Product Description

The Comprehensive Sailing Start-Up Resource

• Can a keelboat tip over?
• Can I take a centerboard boat onto open water?
• How can I determine what boat I want?
• Once I do, what’s a fair price to pay for it?
• Should I buy it new or used?
• How can I tell the difference between a used boat and one that’s used up?
• Now that I have it, how can I start sailing quickly and safely?

Your First Sailboat is the first book to answer all your questions about selecting, buying, maintaining, and using your first boat. This user-friendly guide covers issues that other books ignore, including how to choose between a trailer sailer, daysailer, raceboat, cruiser, or multihull; what hull material is best for your first boat; whether to buy new or used; where to shop; how to judge quality and condition; where to keep your new boat; and what to do about gear, loans, insurance, and annual maintenance. Special features of this all-in-one handbook include:

• A descriptive buying guide to 75 recommended sailboats of all types and sizes, from daysailers to racers, cruisers, and multihulls
• A decision tree to guide you to your ideal starter boat
• Complete instructions on how to care for and sail your boat as well as how to acquire it

Straightforward and fun, Your First Sailboat gives you just what you need to stop asking questions and start sailing. Everything else is optional. Save time. Save money. This book omits everything you don’t need to know.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101464 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-12
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Inside Flap
The Comprehensive Sailing Start-Up Resource

*Can a keelboat tip over?
*Can I take a centerboard boat onto open water?
*How can I determine what boat I want?
*Once I do, what's a fair price to pay for it?
*Should I buy it new or used?
*How can I tell the difference between a used boat and one that's used up?
*Now that I have it, how can I start sailing quickly and safely?

Your First Sailboat is the first book to answer all your questions about selecting, buying, maintaining, and using your first boat. This user-friendly guide covers issues that other books ignore, including how to choose between a trailer sailer, daysailer, raceboat, cruiser, or multihull; what hull material is best for your first boat; whether to buy new or used; where to shop; how to judge quality and condition; where to keep your new boat; and what to do about gear, loans, insurance, and annual maintenance. Special features of this all-in-one handbook include:

*A descriptive buying guide to 75 recommended sailboats of all types and sizes, from daysailers to racers, cruisers, and multihulls
*A decision tree to guide you to your ideal starter boat
*Complete instructions on how to care for and sail your boat as well as how to acquire it

Straightforward and fun, Your First Sailboat gives you just what you need to stop asking questions and start sailing. Everything else is optional. Save time. Save money. This book omits everything you don't need to know.

Daniel Spurr is the editor-at-large of Professional Boatbuilder magazine and the author of seven sailing books. He has been senior editor of Cruising World magazine and for twelve years was the editor of Practical Sailor, the consumer report of the sailing world, for whom he has edited a book-length collection of sailboat reviews. He has owned and upgraded eight sailboats.

About the Author

Daniel Spurr is the editor-at-large of Professional Boatbuilder magazine and the author of seven sailing books. He has been senior editor of Cruising World magazine and for twelve years was the editor of Practical Sailor, the consumer report of the sailing world, for whom he has edited a book-length collection of sailboat reviews. He has owned and upgraded eight sailboats.

Customer Reviews

So Many Sailboat Details To Learn!
I love to sail but buying my first sailboat is quite the adventure. This book makes reading about all the details enjoyable and even humorous at times. I especially appreciate all the great illustrations to help understand the parts & various conditions of boats.

Your fisrt sailboat: How to Find and Sail the Right Boat for you
There has got to be better books out there for the first time sailboat owner than this. The information is very sparse and lacking in any kind of detail. As an example there is a chapter on "From Whom Should I Buy?" that is two pages long. Even a novice such as myself knows that you are either going to buy from a private owner or a broker. In fact there are 39 chapters in this book, and they are all about two to three pages long. The book just does not flow well. In the introduction the author makes you feel as if after reading this book you will grasp all the basic concepts of boat ownership and sailing, when in fact you walk away with more questions about sailing then when you started reading the book. The one thing the book did tell me was that I better read other books on the subject before I continue on the path to sailboat ownership. One thing I would recommend is that you get profesional instruction on sailing and ask a lot of questions of other boat owners before you decide to buy a boat and start sailing. If you feel you need to read this book, get it at the libarary, and save yourself the money.

NOT for the person who is seriously thinking about buying a boat...
I bought this book for a friend who is looking to buy her first boat. My decision to buy this particular book was based to a large extent upon the positive reviews that had been posted. Upon receiving and reading the book, however, I was fairly shocked that it had been rated so highly.
I know how to sail, but even if I didn't, I would still be a little insulted by the child-like, basic level of the material. I might buy this for my 9 year old son who is just being introduced to sailing - it would be appropriate at this level. However, I can't imagine this book being useful to anyone with any basic understanding of sailing, and certainly not useful for a person who possesses the necessary level of knowledge to even be considering buying a boat. If you need to read the part about "How do I make the boat go", save the $11 you would spend on this book and either take a basic dinghy sailing course or buy a truly educational book on the subject.
I'm glad that other buyers were satisfied with their purchase of this book - however, I immediately returned mine.