Devlin's Boatbuilding: How to Build Any Boat the Stitch-and-Glue Way

I have read this book several times. He has a clear and logical way of presenting the stages of construction. His web site is informative and his video is equally as instructive. In terms of a complete "How to" series, I only wish other disciplines were as good. In addition to the quality of his construction, I am particularly fond of his designs. Most other stitch and glue plans lack the elegance of Sam's designs.

I bought this book because I wanted to prepare myself for building a boat in 2007, next year. In reading through it, I learned that what is covered is not just how to build a boat, but really more about how to finish a boat. You may not understand this, but it's true, I'll explain. Currently I am building a coffee shop from scratch, really, from scratch, I've gutted the place, I've put up new walls, I've built counters, I built a coffee roaster, I fixed / heavily modified an espresso machine, basically, I've done every part of it and I'm in to year two and my doors are still yet to be opened to the public (so far, it's just a speak-easy). It's been the hardest project to date for me and I've often considered ways of getting out of it, (mainly through the ending of my existance), but have continued all the same. When I read; "...sometimes you have to hate it to finish it." and all the other advice he gives in the book on how to complete the project, it really gave me a sense of not only being able to bring my shop to completion, but gave me a greater sense of how to go about finishing any project that you really believe in, but run into trouble completing. I also bought this book for information on shaping plywood, because I plan to make some bent-ply furniture - and the information contained in this book does greatly help on the subject of forming plywood. Very well written and a joy to read.

The stitch-and-glue technique was pioneered by builders of small boats, so it's not surprising that most boatbuilders think of it as a technique appropriate only for small boats. But Sam Devlin has been building large boats for many years with stitch and glue, and in this books shows why it's an appropriate technique for any size boat.Traditional plywood boatbuilding doesn't really take advantage of the structural properties of plywood, argues Devlin; if you build a frame and then cover it with sheets of plywood in the same way you'd plank with boards, you're not really gaining much other than the convenience of the larger sheets. You're still using the same techniques of a century ago.Stitch and glue allows the builder to make strong frameless monococque structures in which the entire skin, and not just the frames, carries the load. Such structures are much lighter and stiffer than traditional framed structures. Aircraft builders have been using monococques since the 1930s, and automobiles have been built using monocoque ("unibody") construction since the 1960s.Devlin assumes the reader of this book knows a little about boats, but nothing about stitch and glue construction. He provides excellent detail on the tools, techniques and materials needed, as well as numerous photos and a number of designs. Whether you're planning to build a 7' pram or a 30' cruiser, there's much useful information here. Even if you already have one of Dynamite Payson's "Instant Boats" books or Chris Kulczycki's "The Kayak Shop" you'll want a copy of this book as well.

As a person looking to choose a boat building method, I found Sam Devlin's book extremely interesting. After reading his book, I felt confident that I could tackle such a project and was inspired by his personal love of the craft. As a matter of fact I purchased some of his plans and found Sam and his wife to be extremely friendly and helpful!

This is a great book. Every aspect of stitch and glue boatbuilding is covered in great detail, from shop practice to lofting, assembling and finishing the boat. The style is plain and enjoyable and the drawings are excellent. The author's love for boats, fine materials and good workmanship is evident in every page. I found just a few minor issues. First, the quality of the photographs is questionable. Moreover, from the builders' perspective, some more hints and suggestions on how to use power tools to cut sheet plywood, as well as a more in-depth discussion on epoxy-sealing the hull, would have been useful. Apart from those points, the book is excellent and should be in every boatbuilder's bookshelf.