The Australian Eighteen-Footer has been a big part of Sydney Harbour, the Brisbane River and to a lesser extent Perth and a number of harbours up and down the NSW and Queensland coast for more than a century. But where did they come from? Folklore tells us that they evolved from working boats, but no-one ever traced the links and documented it. Now retired Sydney boatbuilder Ian Smith has done it. The highly-illustrated book contains a thorough coverage of how these boats were built, with a how-to guide based on exclusive interviews in the last decade with the last surviving builders of these boats before it all changed in the 1950's, and Ian's record of construction of his 2002 replica of a Sydney icon, Wee Georgie Robinson's Britannia of 1919.
Scroll below to order a print copy or an eBook.
Scroll below to order a print copy or an eBook.
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A$49. Click on the button above.
Postage:
Postage anywhere in the world except the EU is at a flat rate of A$15. We regret that we cannot supply EU countries from this website. If you reside in an EU country, the best way to order is to contact your friendly local bookstore, who should be able to order directly from the British printers Ingram Spark using the ISBN No 978-0-6481386-0-0.
WoodenBoat Magazine Reviews The Open Boat and the WoodenBoat Store sells the book.
The September/October 2018 edition of WoodenBoat Magazine, No.264 has a flattering review of The Open Boat by John Summers. The book is reviewed alongside the new book by John C.North on the Chesapeake Log Canoes which we have been waiting for for a while.
Hopefully it will help towards overseas sales especially now that our deal with European and American printers means that postage is reasonable.
The magazine's WoodenBoat Store is now selling The Open Boat off the shelf in Brooklin Maine as well as online and mail order.
Hopefully it will help towards overseas sales especially now that our deal with European and American printers means that postage is reasonable.
The magazine's WoodenBoat Store is now selling The Open Boat off the shelf in Brooklin Maine as well as online and mail order.
You can also buy off the shelf at:
Sydney: Boat Books, Ground Floor 38 Oxley St St Leonards NSW 2065
Brooklin ME USA: The WoodenBoat Store, 84 Great Cove Dr, Brooklin, ME 04616, USA
Sydney: Boat Books, Ground Floor 38 Oxley St St Leonards NSW 2065
Brooklin ME USA: The WoodenBoat Store, 84 Great Cove Dr, Brooklin, ME 04616, USA
New! The Open Boat is now available as an ebook.
Exactly the same text and all of the colour and b&w images as the print copy. Press the button below to buy from our sister website www.sydneywoodenboatschool.com.au and we will email you the link.
The 18-Footer Britannia
THE 18-FOOTERS OF SYDNEY HARBOUR HAVE BEEN THE DOMINANT OPEN BOAT RACING CLASS FOR OVER A CENTURY, AND WEE GEORGIE ROBINSON'S BRITANNIA HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THIS COMMUNITY SINCE 1919. BRITANNIA RACED HARD FOR 23 SEASONS, THEN HAD A SECOND LIFE AS A MOTOR LAUNCH, THEN WAS RESTORED FOR DISPLAY AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM WHERE SHE CAN STILL BE SEEN. HERE IS THE 100-YEAR STORY OF THE BOAT AND THE PEOPLE AROUND HER. THE STORY IS TOLD IN 102 PAGES AND CONTAINS A WEALTH OF IMAGES FROM GLASS-PLATE NEGATIVES AND CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPER REPORTS, AS WELL AS A LARGE NUMBER OF IMAGES FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS RARELY SEEN BEFORE.
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ORDER FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE
SYDNEYWOODENBOATSCHOOL.COM.AU/PRODUCT/THE-18-FOOTER-BRITANNIA-100-YEARS-OF-A-SYDNEY-ICON/
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO ORDER FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE
SYDNEYWOODENBOATSCHOOL.COM.AU/PRODUCT/THE-18-FOOTER-BRITANNIA-100-YEARS-OF-A-SYDNEY-ICON/
WE CAN POST YOU A COPY WITHIN AUSTRALIA OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD EXCEPT THE EU FOR AN ADDITIONAL A$15.
We regret that we cannot supply EU countries from this website. If you reside in an EU country, the best way to order is to contact your friendly local bookstore, who should be able to order directly from the British printers Ingfram Spark using the ISBN No 978-0-6481386-3-1
We regret that we cannot supply EU countries from this website. If you reside in an EU country, the best way to order is to contact your friendly local bookstore, who should be able to order directly from the British printers Ingfram Spark using the ISBN No 978-0-6481386-3-1
Below: The replica of Britannia under construction, just a small part of the history of this Sydney icon.
18-Footer Rigs Poster- $15
Due to popular demand we now offer an A3 (42 x 29.7cm) poster suitable for framing, of the illustration from The Open Boat book of the rigs carried by 18-footers in the first half of the 20th century. Printed on high quality 200 gsm paper, your poster will be posted to you in a tube. The poster is $15. Postage within Australia $10, New Zealand $13, USA and Canada $17, UK and Ireland $23, EU $24, rest of world $28.
Click on the button to order your poster.
Click on the button to order your poster.