An Index of Plans and Articles
in
MoToR BoatinG Magazine's
Ideal Series of Books

The Ideal Series of books published by MoToR BoatinG magazine from 1920 into the '60s are a treasure trove of designs, with complete building instructions, for good boats designed by some of America's best small boat designers.
No, I won't send you copies of the articles in my Ideal Series books. The books are available through interlibrary loan, and all the William and John Atkin plans are still available from the Atkin Family.
Atkin & Co.
An Incomplete List of the Plans Sorted by Designer
An Incomplete List of the Plans Sorted by Name
Volume 1, *Designs of Ideal Motor Boats and How to Design a Motor Boat* (1920)
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Volume 2, *How to Build Sixteen Ideal Motor Boats (1927)
A Practical treatise on motor boat building in general with detail working drawings and instructions on building many types of cruisers, runabouts, speed boats, dinghies, etc.
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Volume 3, Twelve Complete V-Bottom Designs
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Volume 4, *Twenty Easy-to-Build Motor Boats (1922)
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Volume 5, Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling
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Volume 6, Where to Cruise
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Volume 7, *Build a Boat (1924)
A new book of small-boat designs and blue prints of twenty-five practical runabouts, cruisers, hydroplanes, auxiliaries and dinghies.
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Volume 8, *Modern Motorboat Plans and Designs* (1938)
A collection of up-to-date designs for motor boats, cruisers, and sailing craft.
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Volume 9, *The Plan Book of Cruisers, Runabouts, Auxiliaries and Outboard Motor Boats (1927)
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Volume 10, *The Outboard Motor Boat Book (1927)
A modern collection of high speed and other useful outboard engined small boats.
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Volume 11, *Motor Boat Building (1936)
Useful and practical hints on small boat construction with plans and specifications for Vee bottom craft.
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Volume 12, *How To Build Thirty-five Modern Motor Boats (1929)
Plans, blue prints and building instructions for many serviceable craft from ten to forty feet in length.
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Volume 13, An Introduction to Navigation
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Volume 14, Marine Engine Book
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Volume 15, *Thirty Easy To Build Sail Boats with Auxiliary Power
A complete collection of designs with plans, blue prints and building instructions.
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Volume 16, *Selected Popular Motor Boat Designs (1934)
Complete designs and building instructions for thirty-five motor boats of many styles.
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Volume 17, *Building Plans for Forty-three Small Boats (1936)
Skillfully prepared designs and complete building information for nine racing boats, eight runabouts, fourteen cruisers and twelve sail and auxiliary craft.
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Volume 18, *Complete Designs for 44 Modern Boats (1941)
A collection of designs for outboards, utilities, motor cruisers, small sail boats and larger auxiliaries.
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Volume 19, Seamanship - A Practical Manual
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Volume 20, *Forty Designs for Postwar Boats (1944)
Selected designs for modern boats: dinghies, rowboats,outboards, sailboats, auxiliaries, runabouts, utility boats, cruisers, motorsailers, other types.
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Volume 21, Celestial Navigation Simplified
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Volume 22, *The Runabout Book (1944)
Complete plans and building instructions with specification, blue prints and tables of offsets for the construction of eighteen fine runabouts from 14 to 33 feet in length plus seventeen other selected designs include how-to-build plans for cruisers, sailboats, auxiliaries, dinghies and utility boats.
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Volume 23, *Up-to-Date Designs for Motor and Sail Craft (1947)
Complete with building instructions, specifications, offset tables and descriptive articles for eight cruisers, ten runabouts, and two work boats together with thirteen auxiliary sailing vessels from a sailing punt to a thirty-five foot seagoing cutter.
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Volume 24, *Plans For Plywood Boats (1947)
A collection of small boat designs especially prepared for construction with waterproof marine plywood together with additional designs which could be constructed with plywood.
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Volume 25, *Small Boats for Outboard Engines (1947)
A collection of easily built small boat designs intended for use with outboard engines, utility, racing and other practical small boats from rowboats to small cruisers.
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Volume 26, The Evolution of Celestial Navigation
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Volume 27, *Motor Cruisers, Auxiliaries, and Small Boats (1950)
A variety of small boat designs including service and racing outboard runabouts, inboard powered runabouts, small sailing boats, larger auxiliaries, motor cruisers and a houseboat.
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Volume 28, Boat Maintenance, Afloat, Ashore, Part 1 (1952)
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Volume 29, Boat Maintenance, Afloat, Ashore, Part 2 (1952)
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Volume 30, Boat Maintenance, Afloat, Ashore, Part 3 (1952)
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Volume 31, Where To Cruise
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Volume 32, *Outboard Boats You Can Build (1953/1968)
Includes foldout bluelines and the plans for a wonderful 22' V-bottom cruiser for metal construction: Jog-Along.
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Volume 33, *Sailboats and Auxiliaries You Can Build (1953/1958)
A collection of designs with plans, blueprints and building instructions. All designs are entirely complete with all necessary drawings, written instructions, and specifications, with many useful hints on small boat building.
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Volume 34, Practical Boat Building (1961)
Useful hints and suggestions for the amateur small boat builder from laying down the lines full size to the correct use of fiberglass.
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Volume 35, Celestial Navigation Simplified
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Volume 36, Handbook of Safe Boating, Motor and Sail
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Volume 37, Yacht Log, Guest Register, Radio Log
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Volume 38, *How-to-Build Plans for Simple, Speedy, Seaworthy Craft (1954)
Designs, plans and building descriptions for a great variety of practical small boats, from simple prams to cruisers and sailing auxiliaries.
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Volume 39, Sailing Encyclopedia - Small Boat handling
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Volume 40, *Professional Designs for Amateur Builders (1955)
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Volume 41, *The Plywood Boatbuilder* (1956/1967)
Basic methods of plywood boat construction, with 45 complete selected plans designed specifically for marine plywood or adaptable to its use.
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Volume 42, Build Your Boat, Part 1 (1956)
Profiles, arrangement plans and principal specifications for 269 selected boat designs.
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Volume 43, Build Your Boat, Part 2 (1956)
Profiles, arrangement plans and principal specifications for 157 selected sailboat designs.
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Volume 44, Keeping Your Outboard Motor in Shape
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Volume 45, Basic Sailing Illustrated Primer
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Volume 46, *A Treasury of Inboard Cruiser Designs (1958)
Forty-seven selected designs of inboard cruisers from 22 feet to 40 feet in length, supplemented by complete, informative how-to-build articles.
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Volume 47, *Workable Plans for Practical Boats (1958)
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Volume 48, *Fiberglass Boats You Can Build (1966)
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Volume 49, How to Design Planing Hulls (1963)
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Volume 50, ?
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Volume 51, Designs for 363 Boats You Can Build (1965)
An illustrated catalog of the designs sold by MoToR BoatinG at the time.
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