Product Description

The first complete how-to guide for building the latest generation of quick and easy boats

In Ultrasimple Boatbuilding, renowned designer Gavin Atkin shows you how to create elegant, seaworthy plywood boats with a minimum of time, experience, and expense. Using clearly written and illustrated step-by-step instructions, Atkin explains the basics of stitch-and-glue construction, tools, materials, shop safety, and more, as he helps you choose and build the simple boat of your dreams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38084 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author

Gavin Atkin is known around the world for his minimalist boat designs. His award-winning creations, including the celebrated Mouse, have been built by countless boat enthusiasts.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant Ply Boats
There was a delay in delivery of my copy of Ultrasimple Boatbuilding but when it arrived it was worth the wait. Here is a boatbuilding book written in the 21st centaury for a 21st centaury first time boat builder. Of the twenty or so boatbuilding books I own this is the only one that doesn't mention lofting. All the boats in the book are relatively short so they should be possible to build in the average garage. Another pleasant surprise is the number of designs suitable for kids. Despite the simplicity of the construction of the different craft many of them turn out to be respectable looking and useful boats. Most of the plans are clear and simple with the Cinderella Canoe and Doris the Dory worth the price of the book on their own. Mr Atkin also pays attention to sails for his boats an area I have found lacking in other books. If you can hold a saw, turn a screw, pour some glue and order some ply then you can own your own boat. This was the inspiration to start construction of my own Puddle Duck Racer. All in all I would not be surprised if this was the book to launch a thousand, small but perfectly formed ships

Ultrasimple, Ultragreat
Explains clearly and in very readable fashion everything you need to get started in building simple (and not so simple) plywood boats using the stitch and glue method. Includes the fundamental techniques required with just enough boat jargon so you can talk to material suppliers in a meaningful way. If the boat building bug bites hard there is plenty to progress through as your confidence and skills grow.

The boat plans featured are innovative, elegant, and really work. The authors wit makes a refreshing change to other more snobbish approaches to the subject.

The author is even on hand to help you through the process, how good is that.

A flawed masterpiece
The real test of a book like this is do you end up actually building a boat once you have read the book? I am typing this review with the paint on my hands from putting the finishing touches to my son's Micro-mouse. I don't think that I have ever felt so proud!

Not all of the designs are simple and I would very strongly recommend starting with one of the easier boats to learn the techniques and principles. But this is a book packed with usefull tips and ideas and is very clearly written.
The author's own boat plans are exceptionally user-friendly, with a layout plan showing you which part of the plywood sheet to take each panel from and simple x and y co-ordinates for uber-easy join the dots marking out.

The only down side is that Gavin Atkin includes plans for more complex boats from other designers and these use a differnt approach to describing the build and laying out the plans. It would be infinately better if all of the plans could be converted into the format used at the start of the book as otherwise it is like learning a new language each time you look at a boat from a different designer.
I really hope that the author produces a second edition of the same book with the plans re-worked in this way.

In spite of this it is a fantastic manual that inspires and explains. I am now moving on to my second boat which I am building for my elder son. He originaly said "yeah sure Dad, like you're really going to build a boat." Now he's seen his younger brother's boat take shape he's changed his tune. Worth every penny!