Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding

Reader Reviews
What sets George Buehler apart from the rest of the pack is his complete lack of pretense. There is so much ego and posturing and snobbishness in sailing, even at its friendliest, that it can really turn the stomach of the uninitiated. Buehler cries BS to all that, and says, "Hey...if you want to build a good boat and sail it, I can show you how." That can be mighty welcome news to someone who maybe isn't the son of a son of a sailor, or an orthopedic surgeon (with the associated bank balance.) This book shows you how you can, yourself (honest!) build a sailboat that will take you around the Bay or around the Horn (for real!) and do it on a budget that will keep you from using your retirement funds or your kid's college money. We're talking pretty short money here, for a boat that is built like Fort Knox and looks pretty sweet to boot. But there are other considerations. Firstly, you have to want the sort of boat George likes, which is one based on the great British workboats - massive construction, long keels, heavy displacement, solid timber masts, usually even gaff rig. Lost you yet? That's what George likes, and if you're looking for a racer/cruiser to take you on a Jimmy Cornell rally to compete with all the Jeanneau 42's, you can forget it. It ain't happenin'. But, come a blow, you can heave your heavy, long keeled gaffer to and sleep the night away while the rest of the fleet white-knuckles it all night. You have to make choices in life - you're at the fork in the road. The second consideration is resale. Now, I know you're *never* going to sell your boat, you're going to be buried at sea in it like a Viking. Right. At some point you're going to want to sell your boat, or at least be rid of it. The downside of George's boats is that they aren't "yacht quality", and you are going to have a hard time selling them. With their 2X4 lumber yard ribs and plywood interior and houses, they look very home made. If you are a talented craftsman, and want to spend a lot of money (and I thought we were trying to save money, right?) on teak and brass, you can make one look right shippy, but it's still going to be painfully obvious that this is a boat you built in your back yard. It doesn't matter that your boat is as tough as nails - things like steel and concrete ballast and iron fastenings in the hull just terrify people (not without some reason, let's be honest) and will dampen the market. Don't hold your breath waiting on the phone to ring come time to sell. It's something to think about. For the flip side to this sort of boat building, check out Larry Pardey's masterwork on classic hull construction. His idea of a backyard boat is one that would make the cover of every magazine in print, and sell for $100,000 after years of cruising. But it takes years of work and LOTS of money and tools and equipment and skill to pull that off. Maybe you don't have all that. Maybe you don't WANT all that. Maybe you just want to take a year, build a tough little boat, and spend a few years in the Caribbean. In that case, let George Buehler take you there.