Yacht Design Explained [Hardcover]

The basics of yacht design and then some; intended for the serious sailor seeking a better understanding, with emphasis on modern yachts and principles; clear, concise drawings and diagrams. -- WoodenBoat Review, January/February 1999

This is perhaps the most useful book on sailboat design since Ted Brewer's delightfully readable "Understanding Boat Design"...Killing's text is supported by terrific artwork on every page guaranteed to make the learning process as visual as it is cerebral....The next time your eyes glaze over three paragraphs into yet another technical boat review, reach over and grab this little nugget. It works better than Visine. -- Blue Water Sailing, November/December 1998

At last, yacht design explained in a way that all sailors can understand and put to use in their sailing, in buying a new boat, or in modifying an existing one. Yacht Design Explained uses state-of-the-art graphics, dynamic charts and photographs, and lucid prose to reveal how sailboats work. It explores why certain designs perform well and others fail, and why some established hull shapes have endured while technology-driven tank-tested ones have bombed. The authors examine a range of crafts, from a high-performance dinghy to a 35-foot racer-cruiser, from a cruising catamaran to an offshore singlehander, breaking through the often confusing physics of yacht design to provide an understanding that sailors can use to get the most out of their time afloat. Yacht Design Explained explores ballast, foils, hull shape, keels, sails, rigs, and rudders, describing the fundamentals behind them.

Yacht designer Steve Killing has participated in four America's Cup campaigns. Writer and graphic designer Douglas Hunter is a former editor of Canadian Yachting magazine. They both live in Ontario, Canada.