Understanding Boat Design [Paperback]

Ted Brewer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1993

For new boating enthusiasts--even if they've been at it awhile--there are scores of burning questions. If one boat has a round bottom and another's is veed, what difference does it make in the way they perform? What are the advantages of a cutter rig over a sloop? Why does one sailor swear by a full keel, while others won't have anything but a fin keel? Why does one powerboat have more flare in its topsides than another? And what is flare? Why do some hull shapes look "right"? How big an engine and propeller will it take to move that powerboat? What elements make a boat safe, or comfortable?

Understanding Boat Design has been the place to look for quick, uncomplicated answers since 1971. Founder of the Yacht Design Institute, a highly respected designer for more than 30 years, and a frequent contributor to SAIL, Cruising World, and other magazines, Ted Brewer has again revised his classic primer. This new volume has been greatly expanded and contains information on many aspects of design that were not even thought of twenty years ago.

Understanding Boat Design has eased tens of thousands of readers into the complex world of small-craft design. It is the ideal introduction for backyard boatbuilders, students of boat design, or someone looking to buy a first boat.

"This tight little book should be required reading."--Soundings

"A natural for those embarking on a first purchase, or the amateur builder."--Sailing

"One of the cleanest and clearest expositions on the elements of yacht design ever published . . . by a naval architect who knows what he is talking about."--WoodenBoat

Editorial Reviews

Review

``One of the cleanest and clearest expositions on the elements of yacht design ever published.--By a naval architect who knows what he is talking about.'' (WoodenBoat )

About the Author

Ted Brewer, a lifelong sailor with more than 230 yacht designs to his credit, has worked on Gold Cup and Olympic medal - winning 5.5-meter designs, on the America's Cup defender Weatherly, and on numerous successful motor yachts, ocean racers, and production boats. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Bob Wallstrom, he produced more than 100 custom and production designs, from 21-foot catboats to the exquisite 62-foot charter ketch Traveller III. His better-known production designs include the Whitby 42, the Aloha 28 and 34, the Cabot 36, and the Morgan 38. In the early 1970s he originated the much copied radius-bilge method of building metal yachts.

Brewer's more recent designs include a sailing dinghy, a 45-foot Boston pilot schooner, the 68-foot schooner Tree of Life (named by SAIL magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Yachts in America"), and the 60-foot BOC around-the-world racer Wild Thing.

He is author of two other books, Cruising Yacht Design and Ted Brewer Explains Sailboat Design (International Marine, 1985), and a contributor to SAIL, Cruising World, Motor Boating & Sailing, and Great Lakes Sailor, among other magazines.

When not at the drafting table, Brewer cruises the waters of the Pacific Northwest aboard his Nimble 25 Arctic yawl from his home port of Anacortes, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 4th edition (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070076944
• ISBN-13: 978-0070076945
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Kayaking > Sea Kayaking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have book, but room for improvement, September 6, 2001

By 

Douglyss Giuliana (Newton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding Boat Design (Paperback)

This book certainly must be part of any boat design collection. Brewer covers all aspects of deisgn from hull to deck to power to storage space. It serves as a complete introductory resource covering the important aspects of each topic without burdenning the reader with details that the designers and builders must understand.

However, as an introductory book, it is missing some friendliness for the beginner. Brewer could improve on the technical definitions early in the book; in particular the description of prismatic coefficient left me seaching the web for a clearer definition. Brewer uses plan drawings to introduce hull shapes, but not teach the novice how to read such a drawing. Finally, some of Brewer's own designs are displayed; however, they lack detailed drawings and their minimal descriptions do not explain to the reader why the design was chosen or what tradeoffs were made, which would be particularly educational. Instead it just appears as a catalog of some plans Brewer hopes a reader might purchase.

All in all, I highly recommend this book, but hope the the next addition improves on this already valuable text.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book for basics of boat design, November 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Boat Design (Paperback)

I've have studied a fair number of books about design. This was the first I read and it's a good thing because it's not too hard to follow but it is definitely informative. It helps to understand design terminology and how a boat will perform based on its characteristics. I think I would have been frustrated had I begun somewhere else (such as Chapelle).

The focus is fairly broad. The designs are those most often seen on the water during the last 50 years (no brigatines, viking ships, or submarines). They are both power and sail, and both displacement and planing hulls. The size mostly seems to be boats of the "yacht" size (20 to 100 feet). Topics covered include styles of hull shape, line drawings, keels and rudders, layout, safety, construction materials.

This book will help you understand WHAT characteristics of a boat affect performance (and I don't just mean speed, because there is much more to it) and HOW they affect performance.

After reading and understanding this book, you will be able to better determine what to expect from a boat by just standing next to it and sizing it up. You will also figure out a few of the goofy things production companies do these days because they are focused on making boats that will be easy to sell, and not focused enough on making a boat that sails well. Make sense? Many modern designs have goofy characteristics that make a boat look good on paper and in an advertisement, but detract from performance, seaworthiness, reliability, and practicality when out on the water.

Bottom line: This book includes what I believe it should based on the title and the fact that it is ~150 pages long. It is very useful to someone want to own a boat, or get into boat design.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Usefull readings for boat owner and buyer, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Boat Design (Paperback)

Understanding Boat Design supplies basic introduction to yacht design. It is clear and easy to understand for sailors. If you are planning to purchasing a sailboat, please read this first. If you are boat owner, it provides you to good understandings your boat.