"Former Mystic Seaport Curator Ben Fuller has selected and annotated 87 boat plans from the Museum's collection, plus plans for oars and rigging, with the amateur builder in mind. He offers a brief background on each boat, notes their strengths and weaknesses, and offers construction tips or suggestions for using the plans to help the reader select the right boat. The boats range from simple skiffs through handsome Whitehalls and sleek canoes, to a 20-foot catboat.".