Pigeons and Gudgeons is a difficult book to categorize
because it cuts across different styles of boatbuilding and related
trades, though the emphasis is on traditional construction. Boatbuilding,
like this book, draws on the skills of machinists, patternmakers,
sailmakers, sparmakers, caulkers, finishers, riggers, and others.
It's neither dictionary nor glossary though it contains elements
of both--it's more of a modest boatbuilder's encyclopedia, with
concise explanations and plenty of photos and drawings.
Prior to the publication of this book, the chances of finding a concise answer to a marine or shop related question was largely a hit or miss proposition. Even for those of us with a rather respectable boatbuilding library and files of clippings, the trick is still to put your finger on the information when it is needed. Here is a resource that you can keep alongside your favorite chair or in your shop that you can access any time.
One reviewer told us he intended to read a few selected entries but spent considerable time reading as he was drawn in and led from one heading to the next. A good deal of what is included between these covers has never appeared in print before, having derived from the adages and rules of thumb used daily in boatshops (and virtually unknown elsewhere). So what is the significance of the title? You'll have to look it up in the book.The style is conversational, the information invaluable, and having your own copy will make your life considerably less taxing. There are few things as frustrating as needing an explanation and not being able to find it. Pigeons and Gudgeons was written to help you do just that.
About the photos...
Two of the terms explained in Pigeons and Gudgeons are Sprit Rig and Spanish Windlass, both of which are illustrated with these photos. Other terms that appear in bold type are also defined in the book.
Above is a 14' Lincolnville
Salmon Wherry--Scrod to be precise--under the press
of her sprit rig off Lincolnville Beach in Penobscot Bay.The
shape of the sail, you'll notice is like that of a gaff rig,
but in this case the sail is 
peaked
by means of the snotter attached to the lower end of her
sprit.
To the left are a pair of Spanish Windlasses being used to maintain the beam of a lapstrake canoe while she is being repaired. Tension is applied by turning the levers inserted in the lines. Bar or pipe clamps would be difficult to use in this instance because of the shape of the hull. Ratchet clamps with woven nylon straps would work, but why buy them when a centuries old alternative will work every bit as well?
The photo below shows a collection of caulking tools, from left to right: two caulking irons, a reefing iron, a traditional mallet, a hank of soft cotton, a smaller wooden mallet, and a caulking wheel at the bottom. The folded 2' rule is included for scale.
