Customer Reviews

The Nature of Boats: Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Stories about boats with problems (or sometimes about boats without problems) alternating with general discussion of various boat design considerations make this book an engaging and interesting read. The book begins with several chapters each dedicated to an overview of a specific boat or type of boat. Further chapters cover topics such as boat performance, sail plans, propeller selection (the author has an entire book on this subject called, appropriately enough "Propeller Handbook"), engines, hull dynamics and many other subjects relevent to boat design. Interspersed throughout the book are stories illustrating design or construction mistakes or successfull designs. A very useful book for anyone interested in boats in any capacity. Highly recommended.

I bought this book a few years ago after idly thumbing through it up in a local bookstore. I was mainly looking for some entertaining reading about boats, and it is that, but it's much more.

Gerr is not only a talented naval architect, he's a skilled writer and teacher as well. "The Nature of Boats" is really a text on boat design disguised as fun reading. It's required reading for anyone considering designing a boat, and a must have for anyone who likes reading about the nuts and bolts of boats, too. I loaned my copy to a friend contemplating the purchase of a small motor sailor, and didn't get it back for half a year. It now sits in the center of the "boatbuilding" shelf in my home office, where I can refer to it often.

If you want to build a boat, or understand more about how boats are designed, this is an excelent book. Easy to read and humorous.

Love the book. It is full of "Rules of Thumb" that can save tons of time when trying to design a boat or solve a problem. The techniques shown are great for practical application. The author has an uncanny ability to teach complex subjects in a down to earth easy to understand manner. Highly recommended for boatman, yacht designers, marine engineers and naval architects.

Subtitled Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed, this book is a direct hit on its intended audience. Read it once through quickly, then enjoy it over and over again like a favorite song, and you will learn an amazing amount about every sort of boat an individual is likely to own or dream about. Gerr covers design and construction, sails and motors, and boats from homemade paddleboat to liveaboard oceangoing cruiser either motor and/or sail, and everything in between. He covers more about boats than you could imagine he would, and writes wonderfully.
It is difficult to say in a few words how useful, or how enjoyable, this book is. I love it.

This is a book filled with detailed information about boats and boat design. What is covered is well explained; however, the overall approach is scattered. The initinal chapters just seem to wander about from one boat design story to another, and then the author even diverts to "mystery" story telling in the style of Mike Hammer. The author uses a lot of math, but it is not presented in a high flown manner which is often done by those who are good at math. The math explanations are not only straight forward, but they are always set up in a way that applies the math to the real world of boats and boat design. The math helps the reader see why certain boats behave in certain ways.

Overall this book will enhance the knowledge of anyone who owns a boat but does not have a degree in boat design. Very useful.

This is a great introduction for people interested in boat design. The chapters are essays covering different subjects. From propeller size to composite exotic materials for boat construction. One thing I like with this book is that Dave Gerr doesn't skip the details, like a lot of other introduction books. He gives the numbers for calculating boat speed, hull thickness etc. The only thing I find to critisize is that the book lacks some explaining pictures. Sure, there are plenty, but I need more to understand some of the stuff.

While not as technical (unfortunately) as the author's The Elements of Boat Strength it does contain a wealth of information for the curious. The book is a collection of magazine articles but Mr. Gerr must have done a lot of editing-they flow together nicely. Quite readable.

I love books on how things work, and I love books on boats. This one is a great combination of both. It covers a lot of naval architecture subjects and all in just the right depth for the interested novice.

The book begins with a review of different types of hulls and their advantages and disadvantages. That is followed by my favorite section which is the one on the theory of naval architecture - the parameters and how they affect the problem space. After that there is another good section about how to understand a drawing of a hull and relate that to performance characteristics of the boat. Engineers love to talk about tradeoffs and this book covers that really well, including topics like stability and roll resistance, hull strength versus shape and many others.

There is a lot more, but I don't want to spoil the ending, so I will just say that if you are interested in boats as an engineer, sailor or purchaser, then you need to read this book.

If my wife read this book, she would divorce me instantly, as she would understand why a Nautically Obsessed person will never change, and will get worse as time goes by.....

Honestly, this book made me realize there are others like me that can't stop thinking about boats and the ocean! It feeds the fire burning in your soul and loads you up with all kinds of facts, concepts, and the author's experience to send you off to the drawing board, the boat show, or maybe West Marine. Great writing and a flow of information that will make you not want to let it down until you've committed to memory. While you're at it, get "Elements of Boat Strength" also. Highly recommended!