Understanding Boat Design (Paperback)

by Ted Brewer (Author) "Every year thousands of people attend boat shows, visit dealers, and talk to yacht brokers in the search of the perfect boat; perfect for them,..." (more)
Key Phrases: bulkhead framing, displacement powerboats, bilge boards, International Marine, Allan Vaitses, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Brewer provides as good a basic introduction to small craft design as you could ever hope to find. If more people read this book before buying a boat, they'd likely make a much better choice and be a lot happier." -- The Ensign

"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

"The clear, non-technical language, logical development of the subject, and the scope of the publication make Understanding Boat Design a success." -- Naval Engineers Journal

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

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 )

See all Editorial Reviews

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: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #20 in	Books > Sports > Water Sports > Sea Kayaking
  #41 in	Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Ships > Boat Building
  #63 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Kayaking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 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 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 11 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

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book for basics of boat design, November 8, 2002

By A Customer

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.