After completing over 140 interviews and three years of research, authors John and Laura Pether have provided a collection of histories concerning 269 boat builders on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The stories - many of which were heretofore unwritten - unfold from south to north, from the Everglades to Pensacola, with the earliest boat builders of that region being discussed first in each chapter. Enhanced by photographs and brought to life by personal remembrances and historical newspaper accounts, Wood, Fiberglass, and Steel: The History of Boat Building on Florida’s Gulf Coast is a fascinating tribute and depiction of how demand and technology transformed boat building methods and how the boat building industry impacted the economy and employment opportunities along the Gulf Coast. Whether the reader is interested in the era of steamships carrying cargo and passengers along the coast and rivers, the traditional lines of Greek sponge boats, the rapid build up in Tampa and the Panhandle of wood and steel vessel production for wartime use, the early development of hydroplanes, or the magic of boat building without plans - “by rack of eye,” this book will inform and entertain you.