Boat Joinery and Cabinet Making Simplified »

Fred Bingham learned to sail not long after he learned to walk, and learned woodworking soon after—from whittling out wind propellers at the age of eight to building a 36-inch sailing model at the age of 13. In his youth, Bingham sailed up and down the New England coast in his father's 76-foot schooner Rhodos. He built, rigged, and sailed a couple of skiffs and then a Snipe, in 1931.

In the 1930s he owned his own boatshop, building to the designs of Charles MacGregor and others. His output ranged from International 14s to a 42-foot cruising ketch. He and his wife, Vivian, now live in California, where he enjoys a brisk business selling plans for his popular Allegra pocket cruiser and his Trifle dinghy.

Drawing upon his more than 60 years' experience as a boatbuilder/designer, Fred Bingham has revamped his classic Practical Yacht Joinery to appeal to a whole new generation of boaters. This new edition of the book Yachting called "an absolute necessity" not only is more attuned to the needs of boaters of the 1990s—and includes all-new material on building nautically influenced projects for home or camp—its price is substantially less than that of its august predecessor.

This book is about building things of wood, from a new cup rack to a completely new interior, but it isn't just another project book. Bingham wisely assumes that many people want to be told how to perform neat joinerwork rather than what to build. By starting with a simple task, such as a cleat, deck box, or even a tool box, and then proceeding to more ambitious projects, you develop the skills you need to build practically anything you can envision. Bingham's joinery techniques and handy gimmicks (and they appear on nearly every page of the book) were born of trial and error; he provides realistic alternative procedures for many of the projects, telling how to make them by Method A, Method B, and Method C. As thousands of readers of Practical Yacht Joinery discovered, Bingham's gift for providing simple explanations for complex problems can transform a rank beginner who has never held a hammer into a journeyman boat carpenter, and a journeyman carpenter into a true craftsman.

Praise for Fred Bingham's classic Practical Yacht Joinery, now available in this revised edition at a new lower price:

"The woodworking is discussed in such detail that just about anyone, including longtime professionals, is likely to find many useful tricks of the trade. Much more of this and pros will be a dime a dozen."—The Last Whole Earth Catalog

One almost has the feeling that the author is right there, advising and encouraging, showing how to use a tool, helping lay out deck beams, pausing to tell how he did a job on such and such a boat."—Small Boat Journal

A veritable encyclopedia of techniques, tools, gadgets, and gimmicks."—Dolphin Book Club News

"Takes over where boatbuilding books leave off."—National Fisherman

"Should interest everyone from the casual weekend tinkerer to the sailor who's building his own boat."—Yachting

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 The Woodworker's Basic Hand Tools2 More Basic Hand Tools3 Electric Hand Tools4 Stationary Power Tools5 Tools, Jigs, and Accessories You Can Build6 Tips, Techniques, Facts, Opinions7 Nineteen Useful Joints and How to Make Them8 Tying It All Together9 Decks10 Cabin Trunk Construction11 Building the Yacht Interior12 Niceties and Necessities Below Decks13 Things on Deck14 Log-rails and Toerails15 Spars16 Woodworking Projects for the Home17 Build Your Own TrifleIndex