Note - the Complete Catalogue of Stock Boat Designs also includes a free copy of the catalogue on CD as PDF files with colour photographs and sections on the different methods of wood boat construction - see below.

 The full Catalogue of Selway Fisher Designs is now also on CD as PDF files with at least 1 full page given to each design. The CD is full of colour photographs and includes several sections on building both plywood and strip plank boats  - there are a over 350 designs to choose from.

 Included on the CD are :-
Canoe Catalogue
Dinghy Catalogue
Dayboat Catalogue
Pocket Cruiser Catalogue
Sailing Yachts Catalogue
Motor Boats Catalogue
Steam & Electric Launch Catalogue

 Photograph series showing :-
Canoe Building Example
Strip Planked Dinghy & Dayboat Example
Plywood Hull Construction Example
Strip Planked Launch and Yacht Hull Construction Example

 NOTE - the CD will be sent free with the Complete Catalogue of Stock Boat Designs (above) but can also be purchased separately - below.

 The canoe catalogue is now on CD in PDF format - this version of the catalogue is packed with colour photographs of our canoe designs (more than on our web pages). The catalogue also has a guide to choosing an open canoe and useful FAQ's pages.

 The CD also contains a copy of our On-Line Manual which uses 65 colour photographs showing one of our Hazelnut open canoes being built in detail, a copy of a past article on building the Christine Open Trekking Canoe plus an easily printable order form and contact details.

 Please note that this CD is sent free with each canoe plan and does not need to be ordered separately if ordering a canoe plan from this web site.

 The full Dinghy and Dayboat catalogues are now on CD in PDF format - this version of the catalogues is packed with colour photographs of the designs (more than on our web pages). Each design gets at least one page and most get two or three with copious numbers of colour photographs showing the designs under construction and finished.

 Included on the CD are :-
Dinghy Catalogue
Dayboat Catalogue

 Photograph series showing :-
Stitch & Tape Dinghy/Dayboat Building Example
Strip Planked Dinghy & Dayboat Example

 The Catalogue of Pocket Cruisers, Trailer Sailers and Yacht Designs is now on CD with at least 1 full page given to each design. The CD is full of colour photographs and includes sections on building both plywood and strip plank yachts - there are a over 60 designs to choose from.

 Styles range from traditional types - pilot cutters, double ended Pinkies and Tancook Whalers from North America, Dutch style boats and sharpies and dories for easy construction. Rigs vary from gaff cutters and yawls to modern bermudan and junk types - some designs have a choice of rig and we are happy to add new rigs to any particular design.

Included on the CD are :-
Pocket Cruiser Catalogue
Sailing Yachts Catalogue

 Photograph series showing :-
Plywood Hull Construction Example
Strip Planked Launch and Yacht Hull Construction Example

 The Motor Boat & Steam/Electric Launch catalogue is now on CD in PDF format - this version of the catalogue is packed with colour photographs of our motor boat and launch designs (more than on our web pages). 

 The CD also contains a section on Building a Strip Plank Launch Hull with 33 colour photogaphs showing the various stages - the Felix, Indian Runner, Corn Bunting and Edwardian 26 hulls are used as examples. 

Included on the CD are :-
Motor Boats Catalogue
Steam & Electric Launch Catalogue

 Photograph series showing :-
Plywood Hull Construction Example
Strip Planked Launch and Yacht Hull Construction Example

 The Steam & Electric Launch catalogue is now on CD in PDF format - this version of the catalogue is packed with colour photographs of our launch designs (more than on our web pages). 

 The CD also contains a section on Building a Strip Plank Launch Hull with 33 colour photogaphs showing the various stages - the Felix, Indian Runner, Corn Bunting and Edwardian 26 hulls are used as examples. There is also an easily printable order form and contact details.

Included on the CD are :-
Steam & Electric Launch Catalogue

 Photograph series showing :-
Plywood Hull Construction Example
Strip Planked Launch and Yacht Hull Construction Example

 This new manual incorporates our old "Manual of Modern Small Plywood Boat Construction Techniques" but now also includes several new sections. These include new chapters on fitting buoyancy (flotation), shaping and constructing masts and spars and an extensive chapter on fitting out the hull with decks, centreboards, seating etc.

 Many new photographs and illustrations have been added along with up to date details and description of the modern stitch and tape process. This manual is useful for all builders contemplating and building stitch and tape plywood boats up to 18 or 20' - for plywood boats above this size, see our Manual of Plywood Boat Construction for Larger Craft.

For further details of the Stitch and Tape Boat Construction Manual and what it covers click here.

Note - those who purchased the old Manual of Modern Small Plywood Boat Construction Techniques since April 2009, may purchase this new manual for £10 + postage - simply put a note into your order giving any date or reference number you may have of your original purchase.

 Strip planking is an increasingly popular method of boat construction (over half of all our new design work is for strip planked craft). It enables the amateur boat builder to produce a beautiful round bilged hull without having traditional boat building skills. It is certainly an easy method of round bilged hull construction and one which produces a very tough 'one piece' monocoque hull shell which will require little maintenance and which will last far longer than a conventionally built wood hull.

 This new version of the Manual starts by discussing the merits of strip planking and the types of hulls that are best suited to this method of construction. It goes through the possible difficulties of strip planking certain hull shapes and how these difficulties may be over come. Suitable materials for constructing the hull are discussed including the use of square edged versus profile edged planks and epoxy versus polyurethane glues. Guidance and examples are also given for calculating material requirements.

 Different types of building jig are discussed along with the marking, shaping and the setting up of moulds. The setting up of the internal backbone structure is then covered and after a description of the planking process, the Manual covers the best methods for preparing the hull for finishing. Veneering and glass sheathing are then described. Finally, tool requirements and the care and repair of strip planked hulls is described.

