Understanding Boat Design

For new boating enthusiasts--even if they've been at it awhile--there are scores of burning questions. If one boat has a round bottom and another's is veed, what difference does it make in the way they perform? What are the advantages of a cutter rig over a sloop? Why does one

For all those who love boats, their ‘lines’ are an essential element in the appreciation of individual craft. But what are these lines and how are they created? This book introduces the reader to the key principles of yacht design in a straightforward and understandable manner, allowing them to be

The first guide to design aimed at every sailor. The authors examine a range of boats, from a 14-foot dinghy to a 40-foot cruiser, a catamaran to an offshore singlehander, to show what makes hulls, keels, ballast, rudders, foils, masts, and sails work. Their explanations include state-of-the-art graphics, dynamic charts,

Principles of Yacht Design is both comprehensible to amateurs and comprehensive for professionals. It follows the design of a 40-foot cruising sailboat from the first sketch to the final weight, strength, and sail area calculations, with tables, charts, and diagrams to let the reader adapt the process to any design.

Norman L. Skene was one of America's foremost yacht designer. Maynard Bray is a maritime historian.