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"Fiberglass Boatbuilding for Amateurs "                          Ken Hankinson

This is a must for anyone building a fiberglass boat. This book lays out the basics for all types of fiberglass and resin. The book has data on resin to glass proportions, catalyst to resin ratios, different resins, different cloths, surface prep. You name it, if it is about fiberglass this book has it. It has some good reading,  but is a great reference.

“The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding”                             Raul D. Parker

This book was my “Bible”. I perused a lot of books about boat building, and when I saw this one, it really seemed head and shoulders above the others as a “how to” manual to build the deck cabin and interior when you had a non-framed hull. This book was my first reference when I was trying to figure out how to do something. I also read the part about a cold molded hull. This book is a pretty good read, as well as being a great reference.

“Boat Joinery and Cabinetmaking”                                     Fred P. Bingham

Fred Bingham’s book was the second most used book in my library. There are tons of tool tips, joint making tips and all round tips. How to make and use a tick stick for getting the curvature of a bulkhead. Hatch information. This was the only book that had general guidelines for bunks, tables, settees, etc. Almost as important as Raul’s book for me. This book was a great reference and the information is clearly presented. A must for any boat builder.

“The Ocean Sailing Yacht”                                                   Donald M. Street

This is a huge compendium of yachting knowledge. Mr. Street discusses the pros and cons of various rigs, layouts, sails, you name it and Mr. Street has addressed it. This is not really a boat building book, but more of a book to help the builder complete the design, from spars and deck layout to interior layout. Some boat plans provide these details, but if you want to make your  own design decisions, this book give you the decision making information that you need. Another great reference although it is a bit dated. Some of the items discussed are either no longer available or rare enough that you will certainly have trouble finding them.

“Basic Boatbuilding”                                                              Richard Frisbie

This book is mainly for building a relatively small wooden boat. The book is really dated, but does have some tips. I did not find it very useful for my project, but if you are building a 20 foot wooden boat using any of several techniques, this book may be for you. The book does have some useful information on strip planking and steam bending. The book does have a lot of good information, but , I do not recommend this book as an overall reference. 

“Boatbuilding Manual”                                                          Robert M. Seward

This book covers a lot of ground, but like “Basic Boatbuilding” it is mainly geared toward traditional wooden boat building. Once again there were some nuggets of information. Mr. Seward gives the clearest and simplest explanation of deck and coach roof camber and a very practical way to produce a template of the particular camber that you are looking for. He also gives a pretty good explanation of what the camber should be. All in all, worthwhile, but not a great deal of information that can be used for building anything but a traditional wooden boat.

“Boat Interior Construction”                                                Michael Naujok

This book is mostly about appearance. If  you built your own boat, most of the building tips given are things that you have already figured out by the time you get to the finishing stage. An example is using a circle of holes made with a drill and then milling the hole for finish. If you have been building a boat and do not have a large collection of hole saws already, that would be strange. There are some good tips on what pre-formed wooden pieces are available, and some other tips such as upholstery tips that you won’t find in a lot of books; but in general, I would rate this book as pretty useless for someone building a boat.

Sorry Michael!

“Propeller Handbook”                                                            Dave Gerr

This is not a boatbuilding book per se, but if you are going to have an engine, it will need a propeller. Since most of us will have some sort of engine and therefore a propeller, this book is the definitive reference. From sizing a propeller, to spacing around the propeller, this book has it all. There is also a discussion about various prop shapes and types. A very thorough discussion of the various folding and feathering props is also here. The only problem with this book is that no one of us needs all of the information. A pamphlet for various applications would be better, but they don’t exist as far as I know. In lieu of the fact that this information is so critical, I is highly recommend this book for any boat builder. You’re welcome Dave!

“Laminated Wood Boatbuilder"                                            Hub Miller

This book is pretty good. I like his overall discussions of wood, tools and shelters. The book has a lot going for it. I believe this book could be used as the basic guide for building a boat, while using other references. The author is more picky than Raul D. Parker, but that’s not bad. This would be my second choice of an overall “how to” boatbuilding book for cold molded/laminated wood hulls. This book is also good for the techniques after the hull is built. The floors, the shear clamp, the deck framing etc. I do prefer “The New Cold-Molded Boatbuilding”, but this book is good.

“Cruising Rigs and Rigging”                                                Ross Norgrove

This is another great book. There are a lot of pictures of rigs. This is the book that helped me decide to rig my vessel as a cutter. The author has good information about cable fittings and chain plates. The author is definitely into cruising. This was fine by me.  My boat is definitely a cruising boat. I don’t agree with all that he has to say, particularly about winches on the mast. I don’t mind the weight but the operation of such winches can be a hassle. He does have a point about cluttering the cockpit though. Another book that I have enjoyed and from which I have learned a lot. This book is severely dated; however, with some few exceptions things have not changed much, except with the availability of some gear, and the quality of gear.

“Understanding Rigs and Rigging”                                     Richard Henderson

This book is up to date as of 1991. Considering that a lot of the books that have provided a lot of my boatbuilding information are significantly older, this book qualifies as an up to date look at rigging. It describes the basic rigs with the pros and cons of each. This book has an extensive section on fastening fittings to the mast. It has a good section on mast steps and mast heads. Of the books that I have found, if I could only have one book to help me design the standing rigging and running rigging, this would be it.

“The Gaff Rig Handbook”                                                     John Leather

This book is exactly what the title says that it is. It is a handbook about gaff rigs. Although the book talks a fair bit about how to set up a gaff rig, the controls etc. the main thrust of the book is historical. It takes a look at a large number of traditional gaff rigs, the differences, with the pros and cons of each. As with most of the books that I have, I like this book and it has good information. The book is a lot of a celebration of the history of the gaff rigged boats and therefore is not as helpful as might be for building a boat. Good book, it just depends on what you want from it.

“Hand Reef and Steer”                                                           Tom Cunliffe

This book does not live up to its name, it is better than that. This is the definitive text on modern gaff rigs. It covers all aspects of the gaff rig. All the parts and pieces and their uses. The book discusses the handling of  a gaff rig. The pluses and the minuses. The book discusses heaving to, killing way, slowing down, picking up a mooring under sail, steering. There is a good discussion of topsails, their types and uses. Pluses and minuses of the various types. Hoisting and lowering topsails. Good book.

“Metal Corrosion in Boats”                                                  Nigel Warren

This book is a pretty comprehensive book on corrosion. The only problem is that after you read it you don’t want to put any metal on your boat at all. Not really true. He recommends the true bronzes for below the waterline, which is in line with everything else I have read. He discusses galvanic corrosion at some length and accurately. I was using this book to decide on tangs for my mast and I really didn’t come up with anything useful. He suggests insulating all differing metals i.e. stainless steel tangs from the aluminum mast. This seems like a really good idea to me, but he doesn’t suggest a good way of doing this. He does suggest gaskets, but I have seen the results of gasket failure on my old aluminum spar. I am still at something of a loss here. How about the mast head? I like the book, but it is pretty scary and the solutions are somewhat skimpy.

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