This is new, but in a sense quite old. I first published the magazine and founded IABBS (The International Amateur Boat Building Society) in 1967. I ran this as a hobby for about five years, but the pressure of business (I launched Early American Life magazine), racing sailboats, building a new boat to my own design, and co-founding the Yacht Design Institute, got to be too much! I sold IABBS and YDI. They both later went out of business.

In “real-life”, I am a journalist and publisher. Well, I was. Today, I am retired. In the past, I have built five of the 11 boats I’ve owned, two to my own design. Published four books including being co-author (with Ted Brewer) of the original book Understanding Boat Design. Sailboat racer for some 40 years. Now I’m bringing back IABBS and the new magazine.

The magazine will be published six times a year until we get going, then we will step up to 9 or 12 issues anually. To receive the Magazine, click the applicable "Subscribe" button at the top of the page.

Read some sample articles from the pages of Amateur Boat Building Magazine here

Here are some of the stories in the works:

• A directory of designers and suppliers (second issue).
• Building an frp one off with C-flex and Plyfoam.
• The best websites for the amateur boat builder. Lots of good stuff out there.
• The ergonomics factor–how people fit the boat.
• Understanding all the new glues.
• The absolute unvarnished truth about plywood.
• Amateur-build able submarines, PWCs, flying boats, and more.
• Sources of finish-it-yourself frp hull kits.
• Why timeshare building may make good sense.
• ...and much more.

In every issue:

• Q & A report. The better questions & answers from the past month.
• “I learned from that.” Members share their experiences.
• New products of special interest to the amateur builder.
• What the Big Boys are up to. What you can learn from the professional builders.
• Calendar of events of interest.
• Reports from our correspondents in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Letters to the editor. More questions and comments.
• Photos of recently completed amateur projects.
• USCG recalls of commercially manufactured boats and what you can learn from them.
• Updates on IABBS activities.

All this is somewhat tentative. Much depends on the wants and needs of the members. This is your organization. You will set the direction–I will simply focus the input.