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Rating:  -
I too, was under the impression that I could build at least one boat from this book. I was surprised to find out that I would have to purchase "plans" in order to build any of the craft in the book. Had I been aware of that, I would not have wasted my money.
(I already know how to build this type of construction.)
HINT: Read the reviews completely before ordering any of these books.
Rating:  -
I've owned this book for several years and find it to be a very usable guide to building light and durable boats fairly quickly. Having just spent six years of occasional weekend work building a larger plywood boat, I think that Hill's approach is one of the best. He tells you all you need to know about this construction method and you don't need special skills or tools to make one. It is not at all, as one reviewer said, just an ad for Hill's plans. He does offer some that you can purchase at the back, but the majority of the book is about how to build a boat in this method -- setting up the molds, cutting and attaching the planks, etc. Overall, a very good book.
Rating:  -
This was the first book I purchased on the topic of building clinker ply boats, and I wasn't terribly impressed. If I was building one of the two boats he describes, it would probably be more useful, but it doesn't cover anything about round bilged dinghies. It goes over a flat bottomed skiff and a round bilged but very lightly built canoe.
The author only covers one way of doing everything, and his methods usually struck me as tedious. For example, to spile a plank he clamps an entire 2'x16' sheet of plywood to his building jig and then the shape out from underneath.
I found John Brook's "Building Ellen" article in woodenboat magazine issues number #156, 157, 158 to be more helpful than this entire book. While I don't have John's book, if it's anything like the article it is probably much more useful.
I'd recommend buying Iain Oughtred's book "Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual" instead. It covers a whole variety of techniques, including Tom Hill's, and also covers a much wider variety of hull types (prams, dories, round bilges, etc).
Rating:  -
I am very happy with the books you have but one of the books on the order came from some one else, I waited 3 extra weeks although I got the confirmation a couple of days apart and then recieved the wrong book. Of course it was the book I wanted the most. I am in the process of returning it now and ordered it from wooden boat publications rather than trying you again. I had my confirmation in under 45 min. and the book will be sent within 24 hrs. That will be today so I will see how long it takes.
John Paterson
Rating: -
This is one of two books I recommend as essential reading for anyone attempting to bulid a glued plywood lapstrake boat for the first time. The other book is "The Plywood Clinker Boatbuilding Manual" by Iain Oughtred. There are several approaches to building a plywood glued lapstrake boat, and in my opinion the technique presented in this book gives the greatest chance of producing a high quality, fair hull. This book is not a set of instructions for building a particular boat design, but rather a set of procedures for building ANY lapstrake plywood hull. It is an easy read and has lots of detailed information on tasks that are not generally covered elsewhere, such as cutting a rolling bevel. The technique of using stringers on the mold makes getting the plank shapes right a snap. If you are thinking of building a lapstrake boat, read this book first. It gives a comprehensive overview of the process and may give you the confidence you need to go ahead with the project.
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