Tom Jones is a professional boat builder, designer and writer. A sailor all his life, he has made 6 transatlantic crossings in boats of his own design and construction, and has written several books, including Multihull Voyaging.
I am not given to tantrums but what really provokes major wobblies
are those unrequested emails, with umpteen high-res images attached
which take forever to download. One such started coming in a while
back and more in anger than in sorrow, I picked up this book. Mr.
Jones so calmed me down that when the Mac pinged a whole hour
later, I paused briefly to bin the email unopened and returned
immediately to his book.
What is it, I wonder, which makes boat designers such good writers?
On the face of it, a book which discusses the design and
construction of a selections of simple small boats, daysailers,
outboard runabouts, slender motorboats and simple multihulls may
not seem like the stuff of real reading. Informative perhaps but
like a computer mag, not something anyone would actually enjoy in a
literary way? But Tom Jones combines the instruction with insights
into why boats are shaped the way they are and with all kinds of
anecdotes and digressions. The best part of the practical stuff is
that six of the craft described come with building plans; the best
part of the personal writing comes in an appreciation of Phil
Bolger. One for the boatshop and beach.
*WaterCraft*
Tom Jones is a professional boatbuilder, designer and writer he is
also a highly experienced offshore sailor, as evidenced for example
in his book Multihull Voyaging. He has, in fact, made six
trans-Atlantics in boats of his own design. New Plywood Boats has
chapters on Row and Paddle Boats, Daysailers, Runabouts, Long
Narrow Powerboats and Sailing Multihulls, each chapter containing
plans and construction details for a number of craft, not entirely
(but mostly) built of plywood, ranging in size from a kayak to a
thirty foot powerboat. There are lots of drawings and photographs,
and entertaining anecdotes about boats and their owners. The US
origins of the book are evident in the selection of designs (some
being developments of traditional North American craft), and to
some extent construction materials, but it is none the worse for
that. There is a distinct similarity with some of Phil Bolger s
work, and indeed the final chapter is an appreciation of Phil. New
Plywood Boats is worthy of a place on the bookshelf (or in the
workshop) of anyone seriously interested in building a plywood
boat, and will be of interest to all of us who enjoy daydreaming
about being on the water.
*Cruising*
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