A pair of safe and seaworthy beach and coastal cruisers.

The Sea Eagles are two original beach-cruising sailboat designs from David L. Nichols — one 16 1/2 feet and the other 14 1/2 feet, with full plans for building them and thorough, meticulous instructions and photos.

Beach cruisers are sailboats designed to pull up in the shallows near shore for overnight camping, with room for sleeping on board if desired, and ample stowage for gear so you can stay out for a weekend or a week of adventure. These new designs take the general concept and perfect it with the extra righting moment provided by a weighted keel, plus the extraordinary handling abilities imparted by tandem centerboards.

This book will guide even the novice builder through each step of the building process with clearly written sequences and hundreds of excellent color photographs. There are also extensive chapters on making all the spars and sails. The builder can choose between the larger or smaller design, either of which can be built in a double-car garage. They are fitted with traditional sails that are simple and easy to rig, with masts that fold down on tabernacles to make quick set-up a snap. These boats can be launched from a trailer with the same ease as a power boat because they both draw less than 15 inches of water with the boards up. But even with their shallow draft, these boats stay on their feet because there is a generous amount of fixed lead and concrete ballast in the box keels.

For beginner boatbuilders up to more experienced craftsmen, this book will provide a wealth of information on creating a versatile, safe, delightful sailboat.

Building the Sea Eagles:
$24.95 for signed copy! (Additional $8.00 postage fee.)