How to Design a Boat,2 Ed

Summary: BOAT DESIGN FOR THE REST OF US
Rating: 5

I had an earlier copy of Teale's book on yacht design and this one is a fine update to a solid, no-nonsense approach on the basics of yacht design - or at least understanding the basics. Teale assumes you already speak the language of boats, but even so I don't know if there is quite enough granularity in this compact little tome for most of us to design one of today's complex high-tech, overly-intricate behemoths, but there certainly is enough to understand and put into practice the fundamentals… which like the sea, haven't changed much recently.

But Teale doesn't shy away from addressing the intricacies of modern materials and structures, and even if one never actually designs their own boat, grasping the fundamentals in How to Design a Boat will leave the skipper nicely equipped to outmaneuver the shoe-salesman masquerading as a yacht-broker, or the sincere but misinformed dock-expert. For the serious skipper, who has already acquired a nautical lexicon, and wanting to better understand his own craft, this is an first-rate book to have around – its brevity and succinctly being a great asset. But it is also a great little tome from which to begin pondering actually building one's own boat - especially for a potential builder who is contemplating incorporating some of their own ideas into plans drawn up by other designers.