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

I doubt I'd try to build a boat with only these plans, but the descriptions, photos, and illustrations spark the imagination in a wonderful way. If you are trying to decide on a boat to build, this book shows a marvelous variety of classic American small boats that deserve consideration. Gardener's writing is engaging and taut. I'm very happy to have it in my library. What a wonderful reference!

I read a ton of books on boatbuilding, and this one is full of old school information. If you love classic techniques like I do, and learning efficiently, this is a great read. The plans are easy to understand, and he really explains why he builds them the way that he does. Gardner is a real teacher in this book.

- Author storytelling abilities are great so this book is a pleasure to read.- there is a lot of valuable boatbuilding material inside, thou as it is contained within boat's construction notes, it's hard to extract. This book will not be a reference manual.- Boat's construction methods are not so classic. There is a lot of plywood and epoxy.- Selection of designs was rather unsatisfying for me. There are wonderful rowboat designs (peapods, whitehalls) but it lacks in sailboat area. If you are not sailboat maniac you will find interesting designs on all levels of difficulty, after all.- The level of details vary from design to design. Some are very complete step by step guides, others only rough sketches.- As the book is about small craft there is little information about heavier backbone member construction. But to tell the truth I haven't found any book that would be satisfying in this field.- For me, notes at the end (boatbuilder's planes) were one of the most interesting and part of the whole volume (along with boat's and builder's histories).

Great book with many drawings for every boat. You need to understand lofting to use the drawings in the book. There aren't any lofts for power boats though. Mostly row noats and small skiffs. There are a few pages for some outboard designs. No runabouts though. Overall a great book and worth it.

My experience with boatbuilding as of this purchase has been three canoes, two of which were plywood. The third was a strip model. After perusing this book for a couple weeks I have found several boats I would like to build, and thanks to the detailed lofting plans, I'm sure I can modify any one of these designs for a cedar strip boat (although I must admit I'm tempted to try some of the other techniques like lapstrake and carvel planking as well).Any beginner can appreciate this book, but it will take some research and effort to learn lofting and make use of the plans provided. I'm afraid most amateurs will probably be overwhelmed when they see the lofting charts. Don't be dissuaded, it looks more complicated than it really is. Tutorials and videos are all over the internet. Even if you don't plan on building any of these boats, the stories and information provided herein are equally valuable.

John Gardner has rightfully been called the "Father of Small Craft" in The U.S.. The fellow knew more about small boats - how to design them, build them and enjoy them - than just about anybody in the late 20th Century. This book combines two of his classic works into one. Now don't expect to start building your first boat a day after this book comes in the mail. Although the plans and construction notes are very good, John assumed that you knew how to carve a rabbet and lay a plank. I don't. And yet this book lives in my bathroom where I can open it to just about any page and be inspired in a minute or less. His description of what makes the right kind of rowboat got me to build my first row boat. I've been hooked on rowing and building since. Thank You Mr. Gardner!

What a great book! I had a hard time putting this book down and find myself going back often to compare boat designs. John Gardner places great value on traditional techniques but does mention modern materials once in a while. Still, I wonder if some of these boats could be built lighter with less solid wood and more marine plywood then he recommends. There are enough different designs to satisfy most boat builders. The plans are excellent in detail but too small really for construction purposes. You will need to loft them with care.

I agree with the review stating that this is not the book if you are a beginner. The plans can be difficult if you don't already have basic boat building skills. Personally, I would have preferred to see fewer boat plans and more information and details on the design and construction of the ones that remained. If you want boat plans and already know what you are doing, then have at it. Quite a number of buildable boats in the book.

The author was a famous designer and builder from a nearly forgotten era of boat building. Yes, his boat includes plans, complete with measurements and lofting information.He details some construction techniques well, and the book itself is considered a treasure of forgotten information.Potential readers should know, many of the techniques of construction described in the book are seldom used these days, as epoxy and fiberglass have dominated the industry, and simplified the hobby or home builder's job.There is a pram discussed in one chapter, where plywood and epoxy and fiberglass tape are used in conjunction with frame style construction, typical of a suitable beginner's boat, and for that plan alone, it would be well worth the price of this book.A good number of the plans in the book are highly detailed and beyond the grasp of the newbie, and possibly beyond the skills of an intermediate builder as well, so if you wanted to 'stretch your abilities' to include older building styles and designs, this book would be an exceptional place to start.

Cumple con las expectativas.

The book came in physical good condition and much faster than expected and announced. The book itself is a must have to the subject of boat building. Because it isn't printed any more it is hard to find today, I'm happy about.

Simple and precise, straight foreword to understand and even with 47 different boat builds described, not repetitive at all. I never realised just how many and how varied small craft are, and yes, most of these are American designs, but you can see very similar designs everywhere. A colleague of mine recently built a scale rowing boat, so I took along this book, and you've guessed, he has the same volume and used it for the plans for his skiff.All types of planking are covered together with how to set up build frames, check for trueness, spilling in simple terms, plank scribing and the whole host of other techniques needed for a backyard boat builder. Thoroughly recommend this to all budding and experienced small wood boat builders.

:-)