The Bookwatch
Confessions Of A Boatbuilder is the autobiography of Nova Scotia boatbuilder James (Doug) Rosborough, whose nautical design endeavors have included the construction over 150 sea-worthy vessels in the 1940s and 1950s, - most of them schooners. Of special interest are the personal insights Rosborough provides into the professional life a skilled designer who was able to build seaworthy craft until the wooden boat-building industry petered out as a result of changing economics and the introduction of such boat-building materials as fiberglass and aluminum. Confessions Of A Boatbuilder is a unique and highly recommended contribution to personal, academic, and community library Nautical History collections.
The Charleston Daily News
Confessions of a Boatbuilder is an engrossing autobiography of the noted Nova Scotian boatbuilder, James Douglas Rosborough. The author takes us from his modest beginnings in the 1940s (when he was constructing eight-foot rowboats) to the early 1990s (by which time his nautical design efforts grew to include the construction of over 150 vessels many of them schooners to a host of distinguished clients). Rosborough pioneered numerous designs, ranging in length from 30-50 feet. He is marvelously candid about the trials, triumphs, and surprises involved in the construction and operation of these gorgeous vessels. Rosborough's prose is particularly moving when he writes about his efforts to complete some of his last vessels before the wooden boat-building industry bottomed out.
Reference and Research Book News
The Nova Scotian author and boatbuilder tells the story of his career. In the 1940s he was making small punts, then he spent years designing boats which would eventually be built at three boatyards. The construction of over 150 vessels, most of them schooners, and the host of clients who bought them are described. Includes many b&w photos and drawings of the boats he designed.
Booknews
The Nova Scotian author and boatbuilder tells the story of his career. In the 1940's he was making small punts, then he spent years designing boats which would eventually be built at three boatyards. The construction of over 150 vessels, most of them schooners, and the host of clients who bought them are described. Includes many b&w photos and drawings of the boats he designed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
