Build Your Own Boat

Completing a Bare Hull

By Ian Nicolson

The ENSIGN, April 1999:

“In order to build your own boat, you must start with a hull. This book doesn’t tell you what kind – fiberglass, wood, ferro-cement or steel – but it does tell you how to get ready by preparing the building site. Since the construction may take from four months to five years, you may have to trim trees and move gateposts or phone lines.

“The majority of the work in this book is done with fiberglass, although wood is used in the construction and in the trim. Creating a boat involved dreaming, scheming, scheming, drawing, planning, ordering materials, measuring, marking, double-checking, sawing, fitting, fastening, fiberglassing and cleaning up the mess.

“Ian Nicolson has built many boats, from dinghies to 40-foot yachts. He is a contributor to most major yachting magazines and has written 20 books on boat building, designing, racing and cruising. His writing is understandable and easy to read. Most of the sketches and drawings are his.

“This book gives amateurs many reasons to build their own boats. While reading this volume, I was so involved that it left me exhausted.”

Sailing, March 1997:

“For readers desiring more technical advice, Ian Nicholson’s Build Your Own Boat instructs the amateur in all the skills necessary for boatbuilding, Nicolson begins with building a new hull and closes with lifelines, spars and sails. Using detailed diagrams and sketches, Nicolson provides valuable hands-on information.”

Soundings, January 1997:

“Nicolson is an English naval architect, surveyor and sail-maker who’s written more than 20 books. In his latest, he guides the amateur boat-builder in turning an unfinished fiberglass, wood, metal or ferro-cement hull into a custom boat. From picking the proper hull and selecting equipment, the book goes into the design, creation and installation of decks and bulkheads, engines and running gear, rigging and sails, galleys and other systems. An appendix of helpful publications completes the book.”

Sailing Inland and Offshore (SA), November 1996:

“This book will give the amateur boat-builder the confidence needed to approach the building of his own boat. With the support of many diagrams and sketches, Ian Nicolson teaches all the skills necessary to create anything from a small cruiser to an impressive 75-foot yacht.

“The techniques used are applicable to almost any building material, including wood, steel, aluminum, ferro-cement, and especially fiberglass. From start to finish, from selecting an appropriate hull to fitting out, the enthusiast will gain the knowledge and ability to meet any challenges along the way.

“There is a mass of practical information on everything from securing decks to shaping and bonding bulkheads, fitting windows, putting on rudders, installing piping, making the galley, setting up rigging, ordering sails – in short, just about anything you need to install in a sail or powerboat.”

• For more information, see Build Your Own Boat in our catalog.