23 Boats You Can Build

Foreword
Bootbuilding is part of the American heritage. The settlers of New England developed the sturdy dory to cope
with the storm-wracked Atlantic waters in which they fished. It was a rare son of Maine or Massachusetts who could not fashion his own boat with
crude hand 1001s. The rivers ot America were explored by men who learned from the Indians how to make bark and dugout canoes. Flatboats carried a
large part of the goods of the pioneers during the westward movement. Today, boatbuilding is no longer a part of everyday life, except in some
fishing communities where boats slill are built by men who earn their livelihood from them. But there ore a surprising number of amateur boatbuilders.
Altogether there are more than half a million persons in the United States who are regularly building boats for pleasure
or for profit. They form a cross section of American life. The sleek mahogany cabin cruiser of the Chicago banker shares Belmont Harbor with the
plywood sailing dinghy of the shipping clerk. On Chesapeake Bay, in the Florida Keys, and through San Francisco's Golden Gate, the rich man's selfdesigned
yacht and the home-built sloop of the ordinary man head out toward the open sea together. Self-built canoes and rowboats of fishermen
and hunters glide on the inland rivers of the country, and on its lakes, ponds and marshes. Theirs is a double reward-the pride of craftsmanship and the
thrill of navigating Ihe boat when the building is done. With all this in mind, the ed itors of Popular Mechanics have chosen wilh
care the croft that make up the contents of 23 Boals You Can Build. Boats built from these plans are now in successful operation in various parts of the country. The instructions, pictures and plans were prepared for ease of understanding. Those who have never built a boat before are urged to read ParI 9, "Build Your Baal Right," which begins on page 161. The editors believe this book offers something to tem pt every lover of boats- a pion that will make his hands itch for tools and materials. Choose your favorite- cobin cruiser, sailboat, rowboat, inboard, outboard, ice yacht, bicycle baal, canoe, kayak, sea sled, paddle board, catamaran. Good building, happy launching, and bon voyage!