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Rating:  -
I've have studied a fair number of books about design. This was the first I read and it's a good thing because it's not too hard to follow but it is definitely informative. It helps to understand design terminology and how a boat will perform based on its characteristics. I think I would have been frustrated had I begun somewhere else (such as Chapelle).
The focus is fairly broad. The designs are those most often seen on the water during the last 50 years (no brigatines, viking ships, or submarines). They are both power and sail, and both displacement and planing hulls. The size mostly seems to be boats of the "yacht" size (20 to 100 feet). Topics covered include styles of hull shape, line drawings, keels and rudders, layout, safety, construction materials.
This book will help you understand WHAT characteristics of a boat affect performance (and I don't just mean speed, because there is much more to it) and HOW they affect performance.
After reading and understanding this book, you will be able to better determine what to expect from a boat by just standing next to it and sizing it up. You will also figure out a few of the goofy things production companies do these days because they are focused on making boats that will be easy to sell, and not focused enough on making a boat that sails well. Make sense? Many modern designs have goofy characteristics that make a boat look good on paper and in an advertisement, but detract from performance, seaworthiness, reliability, and practicality when out on the water.
Bottom line: This book includes what I believe it should based on the title and the fact that it is ~150 pages long. It is very useful to someone want to own a boat, or get into boat design.
Rating:  -
This book certainly must be part of any boat design collection. Brewer covers all aspects of deisgn from hull to deck to power to storage space. It serves as a complete introductory resource covering the important aspects of each topic without burdenning the reader with details that the designers and builders must understand.
However, as an introductory book, it is missing some friendliness for the beginner. Brewer could improve on the technical definitions early in the book; in particular the description of prismatic coefficient left me seaching the web for a clearer definition. Brewer uses plan drawings to introduce hull shapes, but not teach the novice how to read such a drawing. Finally, some of Brewer's own designs are displayed; however, they lack detailed drawings and their minimal descriptions do not explain to the reader why the design was chosen or what tradeoffs were made, which would be particularly educational. Instead it just appears as a catalog of some plans Brewer hopes a reader might purchase.
All in all, I highly recommend this book, but hope the the next addition improves on this already valuable text.
Rating: -
This book is fantastic for the curious. Those who are unaccustomed to the language of boatbuilding will quickly get a grasp of the same in reading this book. It is short and easy to get through.
It is not one of those books I would say is necessary (like Chapman), but it is savory food for the curious mind.
Rating: -
Understanding Boat Design supplies basic introduction to yacht design. It is clear and easy to understand for sailors. If you are planning to purchasing a sailboat, please read this first. If you are boat owner, it provides you to good understandings your boat.
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