From the introduction: There is nothing quite like building a boat to stir the imagination and bring out the best of our endeavours. It is about a labour of love for the builder, to see the craft grow from a pile of timber to something that has beauty and life. The work involved is neither difficult nor hard, but just enough to tx your ingenuity and resolve, with a result that is very rewarding. The ultimate moment is on the day when she slides into the water amid champagne and applause and when one soon forgets all the seemingly difficult problems encountered during the building. It is to address those problems that this book ins written. I hope through these pages to take some of the mystery out of boat building, by taking the reader through the entire procedure from lofting to launching. This book is therefore for the novice who is building his or her first boat and requires to learn something of the techniques used, however mundane they would appear to someone who has already 'done it'. The author uses two of his own designs to show you how it is done. Wonderful drawings and detailed instructions abound to help you on your project!