John Welsford is internationally famous not only for his transatlantic racing designs, but also for his elegant, traditional-looking wooden boat designs for home boatbuilders. They are primarily of the "lapstrake" style-with overlapping planks that create a strong, light, curvy, drop-dead gorgeous boat.

No book on the market offers both step-by-step instructions for making such boats "and" the building plans to work from. Welsford offers both of these with flying colors: plans to build half a dozen different boats, plus a detailed instructional section specifically on lapstrake building, with many photos and illustrations by the designer himself.

For any hobbyist who wants to try building a lapstrake boat, this book will take him or her completely through the process, from a pile of lumber and a gleam in the eye to a graceful, gleaming wooden boat that is the jewel of any harbor she enters.

Funny, humble, full of good tales and good advice, John Welsford is the perfect guide for the beginner or for anyone who has completed a few boats in a simpler style and now wants to try for the timeless glory of lapstrake. He covers tools, materials, and methods of construction. In the second half of the book, he treats us to a sampling of his designs, some 15 as "study plans" and half a dozen as full construction plans, which if bought separately would cost hundreds of dollars.

A bargain at twice the price, "Backyard Boatbuilder" is sure to please everyone, from the saltiest Maine wooden-boaters to the suburban Home Depot-bound enthusiast.