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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 797
EAN num: 9780071579933
ISBN number: 0071579931
Label: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Manufacturer: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 408
Printing Date: May 01, 1991
Publishing house: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
Sale Popularity Level: 247952
Studio: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
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Product Description:
Let's say you're a typical low-paid working stiff. You've sailed small boats all your life, you've saved a little money--you're finally ready for a real cruising boat. You drop in on Tadd, your friendly neighborhood yacht broker, who is more than happy to sell you that brand-new Trickledown 32 for only $90,000, plus a few optional extras like anchors, sails, cushions, a compass, instruments--stuff like that; say, $115,000 ready to sail.
'One hundred and fifteen thousand . . . dollars?'
'Not to worry,' says Tadd. 'Only 20% down and 10 years of easy payments and you're off into the sunset. Let's see, that's $23,000 down and, at 10% interest, only $1,215.79 per month--plus insurance of course. Send me a postcard from Tahiti.'
'How much per month? That's half my salary! Don't you have anything in my price range?'
Tadd glances conspicuously at his Rolex, sighing, and points to a characterless Clorox jog with a spindly mast--a hyperthyroid daysailer with bunks for the seven dwarfs; NOT what you had in mind!
And then you see it, in the back of the yard, varnish hanging in strips off weather-beaten trim, rigging frayed, sails ripped and stained, dank interior with dangling wires and scurrying anonymous inhabitants. But underneath all the squalour you see the lines of a real cruising boat--a sturdy hull with a sprightly sheer from the pen of a Philip Rhodes or a Tom Gillmer--a fiberglass boat built back when craftsmanship still meant something.
You remember when you bought your house--it looked a lot like this boat, and you and your all-thumbs husband managed to breathe life into it over time, painting, papering, spackling--lots of spackling. This boat has possibilities.
'How much?' you ask.
'You're kidding, right?' says Tadd, flicking a bit of cobweb from his spotless Breton Reds. 'Take it for, say, $8,000?'
Sold.
Well, now you've got it home, but Bob and Norm aren't there every weekend to help guide you through this restoration. Where to turn?
Turn to This Old Boat. Don Casey, co-author of Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach, assumes you know nothing--not even how to use tools--and leads you methodically and good-naturedly through every step of turning a cast-off fiberglass boat into a real show-stopper, including the simplest and most comlete explanation yet of sailmaking--the sailor's darkest and most expensive art. Casey's step-by-step drawings guide you through a simple project--laying up a fiberglass instrument case, for example--then show you how to apply those skills to something more ambitious--like building a new hatch.
With this book and the best buyer's market in boating history, you can send Tadd that postcard from Tahiti--and have money to spare.
Can't afford that brand-new boat?
Take advantage of the best buyer's market in boating history. Turn a rundown production boat into a first-class yacht with This Old Boat.
Whether you are skilled or unskilled, whether you like sail or powerboats, here is everything you need to: - Find the right boat at the right price
- Map out a logical, affordable renovation plan
- Work with fiberglass--everything from minor cosmetics to major structural repairs
- Renovate rigging, winches, engines, and other mechanical systems
- Work with wood, canvas, and plastic
- Change the interior from a cramped, dingy dormitory to a light, spacious livable home
- Repair and modernize the electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration systems
- Add a stunning, mirror-like finish
- Make your own dodgers, sail covers, and SAILS--and much more!
'Casey's intelligent, practical advice covers just about everything, and his style is just what the doctor ordered for anyone daft enough to want to fix up an old boat.'--Southern Boating
'A great book for anyone on the water.'--Maine Coastal News
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Covers everything from dings to diesels. A must read for apprentice boatsmiths. This reading gives you the confidence and knowledge to fix up & repair most every defect in your used boat.
Rated by buyers -
This book is entertaining to read and really is an eye opener as to what you're getting yourself into re wooden boats. Really is a prmer on the topic or Wooden Boats 101 - when you are done reading it you'll know your up to the task or not.
Rated by buyers -
You're familiar of course with the numerous lists of necessary books to have aboard your boat. Boat Owner's comes to mind by Nigel Calder as one. HOWEVER, I believe you will find more useful information within the 408 pages. Also, it's book size (won't be a pain to store aboard) will be welcome.
The boring stuff (he tells you how to prioritize) -- some may need to hear/see safety first, and structure/bilge pumps et al. I could understand the reasoning but it wasn't real useful to me. His organizational check-lists will help folks actually plan chronology and FINISH the jobs.
The best part though was the step by step, well-illustrated how-to's. Everything I could want/need to know was covered, including how to read my electric meter, how much insulation the refrigerator needs, how much heat loss to expect in various sized boxes, how to plan for power needs, and a logic as to what we really need/can use/and WILL WORK aboard.
It's not a be-all/end-all book but it's very very good and well worth space aboard. You'll still need your shop books (for your engine, head, pumps, etc.) but with this gem you'll understand the why as well as the how to do repairs.
Even canvas repair is covered. Don't tell anyone, but it's not genius material. You can do it yourself and save big bucks. Mostly though, it's a book of instructions for repairs/improvements and "gosh, that'd be nice" type of things. If you don't know already, you'll learn step-by-step how to Fiberglas, how to make sails, how to fix wiring, WHEN TO HIRE EXPERTS, and more.
Even at retail price $35, it's well worth it, though of course I'd suggest saving $$ and buying used.
Rated by buyers 
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I found that the book lacked certain basic information. for example: when restoring an old boat, one must typically contend with transporting the boat (perhaps mention of trailer, and cradle designs), or de-masting and storage, removing the multi-layers of antifoulant paint, correct the grazing of the gelcoat. For the interiour, one may decide to substitute teak for mahogany, white oak, etc, but there is no mention of altenate woods for cabinetry and interior work. For the deck anti-skid, how can you mold parts of the missing anti-skid, if you dont want to use threadmaster M. I just found the book a little bit less than basic.
Rated by buyers -
I don't know where to begin thanking Casey and recommending him at the same time. A feeble endeavor follows:
This is the MOST valuable of my 80 or 90 boatbuilding books, hands-down. It doesn't matter what construction material you are using, or what your level of expertise. At the very least, it is a fun, witty, and motivating book. Even if you come out of it with no more knowledge than when you started (I guarantee that will not happen), it will give you the necessary wisdom and motivation to stay the course. It was the very first 'boat building' book I ever purchased, and it alone motivated me to stop dreaming about a boat, and to start building/rebuilding one. And it was to this book I turned whenever a project was frustrating (this is almost daily, for the uninitiated--and he explains this, too). It was also the book I used as a primary reference, and it served me very well in the rebuilding of two medium-sized boats. It has since served me equally well in the building of boats from plans, though you will need more than he offers for this (that does not mean instead of this, but in addition to his book, another will be necessary).
Whether you are going to build a boat from scratch, or you are going to refurbish an older boat (he makes a hard sell), this book MUST be read. If you have only one book on your shelf pertaining to the construction/reconstruction/maintenance, this should be it. You will never forget it, and you will recommend it to others as strongly as I am to you. Your boat will feel naked without it.
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