Product Description

In World War II, aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga, Captain Robert Beebe dreamed of one day retiring and cruising the world in a small boat. At that time world cruisers voyaged exclusively in sailboats. But sailboats are confined to narrow lanes of predominantly favorable winds, which can be unpredictable and difficult. Beebe wanted to arrive at distant ports relaxed and on time, not battered and two months late. He wanted to voyage under power.

Back in the 1940s, no suitable long-distance powerboats existed. Beebe literally had to invent modern powerboat voyaging from scratch. The design parameters he developed for long-distance powerboats are still in use by naval architects today. The resulting boat, Passagemaker, was home to the Beebes for many years and more than 60,000 ocean-crossing miles. What Beebe learned in those years of voyaging became, in 1974, , still the most important and influential book ever published on long-distance powerboating.

Now, under the able pen of world cruiser Jim Leishman, Beebe's classic Voyaging Under Power has received its first complete overhaul. The core of the book is vintage Beebe; his designs, his research, and his wonderful cruising stories remain intact. What's new are details of the advances of the intervening years: electronic wizardry for navigation and communication; efficient new engines that wring more miles out of a gallon of diesel fuel; active roll-prevention devices that virtually eliminate seasickness; propeller nozzles and bow thrusters that improve maneuverability and ease handling for short-handed crews; bulbous bow extensions that improve speed, fuel economy, and sea-keeping ability. There's an all-new section featuring the work of other designers, including George Buehler, Jay Benford, James Krogan, Jeff Leishman, Nils Lucander, Charles Neville, and Steven Seaton. Mrs. Beebe has thoroughly revised her original chapter on provisioning the long-distance galley, and there are several new chapters, including Inland Voyaging, which covers long-distance cruising on American inland waterways; Watch-Standing; and A Passagemaker's Machinery.

Voyaging Under Power is the definitive guide for those who yearn to expand their cruising horizons, and cross oceans with speed and comfort.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24834 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Review
``Beebe's visionary research and design philosophy are still highly regarded. . .Leishmann, an expert on modern long-range power cruising, offers practical, updated advice.'' (Sea )

``[A] `must own,' for anyone who dreams of, or plans, any long-distance powerboating, inland and off-shore. Anyone who is thinking motor cruise should read it three times.''

Sea
"Beebe's visionary research and design philosophy are still highly regarded... Leishmann, an expert on modern long-range power cruising, offers practical, updated advice."

From the Publisher
"[A] 'must own,' for anyone who dreams of, or plans, any long-distance powerboating, inland and off-shore. Anyone who is thinking motor cruise should read it three times."

Customer Reviews

Out There
This book is a good read even if you are not venturing far. The update has been well done although has come in for some flak from the purists. It gives a snapshot into how far technolgy has come in the 40 or so years since Beebe started writing.

Voyaging Under Power
Very interesting especially from a technical standpoint. A little dry at times and I would have liked a little more personal experience sections. However, I am not finished with it yet, other problems having erupted.

Beebe is the original long distance power boat guru
Beebe is the grandaddy of long range power boating. Once he retired from the navy, he had it in his mind to pack up his wife and some friends and see the world in a small boat. When he originally planned this, he had intended to sail, but he came to realize that a round-bottom hull, combined with a small diesel engine was actually *more* economical than attempting to sail long distance. Sailcloth deteriorates faster than you can burn the equivalent of diesel fuel in an efficient motorboat. This book contains many interesting technical graphs and suchlike from which a builder can design a craft capable of world travel. It also goes over essential equipment, layout and other things a squid like me would never think of. The modern revisions, unfortunately, reflect a slightly different philosophy from the original: with a heavier emphasis on buying fat, expensive turnkey systems with elaborate onboard electrical systems (electric air conditioning, electric hot and cold runnig water, electric winches, electric blah blah blah). Trawler Yachts, basically: the guy who did the rewrite of the original book (written in the 1960s) operates the Nordhaven company, which makes such $700k pleasure boats.