How to save a proud old wooden vessel from the scrap heap and get yourself a safe and seaworthy boat in the bargain. The economics of fixing up an old boat are exactly the same as the economic of fixing up old house: You substitute time you can spare for money that you can't. Either way you end up with something you probably couldn't have otherwise afforded. As if that weren't enough, you also learn a whole net set of skills and gain a hearty measure of self-respect and satisfaction. You develop a deep and thorough knowledge of your boat, or house, that allows you to fix something gone awry instead of being at the mercy of a $45-an-hour-and-I'll-get-it-to-you-when-I-can repairperson. And maybe most important, your renovated old boat, or house, becomes a true reflection of your needs, desires, and fantasies, not those of a faceless factory seeking to sell you and everyone else the same cookie-cutter dream on the installment plan. This book is about fixing up old boats made of wood. For many people, a boat isn't a boat unless it's made of wood. The psychological and philosophical reasons for needing to own a boat made from honest trees instead of the material that L. Francis Herreshoff characterized as "Frozen snor" needn't concern us. But in this day and age, head-nosed economics and the ubiquitous bottom line certainly should.