First published in 1975, this classic guide is a collection of basic boat plans of a variety of Benford designs, ranging in size from 7 to 131 feet in length and selected from the custom designs created over the past three decades. It is designed as the spark to fire one’s ideas about the sort of boat one really wants or to suggest an idea for a new boat. The fourth edition includes a number of designs new since the third edition and is heavily illustrated with photographs and plan drawings.

Cruising Designs

Engineering & Transportation

Benford, Jay

Transportation

Tiller Publishing

A salty collection of complete building plans for six small cruising boats, including a fantail steam launch (17' or 25'), working tugboat (14' or 20'), supply boat (20'), cruiser (14' or 20'), long-distance-sailing cruiser (14'), or fantail catboat (20'). Among the most popular designs offered by Benford, special effort has been made to reproduce the plans to scale, so that the builder will be able to work easily from the prints in the book.

Pocket Cruisers & Tabloid Yachts/1

Taken from Benford's original drawings and reduced in scale, the plans for each of the 15 small boats included in this collection are nevertheless complete and ready for lofting full size. The boats range in size from 7' to 18' and can be varied for rowing, sailing, or small outboard engine.

Small Craft Plans

Popularized by the bestselling Voyaging on a Small Income, the Badger design of Benford sailing dories is fully dissected in the comprehensive guide to its conception, design, and construction. With sections by a skilled Badger builder, the in-depth, how-to includes detailed architectural plans of each boat for DIY enthusiasts, while commentary reveals the designer's logic behind the idea, the sailing capabilities and clever innovations of the boat, and builder's tips on choosing the best tools and materials to execute the plan. Featured boats include the twin keel cutter, the Baby Badger, and the sailing dory Donna, among others.

Building Badger: & the Benford Sailing Dory Designs

Sports & Outdoors

Hill, Pete

Water Sports

Containing scores of study plans for tugs, freighters, ferries, excursion boats, trawler yachts, houseboats, and fishing vessels, this latest volume of ideas is thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded, with a tremendous variety of styles and types of small ships. Each design is a salty and practical cruising vessel and is introduced with a brief description of its creation and history and accompanied by layout drawings and/or photos. Many of the designs trace their origins to working vessels and heritage powerboats, and all have a refreshing frankness about them, absent of any tricky styling, glitter, or glitz.

Small Ships