The Nature of Boats: Insights and Esoterica for the Nautically Obsessed
Product ID: 6137075
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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. Review: Boats. About boats. - If you like boats, this is a good book to have read. The basics well explained. Review: Great book! - Great book and good review of what makes boats work as they do.
| Best Sellers Rank | #137,131 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Sea Kayaking #11 in Instructional Sailing #58 in Boating (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 86 Reviews |
B**R
Boats. About boats.
If you like boats, this is a good book to have read. The basics well explained.
S**M
Great book!
Great book and good review of what makes boats work as they do.
J**T
Knowledge and Understanding that You Won't Get Anywhere Else
This written in a way that is like advice for the guy the next slip over. Dave Gerr a naval architect and while some of the knowledge is technical, it is presented in an easy to understand format and personal. One of the great strengths of the book is most chapters are a story, relating some personal experience, problems encountered and how he solved or attempted to solve them. Each chapter is short and it's lesson will not bore you. The chapters are un-related so each stands on it's own; for that reason alone it is hard to review the Nature of Boats. I do know that every night I picked it up and read a chapter or three and found my knowledge expanded in a light-hearted way.
A**R
Okay book
More for bigger slow boats,not racing.
S**T
For me - a treasure trove
I have always had a fondness for boats. My every attempt to learn more about them was unsatisfying. Magazines, sales literature, or attending boat shows failed to supply the information I yearned to know. I wanted to understand boats, not just know about them. Dave Kerr gets to the heart of the matter in this volume. While not containing all one might want to know about why certain boats function they way they do, how they are built, and what the individual reader should be looking for in selecting or designing a boat, this book goes a long way, and makes it easy to understand what the next step would be in pursuing a particular boat subject-matter more thorougly. Kerr's prose is eminently readable - he even includes several semi-fictional antecdotes to bread up the tedium of boat-facts.
J**Y
Nature of Boats by Dave Gerr
If you are a boater or are looking to get started in boating this book gives you insights on how hulls, engines, sail plans, powerboat designs were developed to accomplish a given task. Such as fishing, cruising, speed, fuel efficient, diesel vs. gas, sail plans, etc. A very good book to help you decide what kind of boat is best for your boating location and intended use. If you are interested in going long far afield of your home base, under power, you should also read Voyaging Under Power by Captain Robert Beebe.
M**H
Hide this from your spouse!
If my wife read this book, she would divorce me instantly, as she would understand why a Nautically Obsessed person will never change, and will get worse as time goes by..... Honestly, this book made me realize there are others like me that can't stop thinking about boats and the ocean! It feeds the fire burning in your soul and loads you up with all kinds of facts, concepts, and the author's experience to send you off to the drawing board, the boat show, or maybe West Marine. Great writing and a flow of information that will make you not want to let it down until you've committed to memory. While you're at it, get "Elements of Boat Strength" also. Highly recommended!
E**.
Excellent reference
An excellent primer on boat design. Anyone, even experienced sailors, will find it a useful and handy guide to design and construction parameters and the manner in which they affect performance and handling. Additionally, the included examples of Mr. Gerr's designs bear a unique and thoughtful stamp.
M**L
Great book
It's a fantastic book. I love it. It shows all things who make the fascination of the boats an the boat sport.
D**N
Great book from a great expert!
The author and this book are really great. Loads of knowledge and expertise at your hands. The only outdated things are the pictures. They are kind of blurry, black and white, not good definition. I’m a visual learner and pictures to me are important. Since I’m not knowledgeable about boats, many times I had to google images of whatever was being discussed in the book to have a better sense. But other than this, the book is excellent!
G**S
Pésima calidad de impresión
Bueno, admito que todavía no he empezado a leerlo. Seguro que el contenido es muy bueno porque he leído otro libro de Gerr uy es excelente. El problem con la edición que he recibido de "The Nature Of Boats" es que la calidad de la impresión es pésima. Parece como si alguien hubiera fotocopiado el libro original y lo haya encuadernado. Pésima resolución.
C**N
All manner of technical information supporting the design and construction of small boats
A superb book dealing with just about every aspect of the design of power and sailing boats, packed with practical advice - much based upon the author's own experiences - and containing all manner of simple formulae with which to calculate the essential parameters of a boat's optimum design. Every boat designer, builder, repairer and owner should have a copy to hand. Excellent value.
E**T
Loads of good information.
The author adds some nice humour to his easy to understand explanation of boat design.
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