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Rating:  -
This man comes up with so many unique ways to do thing the best way possible. I went out and bought some other books he wrote that are out of date now just because he write them so well. Could I write this well I would have at least a pulitzer or maybe an Oscar. PS I owned several copies of his books that were burned up in a house fire. I just had to have them to read over and over. They stay out on the coffee table. I have yet to see anyone not finish the chapter they are on before they can put the book down to do other things. I have been late more than once.
drayegon
Rating: -
I found this book to be very helpful. It makes boat building accesible to almost anyone. But I wish there were more photos, especially of finished boats. I decided to build the Nymph, the 7' 9" pram design featured in this book. Then I decided I wanted a beamier (wider) boat so I built the wider version of the Nymph, called the Rubens Nymph (Please note: The Rubens Nymph is not featured in this book, only the Nymph is). I did not buy plans, but just widened the bottom and transoms of the Nymph, and used thicker plywood for the frames. So boats can be built from this book without plans, but if I did it again I would get the plans...especially for any of the larger boats.
Rating: -
This is the best book ever written on making small boats for rowing or sailing using modern techniques. If you always figured you would like to build a boat, but were worried about making a success of it, this book, or the others in his series will ensure you get the job done.
Here are three reservations, just so you know:
1) The building method know as tack and tape is original to the Bolger/Payson duo, and isn't state of the art. Payson prefers working with fiberglass resin rather than epoxy, and those with an E allergy might agree. But for others, this may send you off in the wrong direction. Nonetheless the boats are great as designed, even if they could be better. For instance in epoxy it would be possible to drop the frames and add solid transoms to better carry motors or rudders. That's a better trade.
2) The designs are a little funky, which is good open thinking throughout, but for instance a person who bought one of these books because they noticed there was a sailboard would probably not be that satisfied, on the other hand it's a great plan to try out a little boarding on.
3)If you just wanted to build one of these boats, many of which are great like Diablo or Nymph, why not just buy the relevant plan?
Rating: -
I bought the book, [followed the author's advice and] bought plans from him, and have built two of his boats. One serves as a tender on my larger Bolger boat, a role it has played without complaint for three years. The other I gave to a friend so she'd learn to sail (Success!). These boats are not classics, but they WORK! Dynamite Payson shows you how to make a proper, safe little boat, based on the designs of Phil Bilger. For inspiration I'd recommend Phil Bolger's book "Boats with an Open Mind".
Rating: -
If you follow the directions you can see success in a short amount of time if you choose a boat suiting your skill level. There are many boats presented here and not all are for the first time builder with limited skill. ANYONE can build a Tortoise (Basically all straight cuts and little in the way of wood is required its a two 4x8 sheet boat). I don't see spending [money]on those materials. I live in Southern California too ant materials can be expensive but please! There are more than a few people who have built boats from this book! Just know your limits and what kind of success you desire. Start reasonable and this is a great book to get you there. I can't think of any book that can get you there easier. This book is not outdated or hard to understand. Read and re-read it, then get to work.
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