Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts [Paperback]

Philip Bolger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

Here are 75 novel and wonderful boats--some strange, some beautiful, all of them paragons of Philip Bolger's form-follows-function design philosophy. A planing microtrawler; a glass-galleried, beachable birdwatching boat; a fully enclosed ocean-cruising rowboat; cruising sailboats that take the ground at low tide; power, sail, and rowing boats from 6 to 95 feet--these are boats as only Bolger's unfettered imagination does them. This is the first collection of Bolger's work in almost 15 years. It is long overdue.

"Bolger is an eloquent writer and his comments run the gamut from hilarious to profound."--The Ensign

"Bolger brings a kind of youthful feeling to yacht design--he would rather make precedent than follow it."--WoodenBoat

"Bolger has a way of seducing even the lay reader into thinking about and beginning to understand boat design."--Cruising World

"Boat lovers who are used to designers who conceive the same boat over and over, camouflaged with a face-lifting here and there, will be amazed at Phil Bolger's diversity."--Boatbuilder

Editorial Reviews

Review

``. . .entertains, informs, and makes you think about boats in ways you probably thought weren't possible--Boats with an Open Mind is wonderful, its author priceless. (WoodenBoat )

About the Author

Philip C. Bolger was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1927. He became obsessed with boat design not long after. He now works in a sculpture garden of experimental boats of his imagining, still in Gloucester. His hobbies are history, prophecy, and fantasy. In the spring of 1994 he married and went into partnership with Susanne Altenburger, whose tastes and amusements are similar but not identical.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070063761
• ISBN-13: 978-0070063761
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unparalled, October 11, 2000

By 

J. ONEILL (Fairfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts (Paperback)

Congratulations! You have arrived! If you dream practical dreams--if you dream of building a boat--and if you haven't discovered Bolger, prepare yourself, for you are about to be set free! Bolger THINKS. He thinks of what you need in your boat, and he designs them in. The details are all there. He considers engines, ground tackle, comforts. He considers place. Where is the boat going to be used. Where will it be stored. Will it need to fit under low bridges. He considers limitations, specifically those of the home builder. No fancy custom bronze castings here; his fittings you can build from stock items, and they work. Bolger is one of a kind. He is the Master. His boats can be beautiful (Nord Koster) practical (Diablo) extraordinary (Steel Singlehander) and all of the above (Sainte Valery). This book is aptly titled; it WILL open your mind. Welcome fellow boat dreamer and builder, to the world of Phil Bolger & Friends. You're gonna like it here.....

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bolger's unique approach informs and entertains all, June 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts (Paperback)

Phil Bolger has a direct approach to designing boats which is reflected in an easy writing style.

Radical designers have often called for advanced techniques of construction, expensive materials and sophisticated tools, with exotic results - but Bolger's boats are for anyone with a yen to be afloat, and so is this book.
Even if I never build a Bolger boat (unlikely, since three sheets of plywood are now on order) I will have gained an extra appreciation of boats and boating that will stand me in good stead.

His writing skill is to make clear what is needful without bombast or technical obscurity. Despite this, there is a technical daring in some of his simplest designs that can be breathtaking. At times he waxes poetic, within the context of how one might use and enjoy his designs. Check out "Birdwatcher" and see if you don't agree.

There is also a refreshing frankness about the ones that didn't pan out - not all designers will admit to errors, but Bolger is happy to expose his learning processes for our benefit. This is an unusual book, and I recommend it. Ben Mullet

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading if you like boats, September 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boats with an Open Mind: Seventy-Five Unconventional Designs and Concepts (Paperback)

Phil Bolger is the only boat architect I know who readily admits mistakes. This makes this book the best book about boats one can read. Only mistakes lead to experience. It is incredible how much you learn and how it changes ones opinion about how a boat should look. Especially those designing themselves will greatly appreciate all the ideas, ranging from novel to strange. This is one of the few books on boat-design which I have actually read from start till end.