 Note - Deck and coach house construction are now included. The Manual of Fit-Out for Yachts and Launches will be an excellent companion to this manual and will help you complete your boat.

For further details of the Strip Plank Boat Construction Manual and what it covers click here.

Note - those who purchased the old Manual of Modern Small Plywood Boat Construction Techniques since April 2009, may purchase this new manual for £10 + postage - simply put a note into your order giving any date or reference number you may have of your original purchase.

 This new manual incorporates our old "Manual of Sail Making for the Home Boatbuilder" but now also includes several new sections. These include a discussion of the most popular rigs used for dinghies, dayboats and yachts (traditional and modern), how to balance the rig with the hull of a boat (for those wanting to change rig), how to design and make a simple Junk Rig, a lengthened section on re-cutting (altering) existing sails (for those using 2nd hand sails from another design), positioning deck gear and fault finding, how to purchase new sails from a sail maker (including a list of UK sail makers) and a list of companies who sell sail making materials and tools.

 A large part of the manual is still dedicated to making your own suit of sails - rather than being a mystery, the construction of a sail is broken down into it's different structural parts in much the same way as the hull structure of a boat with 76 clear diagrams showing the construction techniques used to make up the components of the sail. The chapters include a detailed look at the different stitches and seam constructions used, finishing techniques, step by step guides to the making of both Bermudan and Gaff/Gunter/Lug sails and Headsails. Also included is a section on the re-cutting of old sails and on fault finding. The whole manual will give the owner who already has a suit of sails, a better understanding of how his sails work and what may be wrong if he has a problem with them.

For further details of the Sails for the Home Boat Builder Manual and what it covers click here.

Note - those who purchased the old Manual of Sail Making for the Home Boatbuilder since April 2009, may purchase this new manual for £10 + postage - simply put a note into your order giving any date or reference number you may have of your original purchase.

This new version of the manual now includes details of canoe 'bits and pieces' - canoe trolleys, outboard brackets and wells, making a canoe in 2 halves, a sculling rig, floats and sponsons and various different rudders.

For further details of the Plywood Canoe Construction Manual and what it covers click here.

Many Selway Fisher designs can be built using the clinker ply method and some have been specifically designed for this method—this manual has 129 diagrams helping to explain the process from the set-up of the building jig, through making the internal framework, spiling the plank shapes and fitting them and finally fitting out the hull, fitting the deck structure etc and finishing the boat and shaping and making masts and spars.

To start the book, modern clinker construction is compared with more traditional methods making this book applicable to those wanting to use modern epoxies and plywood to build a clinker boat as well as those who want to stick strictly to traditional techniques. Rather than just concentrating on one particular modern method, this book looks at several variants of the modern methods first, including the ribband-less, stringered and what some call the Herreshoff method plus methods for flat bottomed craft and those using purely rounded moulds (from older designs), giving the reader a wide choice of methods to use and combine.  

If you are thinking of using the Clinker Plywood method, read this manual first.

For further details of the Clinker Plywood Manual and what it covers click here.

This manual covers the construction of boats using modern ply on frame techniques - the stitch and tape method of construction is fine for boats below 18' or so although I have used it for larger craft, but in larger boats it gets expensive and is not necessarily the easiest method to use. So, for boats over 16 or 18' I tend to use a combination of methods, often based upon a basic framework of slotted ply components - ply frames/bulkheads and fore and aft girders (egg-box construction) and use epoxy only where it is appropriate and cost effective.

This book describes the construction of larger yachts and motor craft (above 18') using various different types of framework and planking processes from the pure stitch and tape, through clinker to hard/multi-chined and of course, ply on frame construction.

Several of the methods described can be used for all sizes of craft where the builder does not want to use epoxy.

The construction of decks and cabin tops/superstructures is also described using various methods - plywood, strip plank, vertical staving etc and the manual concludes with the various ways in which you can finish your boat - these chapters are also relevant to other forms of hull construction - strip planking, cold moulded etc.

Note - The Manual of Fit-Out for Yachts and Launches will be an excellent companion to this manual and will help you complete your boat.

For further details of this Manual and what it covers click here.

Having built the hull, deck and superstructure, you are now ready to think about fitting your boat out. This manual helps you plan for this next and final stage by first, taking a look at the ergonomics (correct seat and table heights etc) of the interior accommodation -  to make your boat comfortable. this is followed by details on how to install inboard engines or outboard wells, make inboard and outboard rudders and fit water systems - water ballast, fresh water, bilge plumbing, sewage etc. Gas, cabin ventilation, electric systems are looked at next, along with electrolysis and lightning protection.

Finally, the manual finishes with chapters on making wood masts and spars, fitting deck gear and rigging and the sort of ground tackle you may want to carry.

For further details of this Manual and what it covers click here.

NOTE - The design used to demonstrate the Stitch and tape method is the SFDesign 10'6" Northumbrian Coble.

Copious graphics are used to illustrate and clarify many of the processes you will encounter when building a S&T vessel. The DVD has been beautifully put together by Graham Young who is the originator, writer, cameraman, graphic designer, editor and producer.

The DVD includes interviews with real life home builders who pass on their tips and suggestions for success in building your boat.

The second volume (due for release later in 2009) will cover fitting out the hull, making spars, laminating, and then finishing the boat.

This DVD has been produced in PAL widescreen format. It will play back on standard DVD players and TV sets in countries using the PAL television system. In other areas of the world it may not play back on standard TV sets but will playback in PCs with a DVD drive and DVD playback software.

Sterling cost £19.95 + £1.99 p&p. (UK), £19.95 + £2.99 Airmail (Europe), £19.95 + £3.99 Airmail (US/Elsewhere)/$39 incl. Airmail US.