Product Description

Boat noodling. Boat lovers suffer universally from this benign affliction. In its mildest form, boat noodling is nothing more than wondering why that sloop in the next slip is faster than yours. In a more significant manifestation it could mean serious daydreaming--drifting off for extended periods, sketching design ideas on the back of an envelope. Chances are, if you've picked up this book just to see what's in it, you're beyond help.

Naval architect Dave Gerr offers the perfect antidote, a browser's reference to understanding how boats tick: all you've ever wanted to know about boats--power and sail, racer and cruiser; dinghy and motoryacht.

In the clear, friendly, nontechnical style that has made his column for Offshore magazine so enduring and popular, Gerr explains everything from how thick a hull should be to why one sailboat tips less than another, from choosing an engine to designing a rig for your trawler yacht, from building a dinghy to simple rules of thumb for dozens of design quandaries.

Gerr writes for the boat noodler in all of us--those seriously interested in learning and dreaming about all types of watercraft. There is no better way to become a better sailor, equipped to handle any contingency. And there's no better place to start than right here.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48625 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 418 pages

Review
"If you are not not nautically obsessed prior to reading this book, you will most certainly be afterword." -- Sailing

"It's quite obvious Gerr understands the weaknesses of those of us afflicted with a passion for boats. Furthermore, he trades on our insatiable appetite for nautical tidbits. And he does it well. There's hardly an aspect of yacht design, construction, and operation that he doesn't touch on in his cheerful, chatty manner." -- Sea

"It's sort of a cross between David Macaulay's The Way Things Work and a volume of Andy Rooney essays. Which means it's fun and educational at the same time." -- Practical Sailor

Review
``It's sort of a cross between David Macaulay's The Way Things Work and a volume of Andy Rooney essays. Which means it's fun and educational at the same time.'' (Practical Sailor )

About the Author
Dave Gerr (rhymes with “bear”) is a naval architect who designs both yachts and commercial vessels. Gerr Marine has been in business since 1983 and has designed everything from dinghies to 60-foot around-the-world racing sailboats, an 82-foot aluminum voyaging motoryacht, and currently, redesign work on the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarines. Gerr is a contributing editor with Boatbuilder, Yachting, and Offshore magazines. HOMETOWN: New York, NY

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for those interested in boat design
Stories about boats with problems (or sometimes about boats without problems) alternating with general discussion of various boat design considerations make this book an engaging and interesting read. The book begins with several chapters each dedicated to an overview of a specific boat or type of boat. Further chapters cover topics such as boat performance, sail plans, propeller selection (the author has an entire book on this subject called, appropriately enough "Propeller Handbook"), engines, hull dynamics and many other subjects relevent to boat design. Interspersed throughout the book are stories illustrating design or construction mistakes or successfull designs. A very useful book for anyone interested in boats in any capacity. Highly recommended.

Fun with Naval Architechture
I bought this book a few years ago after idly thumbing through it up in a local bookstore. I was mainly looking for some entertaining reading about boats, and it is that, but it's much more.

Gerr is not only a talented naval architect, he's a skilled writer and teacher as well. "The Nature of Boats" is really a text on boat design disguised as fun reading. It's required reading for anyone considering designing a boat, and a must have for anyone who likes reading about the nuts and bolts of boats, too. I loaned my copy to a friend contemplating the purchase of a small motor sailor, and didn't get it back for half a year. It now sits in the center of the "boatbuilding" shelf in my home office, where I can refer to it often.

Best book I have ever read about boat design.
If you want to build a boat, or understand more about how boats are designed, this is an excelent book. Easy to read and humorous.