From My Old Boat Shop by Weston Farmer

We stumbled across a cool book from a press called Boat House Books down in Portland, Oregon. From My Old Boat Shop is a huge, 356-page, 8.5 x 11 hardback chock full of good reading. The dust jacket says the book is a "narrative collection of Weston Farmer's gleanings from the old boat shops such as Elco, Racine Boat Co., Hubbard, etc. and from his personal association with the greats such as Rabl, Atkin, Davis, Hanna, etc."

I really didn't know much about Weston Farmer or his designs until recently when Associate Editor Marty Loken invited me out for a spin on his elegant Farmer-designed Sundance power-cruiser. Marty had told me how efficient Farmer's motorboat designs were, and sure enough the 17-footer climbed up on a plane effortlessly and quietly in front of a barely-throttled 25 hp outboard.

Having experienced it firsthand, I found the book's claim that "(Farmer) provides the 'secret inner workings' of old boat technology that was forgotten after high power and mass-production fever forever changed boat design," much more believable.

P.S. Some of the chapters: William Atkin Pt1 and Pt 2, Tribute to Sam Rabl, El Cheapo Planimeter, Flotation Models, The Kitchen Rudder, Power/Fuel, The Lovely Fantail Launch, The 18-Foot Runabout Pllywog.



"Simply the best book on boat design philosophy available."
- Bob Pickett, Flounder Bay Boat Lumber

Farmer is the practical companion to Chapelle."
- Bill Durham

"Farmer is a champion of the cause of the home boat builder."
- Sam Rabl "

Our last copy is reference only."
- Eric Cisney, Seattle Public Library


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