Details of Dinghy Building

The tricky elements of the traditional clinker dinghy build

W.N.C. Stirling

Whether she is to be rowed or sailed independently, or will be the tender to a larger vessel, nothing feels or looks quite like a traditional clinker-built dinghy, ‘done right’. And those two words are the key to a boat which will truly grace the water, charm all who use or see her, and maintain her value.

In Details of Dinghy Building boatbuilder Will Stirling painstakingly describes and illustrates, in full colour, the many arcane yet vital tasks which can daunt the beginning boatbuilder. Will has been building clinker dinghies professionally for many years and has made, and learned how to avoid, all the mistakes which lie in wait for the unwary. Take advantage of his experience, and some ‘tricks of the trade’, and draw ­inspiration from the many mouthwatering photographs of finished boats which punctuate the book.

If you’re building a boat, this textual guide and photographic reference will pay for itself many times over in the time, frustration and embarrassment it will save you. If you’re not, you’ll find it a fascinating verbal and visual window into a time-honoured traditional craft.

Click here to view some sample spreads from the book

We offer a conventional sewn softcover binding, and also a lay-flat spiral binding for workshop use. Please select your binding option when ordering

ISBN 978-1-907206-21-4 (for sewn binding only); 216 x 216mm, 192 pages, hundreds of colour photos, matt laminated cover with flaps; spiral binding has additional protective clear acetate sheets front & back.