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Designed to Cruise

Designed to Cruise

List Price: $49.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: For rich people who favor modern boats
Review: The reviews written for Roger Marshal's other books apply here as well. His book(s) seem to be written for people who can afford boats of the 45-70ft range. Marshal is an excellent boat designer and his articles explaining his designs for some sailing magazines are superb and informative. I still remember his excellent off shore cruiser, evidently designed for a knowledgeable owner, that appeared on Wooden Boat magazine years ago.

But as an author, his audience is not the relatively modest sailor who wants to buy a dependable boat of the 25-35ft range. I am sure Marshal designs such boats too. But there is little profit in designing little boats. His books are aimed at people who pay his mortgage. His book is quite informative for people who are interested in learning about Marshal's craft.

But the text is dry. His illustrations are unromantic. A rare emotional moment in the introduction is squandered in expressing his disdain for the twinkle eyed dreamers who come to his office with notions that are too vague for him to care for. But those crazy romantic urges are what compels sailors to buy books on boats.

Worst of all, he has no sense of fun. When placed next to such contemporary designers as Benford, Bolger and Bueler, Marshal's book severely lacks the element of the unexpected. His boats in the book look stale, like the majority of the boats you see at boatshows. This is all the more sad because there actually is a reason why so many rich people choose him to design their boats. Marshal is a man who understands boats. But he does not understand boat books.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Theory, systems and more
Review: This book explains why modern boats are the way they are. The principles are valid for any size or price boat. It explains theory and construction practices in currently in use in boat manufacture from hull and rig design to mechanical system choice, placement and tradeoffs. The intended audience is not the designer/engineer or the armchair romantic, but rather the person who is looking to make more informed decisions in selection and purchase or to commission design and construction of a boat likely to be available in the mainstream market today.


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