This follow-up to the bestselling book Fishing with Gubby (Harbour Publishing, 2010) continues the adventures of Gubby, a commercial salmon fisherman, who heads home to his village on the Sunshine Coast at the end of another long season. His beloved old boat, the Flounder, is worn out and he commissions a Japanese-Canadian boat builder in historic Steveston to build him a new one. The story follows the stages of building a boat from selecting plans to preparing the wood to laying the keel to final finishing and launching.

Combining the masterful storytelling of Gary Kent and the striking illustrations of Kim La Fave, Gubby Builds a Boat transports the reader to a golden age of boat construction when craftsmen passed their skills down through the generations. This 32-page, graphic novel-style book documents the rich traditions of the Japanese-Canadian fishing community and wooden boat building on the West Coast, and offers a nostalgic portrait of commercial salmon fishing in the 1970s. Aimed at the age 6 to 10 reading level, it can be appreciated by boat and book lovers of all ages.