You see it, in the back of the yard, varnish hanging in strips off weather-beaten trim, rigging frayed, sails ripped and stained, dank interior with dangling wires and scurrying anonymous inhabitants. But underneath all the squalor you see the lines of a real cruising boat--a sturdy hull with a sprightly sheer from the pen of a Philip Rhodes or a Tom Gillmer--a fiberglass boat built back when craftsmanship still meant something.

You remember when you bought your house--it looked a lot like this boat, and you and your all-thumbs husband managed to breathe life into it over time, painting, papering, spackling--lots of spackling. This boat has possibilities.

"How much?" you ask.

"You're kidding, right?" says Tadd, flicking a bit of cobweb from his spotless Breton Reds. "Take it for, say, $8,000?"

Sold.

Well, now you've got it home, Now what?

Turn to This Old Boat. Don Casey, co-author of Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach, assumes you know nothing--not even how to use tools--and leads you methodically and good-naturedly through every step of turning a cast-off fiberglass boat into a real show-stopper, including the simplest and most comlete explanation yet of sailmaking--the sailor's darkest and most expensive art. Casey's step-by-step drawings guide you through a simple project--laying up a fiberglass instrument case, for example--then show you how to apply those skills to something more ambitious--like building a new hatch.

With this book and the best buyer's market in boating history, you can send Tadd that postcard from Tahiti--and have money to spare.

Can't afford that brand-new boat?

Take advantage of the best buyer's market in boating history. Turn a rundown production boat into a first-class yacht with This Old Boat.

Whether you are skilled or unskilled, whether you like sail or powerboats, here is everything you need to:

• Find the right boat at the right price
• Map out a logical, affordable renovation plan
• Work with fiberglass--everything from minor cosmetics to major structural repairs
• Renovate rigging, winches, engines, and other mechanical systems
• Work with wood, canvas, and plastic
• Change the interior from a cramped, dingy dormitory to a light, spacious livable home
• Repair and modernize the electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration systems
• Add a stunning, mirror-like finish
• Make your own dodgers, sail covers, and SAILS--and much more!

"Casey's intelligent, practical advice covers just about everything, and his style is just what the doctor ordered for anyone daft enough to want to fix up an old boat."--Southern Boating

"A great book for anyone on the water."--Maine Coastal News