How to Design a Boat

Rating:
Summary: A must for those interested in amateur boat design
Review: After restoring two sailboats, I think I am ready to design and build one. John Teale's book has been extremely helpful in providing me with the confidence to undertake this task. It is easy to follow and clear to understand. It would have been nice to have some examples on aspects like developable surfaces (in chine designs), or more background on the calculations to better understand where they come from. The book, however, flows through the design process with no difficulty.

Rating:
Summary: A difficult book on yacht design
Review: Mr. Teale made a mistake in the way he organized this book and in the way he presents the subjects. Not that he makes mistakes in the concepts, but rather in the form.
He has chosen to present numerical methods whose origins, uses and explanations are not presented. He uses graphs, without any clue as to their origin and he packs several issues with no clear order to the reader. For someone already acquainted with the basics of yacht design, Mr. Teale has some teachings, but over all this is a difficult and obscure book on that beautiful art of designing a seaworthy craft.
I would suggest you start with other books and later - perhaps - take the chance with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Black-and-white sketches and diagrams illustrate points
Review: Now in its third edition, How To Design A Boat is a straightforward guide written by John Teale, a professional designer of cruising yachts, fast powerboats, motor cruisers, and commercial craft. Black-and-white sketches and diagrams illustrate points in this technical and engineering resource delineating necessary measurements, mathematics, and theory required to create a seaworthy craft. How To Design A Boat is an important asset to any personal or professional Nautical Library reference collection.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the beginner
Review: Teale "presumes," "assumes," and "estimates" through much of the basic material, and refers to charts and graphs without a hint of where the data in those charts and graphs came from or how the charts were developed. Perhaps I'm below average in comprehensive skills, but I finished the book thinking the only people that can understand this book didn't need it in the first place. If you're starting from scratch as I am, it may frustruate you.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the beginner
Review: Teale "presumes," "assumes," and "estimates" through much of the basic material, and refers to charts and graphs without a hint of where the data in those charts and graphs came from or how the charts were developed. Perhaps I'm below average in comprehensive skills, but I finished the book thinking the only people that can understand this book didn't need it in the first place. If you're starting from scratch as I am, it may frustruate you.

Rating:
Summary: How To design A Boat
Review: This book I am sure is a very educational book although I find it very diffucult to understand. I am a first time boat builder in need of knowledge in design as well as the fundementels of the mathmatics associated with building. Very diffucult to follow