The Cruising Multihull (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Of all man's inventions, few can compare with the sailboat-the nearly perfect vehicle with an inexhaustible supply of power; existing between two constantly moving mediums,..." (more)
Key Phrases: bridgedeck cabin, cruising multihull, production multihulls, Coast Guard, Jim Brown, Constant Camber (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Addresses the newcomer as well as the seasoned multihull sailor-the best book written to date." -- Multihulls

"Addresses the newcomer as well as the seasoned multihull sailor... the best book written to date." -- Multilhulls

"Crammed with useful information and sane advice." -- Sailing

"Finally, a multihull voice which does not proselytize. Instead, logic and information pack the pages of Chris White's book." -- WoodenBoat

Review

``Addresses the newcomer as well as the seasoned multihull sailor. . .the best book written to date.'' (Multihulls )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070698686
• ISBN-13: 978-0070698680
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot find a better understanding of the multihull., August 13, 1999

By A Customer

I am preparing to cruise around the world in a multihull. Mr. White taught me more than I have learned in two years of reading other books and talking to yachties. It is an invaluable resource.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Might be the best book available on cruising multihulls, May 20, 1998

By A Customer

Of the few books out there on cruising multihulls, I found this this one to be about the best (as of May 1998). The text is oriented to the author's own yacht designs; his boats appear quite sensible for serious coastal or blue water sailors. The author provides an interesing, highly practical, and thorough handling of the key issues facing multihull sailors like payload capacity and safety. White quantifies the various safety issues of Multihulls versus Monohulls as much as is possible with the data available today. This book is not just the typical "Multihulls are wonderful" story you read about these days. On the downside, I would have liked to have seen a little more material on the popular production boats such as the Corsair F-24, F-27, F-28, etc... I would recommend the book to anyone interested in multihulls over 24' in size.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out of date? Maybe., April 29, 2004

By	christopher r. white (S. Dartmouth, MA) - See all my reviews

In response to the points made from Kemah, Texas I'll offer the following.
Yes, the book was written some time ago but the physics behind multihulls is the same now as it was in the beginning. Nor have the construction materials changed appreciably in the last 15 years. We still use the same glass, foam, wood, carbon, epoxy and polyester as we did in the mid '80's.
In fact some of the best cruising multihulls were built 20 years ago and some of the worst are built today. There has been evolution of course but much of it has been superficial. We still see lots of catamarans with little or no underwing clearance that violently pound their way across the bay, or worse the ocean. EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about catamarans knows not to do this- but they still do it. I went to great lengths to point out this problem in the book. Maybe it has helped a few people avoid making a huge mistake in their boat selection.
The production boat appendix in the book (my publisher insisted upon it) is indeed useless as it is long out of date. However the sections on offshore safey and design features are still useful. But anyone who wants to write a current version is welcome. I'm busy designing boats and don't have the time.

Additional info is available at www.chriswhitedesigns.com