Build The Instant Catboat

Featuring one of Phil Bolger's clean, simple designs. Dynamite clearly explains the building process that will result in your own 12' gaff-rigged catboat using the stitch-and-glue plywood method.

How to build simple, well-designed plywood boats without a complicated building jig, featuring complete scaled-down plans for five easily-built boats designed by Phil Bolger. From a small punt to a 31' daysailer with a schooner rig. The step-by-step example being a 12' double-ended sailing skiff.

From the acknowledged master of the “instant boat”—tips, techniques, and designs for quick-and-easy plywood boatbuilding Dynamite Payson offers you a new guide to building 15 exciting boats from master designer Phil Bolger. Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson includes plans and instructions for a multipurpose skiff for sail, oar, and power; a pirogue for single or double paddle; a big pram dinghy; a maneuverable peapod; a long, fast, rowing dory; a rugged outboard-powered work skiff; and more. You will enjoy the commonsense advice, step-by-step building instructions, and tips on tools and materials that have made Payson a hero of amateur boatbuilders worldwide.

Three traditional Down East boats are featured: a Banks dory, a Friendship Dory, and a Friendship dory skiff. All are based on authentic boats and built with the same care as a full-size boat.

As a child, John Brooks loved to build models and sail with his grandfather. When most teenagers were at the prom, John was changing jibs in the Indian Ocean, halfway through a 35,000-mile, two-year cruise. He began building boats in commercial yards at 19, while studying boat design and building his own boats. John worked for many years honing his craftsmanship on fine yachts, small boats, custom furniture, and a harpsichord. He has been a instructor at the WoodenBoat School in Maine since the mid-1990s, teaching glued-lapstrake boatbuilding, fine interior joinery, and carving. Ruth Ann Hill grew up on the coast of Maine. A writer, boatbuilding assistant, naturalist, and graphic artist, Ruth is the author of Discovering Old Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park: An Unconventional Guide and a contributing editor for Maine Boats & Harbors magazine. John and Ruth started their business, Brooks Boats, in 1991. They design and build glued-lapstrake boats in West Brooklin, Maine-and get out to enjoy their handiwork in its proper element whenever they can.

The ultimate book for anyone who has dreamed of building a boat.