I have both those DVD's. I really can't answer if I think they'd be helpful to a beginner, as I really don't have a good feel for what beginners need. I was exposed to them as a fairly settled-in builder of over half a dozen completed boats that included S&G's, hybrids and full strippers. The DVD's were given to me, and were mostly just idle amusement. But as such, they were, well, very entertaining. Thing is, there are so many different ways to do any one job, and all work so well, and the guys in the vids naturally do things that are exactly different from what I do.

But I think it'd be mighty hard to go wrong with 'em. I mean, I found them to be good quality productions that are fun to watch, and it's a cinch they won't make your first build harder. For that matter, they're probably guaranteed to help at least a little bit. I therefore give 'em a thumbs-up.