Customer Reviews

Sensible Cruising Designs

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L. Francis Herreshoff was a man with a lot of opinions, a lot of strong opinions. A descendent of the famous Herreshoff family of Bristol, Rhode Island, L. Francis grew up around some of the finest yachts of the day. He was also a prolific yacht designer and writer. This book is a collection of L. Francis Herreshoff's designs, each accompanied by a description of the design. The book contains 49 designs in all. Some of the designs include very complete information including construction details and offsets while other designs are merely design studies.

L. Francis Herreshoff designed an amazing range of boats, from simple tenders to simple daysailers to meter class racing yachts. In its day, Ticonderoga, a Herreshoff designed 72 footer was a renowned ocean racer that set records that lasted decades. His double paddle canoes are still being built and are excellent examples of the type.

L. Francis is probably best known for his small cruising boats, the H-28 and the Rozinante, both of which have been included in the book with detailed articles by L. Francis titled "Building the....". But as I stated above, L. Francis was a man of many opinions and so in describing building the H-28 he launches off on a variety of topics from how to carry guns on a boat to the type of food one should eat while cruising. L. Francis's crusty writing is clear and forthright, with nothing held back; good solid fire from the hip and let the chips fall where they may stuff.

L. Francis had a marvelous eye for developing beautiful boats. His designs are a joy to behold. As a (sometimes) fellow yacht designer I admire the quality of drafting. As a (sometimes) fellow yacht designer, I admire the quality of drafting which is deceptively simple and clear while conveying a tremendous amount of information.

Today, many of the designs themselves are really relics of a bygone time. They are but a snapshot of a time when boats were simpler and sailing was a more of hands on sport. As boats have become more complex, and modern boats seem to have become so heavily dependent on electronics and hardware, its helpful to have a book like 'Sensible Cruising Designs' be remind us once and a while that sailing and sailboats does not have to be so complex.

It's surprising how poorly this book is selling. Herreshoff was one of the top yacht designers ever, and probably the best draftsman ever. This book shows many of his designs. It should be owned by anybody interested in sailing craft, design, or even drafting.

The designs in this book are timeless classics. They're just beautiful as well as functional boats. Whether made from wood or today's fiberglass or composites the boats have passed the test of time. They work. Even if you don't own one this book is a great read or just a good reference.

I have been looking for this book for several years. It has a number of boat designs by L. Francis that were published in Rudder Magazine back in the forties. All are interesting and give a good idea of what yachting was all about eighty years ago, when Herreshoff was an active designer.

Growing up on the waters of Florida, The Great Lakes and Long Island Sound, I know boats. Few books on boat design are as beautifully drafted combined with a combination of the dryness of the engineer and the passion of the artist. Herrshoff's 'Sensible Crusing Designs' brings to crusing and design what Wainwright's 'Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells' brings to walking guides.