to grasp the concepts.

Product details

Author:Roger Kopanycia
Details:160 pages, 9.7 x 6.7 x 0.35 in (24.5 x 17 x 0.9 cm), paperback
Illustrations:extensively illustrated
Language:English
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (GB, 2011)
ISBN:9781408131121
Book cover: Lofting a Boat - A Step-by-step Manual | Bloomsbury PLC

Lofting a Boat - A Step-by-step Manual

Language: English

The Elements of Boat Strength - For Builders, Designers and Owners

Acclaimed author and naval architect Dave Gerr created this unique system of easy-to-use scantling rules and rules-of-thumb for calculating the necessary dimensions, or scantlings, of hulls, decks, and other boat parts, whether built of fiberglass, wood, wood-epoxy composite, steel, or aluminum.

In addition to the rules themselves, 'The Elements of Boat Strength' offers their context: an in-depth, plain-English discussion of boatbuilding materials, methods, and practices that will guide you through all aspects of boat construction.

Now you can avoid wading through dense technical engineering manuals or tackling advanced mathematics. This guide has all the formulas, tables, illustrations, and charts you need to judge how heavy each piece of your boat should be in order to last and be safe.
With this book, an inexpensive scientific calculator, and a pad of paper, you'll be able to design and specify all the components necessary to build a sound, long-lasting, rugged vessel.

Product details

Author:David Gerr
Details:352 pages, 9 x 7.7 x 1.06 in (24 x 19.5 x 2.7 cm), hardback
Illustrations:200 illustrations
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 1999)
ISBN:9780070231597
Book cover: The Elements of Boat Strength - For Builders, Designers and Owners | IMC

The Elements of Boat Strength - For Builders, Designers and Owners

Language: English

The Modern Cruising Sailboat - A Complete Guide to Its Design, Construction, and Outfitting

A comprehensive guide to help you identify and equip the boat that best suits your needs. Well-known boating writer Charles Doane unravels the complexity of cruising sailboat design and explains the fundamentals and the ramifications of each design decision.
In easy-to-understand terms, Doane explains theoretical aspects of design, pragmatic issues like keel shape and berth configuration, pros and cons of various construction methods and materials, outfitting, propulsion,rigging and much more.

Product details

Author:Charles J. Doane
Details:400 pages, 11.2 x 8.9 x 1.5 in (28.5 x 22.5 x 3.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:extensively illustrated
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 2009)
ISBN:9780071478106
Book cover: The Modern Cruising Sailboat - A Complete Guide to Its Design, Construction, and Outfitting | IMC

The Modern Cruising Sailboat - A Complete Guide to Its Design, Construction, and Outfitting

Language: English

Yacht Design According to Perry - My Boats and What Shaped Them

A great designer offers you a virtuoso tour through the world of sailboats. Bob Perry initiated the trend toward fast voyaging sailboats with his world-famous Valiant 40, which has been in production longer than any other cruising sailboat in history.
But Perry is not only a leading yacht designer - he is also an accomplished wordsmith who's blunt, insightful, irreverent, and always entertaining boat reviews have captivated readers of "Sailing" magazine for 24 years.

This book is vintage Perry, a no-holds-barred tour of the world of yacht design through the benchmark boats of his 30-year career.

Product details

Author:Robert H. Perry
Details:240 pages, 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.67 in (27.5 x 22 x 1.7 cm), hardback
Illustrations:illustrated
Language:English
Publisher:International Marine Publishing Co (USA, 2007)
ISBN:9780071465571
Book cover: Yacht Design According to Perry - My Boats and What Shaped Them | IMC

Yacht Design According to Perry - My Boats and What Shaped Them

Language: English

Anatomie du Voilier

Both encyclopedic and easy to consult, "Anatomy of the sailboat" concentrates a great wealth of information for both the enthusiast and the neophyte. Thanks to its meticulous exploration of all the parts of a sailboat, it enters the depths of a knowledge that is both traditional and very contemporary.
The book is richly illustrated with superb photographs, sometimes supplemented by diagrams, which make each page a new pleasure of discovery: the hull and the deck; the rigging; the superstructures; the fittings and equipment; the annexes; the fittings; the mechanics and electronics.

Thus, all the components of today's sailboat, from the keel to the masthead, including portholes and compasses, are reviewed with an explanation of their origins and developments, without forgetting their materials of yesterday and today. Many historical anecdotes make reading as enriching as entertaining.
"Anatomy of the Sailboat" successfully combines knowledge and pleasure, enough to satisfy the curiosity of all boat lovers, whether they sail or dream of it at the sight of the magnificent yachts seen in a port.

Product details

Author:Nic Compton
Details:192 pages, 11.8 x 9.25 in (30 x 23.5 cm), hardback
Illustrations:many b&w and color photos
Language:French
Publisher:ETAI (F, 2014)
ISBN:9791028300005
Book cover: Anatomie du Voilier | ETAI

Anatomie du Voilier

Language: French

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