The Troller Yacht Book: A Powerboater's Guide to Crossing Oceans (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "WHEN I WAS A KID my dad kept a fishing boat-an 18-footer with a cabin and a 35-horsepower "Big Twin" Evinrude-down in Florence, on the..." (more)
Key Phrases: troller yacht, backyard boatbuilding, cruising powerboats, Diesel Duck, West Coast, Coast Guard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

At last, safe, comfortable, ocean-going power cruisers that don't cost a fortune to own and operate. When boat designer George Buehler realized that he no longer wanted to cruise the world's oceans under sail, he decided to create a line of powerboats that sailors could love and anyone could afford. For inspiration, he turned to the light, lithe salmon trollers of the Pacific Northwest, among the most efficient, seaworthy, and beautiful powerboats ever built. With plans for troller yachts from 38 to 70 feet and detailed information about everything from design theory, building, and outfitting to converting commercial boats, this book is essential reading for anyone thinking about ocean cruising who refuses to spend $500,000 on a boat and $500 a day on fuel.

About the Author

[George] Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding is one of the best-selling boatbuilding books of the past decade. Hundreds of Buehler's rugged, inexpensive sailboats cruise the world's oceans, and his new ultra-economical powerboat designs are quickly proving just as popular. He lives on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; 1st edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393047091
• ISBN-13: 978-0393047097
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #481,820 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things the yachting industry never told you., November 13, 1999

By	Bruce Boatner (Eagle, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having lived with this book and "Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding" now for several months, and having purchased a set of Mr. Buehler's plans, what strikes me as the most salient aspect of this whole deal is that most of us are terribly misinformed about boats in general. Just because boats are sold for a quarter-to-half a million bucks and designed to burn $500 in diesel a day, doesn't mean they HAVE to. I think Mr. Buehler realized one day that the right kind of power boat is much more liveable, straight-forward (no tacking) and probably cheaper than an equivalent sailboat. His sailboat-design experience provides him the insight to design powerboats that take a tiny fraction of the power needed by "trawler yachts", the big craze these days. There's an informal network of builders forming and you're welcome to join us!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wondered too, George..., June 21, 2001

By	mostly Cajun (Sulphur, LA USA) - See all my reviews

Down here on the Gulf Coast, hundreds of people still make their livings piloting wooden power boats out into open water, staying a few days, and then coming back with holds full of seafood. I know some of these folks. They don't inherit fortunes to buy boats, they aren't millionaires stepping off into the latest trendy adventure, they're people who use boats, well and practically built, to make a living. George's book is about the Northwestern versions of these people and their boats. George asks why people like me can't find proper boats. Why people who want a good, spacious, long-legged cruising vessel but who didn't have a dear rich uncle or a winning lottery ticket to pay for it. Why forty feet should be $750,000.00. And he answers the questions. He answers well. He steps on toes which need to stepped on, and tells us that dreams can come true. He took my little piece of a dream and expanded it. What more can one ask of a book?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great concepts book for those interested in a troller, June 29, 2000

By A Customer

Disgusted with the cost of a modern production troller, the author recommends constructing your own vessel. For circumnavigation potential with a two to four man crew, he recommends a 38' to 50' vessel. The book goes on to describe what said vessel would entail and is a starting point for either building it yourself or commissioning it. Its great reading even if you aren't planning on building a vessel but are interested in the concept. He claims the 38' he focuses on can be built for between $35,000 and $120,000 (1998) depending on how much you do yourself. The author has a decent webpage and sells a number of plans thru the website. After reading "Voyaging Under Power" (ISBN 0071580190 - also highly recommended) which extolls the virtues of a $600,000 vessel, this was the other extreme. Wouldn't mind locking this author in a room with "Voyaging Under Power"'s editor and letting them fight out some middle ground. Oh, by the way, I tried to find someone with the vessel described in the greater Los Angeles area and failed.