Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes: Modern Construction Methods for Three Fast, Beautiful Boats

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14 Reviews

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Once in a while I come across a piece of gem. This book is one of them.

First, my background... I am a sailor. I have owned a wooden catamaran for about 15 years. I have learned working with wood and epoxy while maintaining my boat. Early in my life, I have received formal training on engineering and on how to read blueprints.

This book offers three very attractive plans for outrigger canoes and describes how to build and sail them. These plans offer a lot of flexibility.

It was clearly written by a very experienced builder who happens to know how to write well. It has all the information that I need to build any of these boats. The explanation looked very clear to me but required that I study the plans.

Yet, I have found this book really entertaining. It is feeding my dreams. I can just imagine myself going down the St-Lawrence in my wa`apa hmmm ... :)

If you want to build and sail an outrigger canoe, or if you just want to dream about it, then I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Gary.

Well written and illustrated. Three different designs and their variations are presented. Since I am rabid about proas I read it cover to cover and enjoyed it immensely. I don't think it's enough for a beginner to build a complete canoe just from the tables of offsets and parts diagrams but perhaps an experienced craftsman could pull it off. I still think it would be better to buy the full plans if you're serious about building. The plans will have the construction sequence, tips, instructions, etc. that the book lacks. Thus this book is a long advertisement for Gary's plans but I don't find fault with that. I wish there was more about actually sailing the canoes. I liked reading a little more of Gary's history building and designing canoes. In the end this book is exactly what the title says.

As a sailor, builder, and designer of multihulls, and collector of multihull related books, this one is unique! Dierking presents three simple and attractive designs, from a hard chined plywood outrigger for a first time builder or for a class project; to a strip built asymmetric hulled proa that is also simply described and laid out for a first time builder.
The book also details the construction of amas, akas, spars, and foils; everything is covered. If you are inclined to purchase plans from Dierking, this book would be the perfect primer. Actually, it's a great primer to anyone interested in building a small sailing craft.

If you're interested in building a sailing outrigger or have simply always wondered how these somewhat mysterious boats work, this book is a "must have" and contains a tremendous amount of information, especially for the price. People who have read my book (Canoe Rig) know that I place great value on plenty of top-notch illustrations. Gary's book is crammed full of them and does an excellent job of showing you exactly what he's talking about in the text. They also inspire the reader to build one (or maybe even all three) of the boat projects illustrated, just because they're beautiful boats. Toss in the bonus that they're light, fast and relatively easy to transport and store in the off-season and the become even more attractive. The "Ulua" design, in particular would also make a great paddling hull in case you aren't interested in sailing all the time. Building procedures and options for all three designs are well documented and discussed. This is, after all, a boat building book, not just an explanation of the types and principles of outrigger canoes (though you'll learn a lot about them as you read and build). In short, this book will be a great addition to any conoeist's library and any or all of the boats illustrated should be a very nice and unusual addition to your fleet.

Todd Bradshaw
Addiction Sailmakers

I recently completed building the Ulua described in the book (and bought full size plans, which are helpful but not neccesary).

The designs are captivating and inspiring. However, the description of methods and construction a sparse at times--at least compared to other books that describe how to build a boat (e.g., Nick Schade does in his strip kayak book). I've done some moderate wood work and am handy with wood and tools, but for my first boat building project I would have really liked some more "hand-holding" and specific descriptions (and more dimension) of how to fabricate and assemble specific parts of the Ulua (again something a bit more along the lines of N. Schade's book). You need to look at the diagrams/plans VERY carefully and think many parts down the line to avoid rebuilding a few parts and even then it is sometimes difficult to 'lift' some of the unstated dimensions.

If you built one of the boats in this book you will have a fun sail and a unique boat--but pick up some other book(s) as references for both constuction and rigging. This all relates to me experience building the Ulua, the Wa'apa looks like a relatively easier project to tackle.

Very straight forward and fascinating. Whether you ever build a sailing canoe or not this guy covers it all. From drawing of the molds to stepping masts the text covers every detail. I bought the book to read not build as a lot of time is involved. However, I do find the authors treatment as well done and recommend it highly.

This book is crammed with the author's experience and basic knowledge of both building and sailing the south sea multihull boat. Very good for the moderately interested reader, a little above the starter.

This book contained many design ideas and options that I hadn't considered. The pictures effectively explain and amplify the textual material. It was well worth the price.

The book details three different boat designs. I was also glad to see alot of useful basic boatbuilding information. I am very happy with my purchase. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of building one of his outrigger canoes.

I have always been enamored with outrigger canoes and catamarans. Prior to reading this book, I couldn't have seen myself ever building something this beautiful and useful. I've built small wood & plastic models, but that's about it. I bought this book recently, read and re-read it cover to cover, and performed as much research on the subject as possible. Two weeks later, I ordered a set of full sized plans for the Ulua sailing canoe featured in this book. 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. The author goes into detail with his instructions but remains accessible throughout. In a couple of instances, he suggests some alternatives to techniques and materials for construction. This is not an overly technical read or a jargon-ridden manual. All the measurements are given in English and Metric units. There are no tricky formulas or maths to confuse the manual process.

Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes is approachable to the first time builder that might have a little experience with power tools. 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. 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. The book is exactly what the title implies.

The only areas for improvement I can find are possibly in the technique sections. 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. In my opinion, the author would be re-inventing the wheel if he did so. I'd suggest Ted Moore's "Canoecraft", "Sailmaker's Apprentice" by Emiliano Marino andr Nick Schade's "Building Strip Planked Boats" for further reading. 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.

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. Australia.

Excellent! The proof is in the pudding. I plan to build the T-2, one of the proas covered in detail. Only the book is needed to complete several proas from start to finish, including sails. Each boat also has options as to material and rig. There is plenty to ponder including the author's website and links. I was looking for something light weight, fast, and different. An outrigger should attract some attention on the boat ramps here in Maine. Paul

Congratullations to Gary Dierking for a great book in the art of boat building a pacific sailing outrigging. There is enough writing and a lot of pictures to clear any issues a person may have. This is a great reference book for any amateur or experienced boat builder.

This book does two things for me, and perhaps for you too. First, it fills a function by standing alongside other "build your own boat" books, and especially canoe books; Bradshaw, Payson, and Dierking, all writers of build-your-boat books accessible to amateurs, each filling a niche, and each forming the core of the essential library for a variety of different types of people attracted to the water (and who can say it better than Melville's Ishmael on page one of "Moby Dick"?). The book in particular is a strong contribution to the do-it-yourself movement, a vital movement in a world of a lot of vague "movements." Here is one you can out your hands on, or rather wrap your hands around -- a tool, a sheet, a piece of wood that will be starting its second life. Doable, affordable adventure is possible for the common person -- this is necessary, so start now -- and can well start on the top of your garage work bench. The second thing this book does is solve a lot of problems. I'm no old salt, I just built a couple of outrigger canoes on my own with no guidance. And, I find that most of my major errors could have been avoided with this straight-forward, complete, and occasionally witty book. --wt