Heart of Glass : Fiberglass Boats and the Men Who Built Them (Paperback)

by Daniel Spurr (Author), Daniel Spurr (Author) "The story of fiberglass boatbuilding begins in the late 1930s, when the Great Depression was about to fold into the even greater miseries of World..." (more)
Key Phrases: female molding, first fiberglass boat, ethylcellulose lacquer, New York, United States, Rhode Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Daniel Spurr's revealing chronicle brings home the sweeping changes wrought in the boating industry by the development of fiberglass. For anyone who loves boats, this is a must-read!" -- Charles Morgan, yacht designer, founder of Morgan Yachts

"Heart of Glass is a true masterpiece, a wonderful and exciting journey through the world of fiberglass from World War II to the present." -- Michael Aronow, author of Don Aronow: King of Thunderboat Row

"Heart of Glass reads like a detective novel; I read it cover to cover in one sitting. This is the most important boatbuilding book published in the last 20 years. Dan Spurr puts soul into the heart of every fiberglass boat." -- Robert H. Perry, yacht designer

"Reading about those painful and tentative early steps of fiberglass construction--mine and others--brings back a lot of memories, and demonstrates how difficult it was (and is) to introduce change to boatbuilding. This excellent history is the most comprehensive I have seen. It will become a significant historical reference." -- Everett Pearson, Chairman of the Board, TPI

In the skilled hands of Dan Spurr this masterly book combines science with passion and breathes life into the story of a boatbuilding phenomenon that changed an entire industry and brought boating to the masses." -- Bernadette Bernon, Editorial Director, Cruising World --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Spurr's new volume serves as a narrative and a unique scrapbook of the growth of boating in the second half of the 20th century. But the most exciting aspect of his book is the collection of rare photographs and brief narratives of some of the most successful boats built during recent decades. Heart of Glass is a good book to have on your library shelf. (The San Diego Log )

Daniel Spurr is a professional boating writer, and this lavishly-illustrated and surprisingly interesting book is somewhat tilted in favor of sail over power. (Greenwich Time ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (January 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071435468
• ISBN-13: 978-0071435468
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,492 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for anyone interested in business management, February 1, 2002

By	Suzanne Pfaffenberger "c-ville_wordsmith" (Chartlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Heart of Glass: Fiberglass Boats and the Men Who Built Them (Hardcover)

This readable, well-researched, and often hilarious book will delight the dickens out of any boater, power or sail (great gift!!!). More broadly, anyone interested in business management -- what works, what doesn't work, and where technology fits in -- will find much to ponder in this book. Spurr chronicles the demise of dozens of failed boating companies; an all-too-frequent theme is the destruction that follows on a company's acquisition by a large corporation seeking to "diversify," which seems, inevitably, to result in bankruptcy. Of equal interest are the few stories of genuine and lasting success, typified by Catalina Yachts, founded by Frank Butler. Mr. Butler independently arrived at the conclusions reached, belatedly, by legions of high-priced consultants and business school professors: innovate to create new markets, build quality in, treat your employees as if they were part of your family, speak personally to customers, resist acquisition, and -- if possible -- remain privately held. There's also much to ponder for economists and business historians. Imagine what the automobile industry would be like if cars lasted for 50 years -- well within the lifespan of a properly maintained, well-built fiberglass yacht. Spurr remarks that the industry's greatest mistake, viewed cynically, was its failure to build obsolescence into its products. But another factor in the industry's overall decline is the recalcitrant character of fiberglass boat-building technology, which is notoriously resistant to assembly line methods; were you to visit the Beneteau, Catalina, or Hunter factories, you'd see labor-intensive, one-at-a-time boat building techniques that do not fundamentally differ from those of 50 years ago. Unable to lower production costs, companies have instead turned to volume as a way to force down supplier prices -- that's why you get three big, dominant manufacturers in this market -- but the result, overall, is that most new fiberglass yachts of reasonable length (30' and up) are too expensive for middle-class buyers. Fiberglass boats were invented by dreamers who wanted to bring boating to Everyman; Spurr suggests, soberingly, that the dream seems destined to die.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for those who love taking "dock walks", September 15, 2004

By	Richard D. Wright (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a super book! It has everything the average sailor could want to know about fiberglass. I have no idea how Bob Perry (one of the editorial reviewers) could read this in one evening. It's just packed with information about most of the American (and some international) sailboat builders, their boats, and in most cases their demise. A lot of "experts" at my marina proudly profess knowledge about the histories of the different boats but, after reading this book, I've discovered that many of their stories are not accurate. I you love sailboats and wonder who built them, where they were built, how they were built, and when; then you should get this book. You'll certainly have a better understanding of boat brochures touting the virtues of features like S-glass, Airex cores, and the Scrimp process. And your next marina dock walk to check out other boats will be so much more interesting.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must have for boatnics, March 20, 2009

By	S. Mitchell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Heart of Glass: Fiberglass Boats and the Men Who Built Them (Hardcover)

Anyone who loves boats, especially sailboats, must have this book. Dan Spurr does a great job of outlining the history of fiberglass boats, and the entertaining stories of the people who made them. I keep my copy close at hand and refer to it often.