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Very good for the moderately interested reader, a little above the starter. This book is crammed with the author's experience and basic knowledge of both building and sailing the south sea multihull boat.
It was well worth the price. This book contained many design ideas and options that I hadn't considered. The pictures effectively explain and amplify the textual material.
I would recommend it to anyone thinking of building one of his outrigger canoes. I am very happy with my purchase. The book details three different boat designs. I was also glad to see alot of useful basic boatbuilding information.
All the measurements are given in English and Metric units. I'd suggest Ted Moore's "Canoecraft", "Sailmaker's Apprentice" by Emiliano Marino andr Nick Schade's "Building Strip Planked Boats" for further reading. I bought this book recently, read and re-read it cover to cover, and performed as much research on the subject as possible. The book is exactly what the title implies.The only areas for improvement I can find are possibly in the technique sections. I have always been enamored with outrigger canoes and catamarans.
A few more pages could be spent on detailing the strip planking and sail rigging, but there are several excellent books written on the subject. I am in the midst of building this boat as I write this review.My personal experience aside, I will say that this an exceptional DIY book with many clear and well-composed illustrations and diagrams. In my opinion, the author would be re-inventing the wheel if he did so. Gary mentions a couple of these in the book's resources appendix, along with several valuable internet sites and forums specifically on outrigger sailing, culture and construction. There are no tricky formulas or maths to confuse the manual process. If you've cut lumber with a tablesaw, built models with glue, and used a sabersaw to cut out basic wood shapes, then you have the skills necessary to build any one of the canoes in this book.
Prior to reading this book, I couldn't have seen myself ever building something this beautiful and useful. The author goes into detail with his instructions but remains accessible throughout. You have the option of purchasing the full-size plans at a reasonable price from the author if you have doubts or no previous experience creating lofts from offsets.Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes is not meant to be a historical survey of Pacific outrigger canoes, nor is it meant to be a complete guide on how to sail, paddle or cruise with them. I've built small wood & plastic models, but that's about it. Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes is approachable to the first time builder that might have a little experience with power tools. This is not an overly technical read or a jargon-ridden manual.
Two weeks later, I ordered a set of full sized plans for the Ulua sailing canoe featured in this book. In a couple of instances, he suggests some alternatives to techniques and materials for construction.
Australia. Nice book Gary,Lots of good ideas and very well presented.Your history with Rudy was of interest since I am also a designer and builder of ocean cruising catamarans.An interesting read, both from a historical and technical viewpoint.Richard Mason --shipwright, Port Lincoln.
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