All plans included on this site are suitable for amateurs to construct. In fact, most of the stock plans on this site were specifically designed for amateur construction, and this is reflected in the amount of detail in our plans, which typically is much greater than is required by more experienced builders.

Our stock plan vessels are designed mainly for timber construction, using the timber/epoxy composite technique, or timber/plywood/epoxy. Timber and plywood are among the best and easiest material for the amateur to use, and when combined with epoxy, have none of the wear and degradation problems which used to be associated with wooden and plywood boats in the past. It is this technology which is responsible for the worldwide resurgence of wooden boat construction today. Most of our sailing vessels have alloy masts, although timber masts could be employed on some designs. Sails and sailing rigs are generally medium to high tech. for improved sailing performance.

Inboard marine engines are diesel, and outboard motors are generally petrol.

The principles on which our boats are designed are strength, safety, seaworthiness and comfort. We will not sacrifice these in order to gain higher performance. Nevertheless, our boats have a reputation as excellent performers and have done well in racing. They are also known for their strength.

I have always believed that boating is more expensive than it needs to be, so one of our main priorities is to keep our prices as low as practical, and to provide high quality and value for money. By keeping the business small, and by avoiding expensive equipment usage, we are able to produce very high quality plans for an affordable price.

This philosophy is also reflected in the type of boats we design, some of which are primarily intended as lower cost, easy to build, but high quality alternatives to the 'tupperware' boats which are often the only option available to many. In future we intend to lean further in the direction of simple, low cost construction, providing options for builders which can save them money and still provide sound and safe boats.