Plan boat

Building Classic Small Craft Complete Plans and Instructions for 47 Boats

"Gardners work has engaged and inspired more individuals connected with traditional small craft than will ever be counted." - WoodenBoat

"Ought to be considered the Bible on the subject." - Cruising World

As Associate Curator of Small Craft at Mystic Seaport Museum from 1969 to 1995, John Gardner sought out the best examples of classic wooden boats and then measured them, drew them, and researched their histories. Building Classic Small Craft offers his meticulous plans and clear and complete instructions for building 47 beautiful, functional wooden boats for oar, motor, and sail, including dories, peapods, Sea Bright skiffs, wherries, Rangeley boats, and many others a lifetimes worth of admirable projects that any amateur builder can tackle successfully.

John Gardner was the acknowledged "dean of small craft, " and Building Classic Small Craft is an enduring expression of his philosophy, his knowledge, and his work. All the information you need to build these boats is here; no other plans are necessary.

"Worth your attention whether you seriously fancy to build boats yourself or just enjoy reading about them." - Sailing

"Another must for the boatbuilders library from John Gardner, the authority on traditional small craft in America." - Down East

"Required reading for anyone who thinks of building a small boat." - National Fisherman

John Gardner began his boatbuilding career in 1940 at Graves Boatyard in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He became a leading advocate and teacher of building small wooden boats and wrote more than 850 articles on small boats that appeared in National Fisherman, WoodenBoat, Boating, and Yachting, among others. He died in 1995.