Your First Sailboat : How to Find and Sail the Right Boat for You (Paperback)

by Daniel Spurr (Author) "At the heart of the mysterious allure of sailing lies the boat, what philosophers call "the thing in itself..." (more)
Key Phrases: stub keel, trailer sailers, swing keel, Coast Guard, West End, O'Day Day Sailer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The first comprehensive sailing start-up kit for adult learners

Your First Sailboat is the only book that puts entry-level sailboat selection, use, maintenance, and lifestyle issues all in one place for new sailors who happen to discover this wonderful sport as adults. This book answers questions that other books don't even think to ask: Can a keelboat tip over? Can I take a centerboard boat onto open water? What's a fair price to pay for the boat I want? Can I trailer a keelboat? How do I make this boat move? How do I make it stop moving? How do I take care of it? This complete guide for the beginning sailor:

• Offers authoritative advice on choosing a sailboat
• Provides decision trees to guide the reader to the perfect starter boat
• Discusses lake vs. ocean boats, family day sailing vs. racing, and more
• Answers all of the new sailor's questions

From the Inside Flap
The Comprehensive Sailing Start-Up Resource

*Can a keelboat tip over?
*Can I take a centerboard boat onto open water?
*How can I determine what boat I want?
*Once I do, what’s a fair price to pay for it?
*Should I buy it new or used?
*How can I tell the difference between a used boat and one that’s used up?
*Now that I have it, how can I start sailing quickly and safely?

Your First Sailboat is the first book to answer all your questions about selecting, buying, maintaining, and using your first boat. This user-friendly guide covers issues that other books ignore, including how to choose between a trailer sailer, daysailer, raceboat, cruiser, or multihull; what hull material is best for your first boat; whether to buy new or used; where to shop; how to judge quality and condition; where to keep your new boat; and what to do about gear, loans, insurance, and annual maintenance. Special features of this all-in-one handbook include:

*A descriptive buying guide to 75 recommended sailboats of all types and sizes, from daysailers to racers, cruisers, and multihulls
*A decision tree to guide you to your ideal starter boat
*Complete instructions on how to care for and sail your boat as well as how to acquire it

Straightforward and fun, Your First Sailboat gives you just what you need to stop asking questions and start sailing. Everything else is optional. Save time. Save money. This book omits everything you don’t need to know.

Daniel Spurr is the editor-at-large of Professional Boatbuilder magazine and the author of seven sailing books. He has been senior editor of Cruising World magazine and for twelve years was the editor of Practical Sailor, the consumer report of the sailing world, for whom he has edited a book-length collection of sailboat reviews. He has owned and upgraded eight sailboats.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071422161
• ISBN-13: 978-0071422161
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,712 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #69 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing
  #76 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Boating

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was looking for..., February 9, 2005

By	Richard D. Helmig "R. Helmig" (Atlanta, GA.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good buy for the beginning sailor looking to buy his or her first boat. The writing, diagrams (reminds me a lot of R. Crumb drawings), and pictures are simple an to the point. Glance thru the chapters list and you'll get a good idea of what to expect. Definitely recommended if you are in the market to buy your first sailboat and have no sailing experience.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very handy, well-written -- a must for the beginning sailor, April 8, 2005

By	Tom Herer (Portland, ME) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just got this book two days ago, and am so far very pleased with it. It organizes every single question I've ever had into concise, well-diagrammed, and sometimes humorous chapters. For example, the two-page chapter "What if the Boat Does Sink" certainly isn't an exhaustive study of the topic, but does give you extremely good pointers and common sense advice that will help you respond better to such a worst-case scenario.

I think another good treatment of a subject is in the "What if the Boat Heels" chapter. It's a question that I imagine a lot of beginning sailors have, often accompanied by nervousness about how much heeling is normal and safe. The answer to this question has proved surprisingly elusive to me, so it was nice to see a little bit written on the topic, and to have my concerns addresses directly.

What this all means is that this book does a phenomenal job of covering the bases. I would feel 100% more qualified to go buy and sail a boat after reading it. Of course, it's no substitute for comprehensive guides of special uses, such as offshore cruising, real foul-weather sailing, instrument navigation, etc., but it's a fantastic primer book for the price. Enjoy.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Sailing Advice in ENGLISH!!!, January 20, 2006

By	yowzers14 (Central Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

My husband and I have signed up for ASA Sailing classes, so we have been reading many "how-to" books on sailing. Lots of these books jump right into sailing lingo, and so the subject matter is very confusing for the novice sailor.

We finally found Your First Sailboat when we looked for books on the subject of buying a sailboat. This is the book we should have read first!! Daniel Spurr writes humorously about the selection of boats, and along the way, we learn about sailing techniques as well. He approaches the sailing sport with clarity and common sense, and he writes in plain jargon, not the technical language that would overwhelm a beginner.

We love this book!