The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction: Wood and WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy was first published in 1979. As originally conceived, this boat construction book was an introduction to the techniques of “modern” wooden boat building popular from 1960-1980. Its focus, as its title suggests, was how to mate wood with epoxy to form a composite that has physical characteristics superior to either component by itself and is stabilized from the effects of moisture. This development of wood/epoxy composites revolutionized the use of wood as an engineering material.

The original boat construction book was well received, and we updated it in 1982 and 1985 to reflect changes in materials and techniques. It has continued to sell well and has introduced thousands to wood/epoxy construction techniques. It has also been used by marine trade schools and apprentice programs as part of their curriculum. In short, The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction book has become a respected member of the canon of boat building books.

Much has changed since 1985 as modern wooden boat building has evolved. Several of the methods we discussed, such as variations on strip planking and hard-chine construction, have become more popular. Others, such as the mold and stringer-frame methods, are now used infrequently except for molds and prototypes. In 2005, aerospace composites are in common use. Hybrids using wood and advanced composites, including aramid, S-glass, and carbon fiber, are being explored. So too are the uses of non-traditional wood species. Such uses are possible because of the ability of epoxy resins to protect and bond wood and overcome traditional durability concerns. In short, the choices for the wooden boat builder and customer in the early 21st century have grown immensely.

Nonetheless, the techniques described in The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction have stood the test of time. In a simple and straightforward narrative, we describe how anyone with a few tools, some wood, and some WEST SYSTEM® epoxy can turn out a good, safe boat. In addition, we give experienced builders a base of information from which to produce increasingly sophisticated hulls and other structures. For the student, builder, or customer researching options, The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction provides a solid understanding of available choices and their nuances.

Changes to the 5th Edition To make The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction a richer resource for the 21st century reader, we have chosen to revise, reorganize, and update the book, but not to rewrite it. To edit out less popular construction methods like stressed skin or stringer-frame construction or replace fundamental building disciplines such as lofting with modern counterparts like computer-assisted design (CAD) would rob the reader of choices. While, after 25 years, the book includes some things that we would no longer do, this information provides a historical perspective on how “modern” wood/epoxy construction evolved and potential techniques that could still be of interest to current builders.

For clarity, we have reorganized the 5th edition of our boat construction book into six sections:

• Fundamentals of Wood/Epoxy Composite Construction
• Getting Started
• Core Boatbuilding Techniques
• First Production Steps
• Hull Construction Methods
• Later Production Steps