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Rating:  -
If yer gonna go designing boats, his book, The Elements of Boat Strength: For Builders, Designers, and Owners, should be on your shelf. And if what you design is going to be pushed by a propeller, you'll want his Propeller Handbook, too.
Rating: -
As a degreed aerospace engineer, I've used the formula's in this book to easily calculate the scantlings for aluminum hulls from 14' to 30' in length, without exhaustive structural calculations or the need for finite element analysis software. Properly applied, you can build your boat with confidence that it will perform safely in the operating limits described. Are there other ways to calculate scantlings? Absolutely! But if you want "rule of thumb" formulas that are reliable when confined within the operating envelope, this is the way to go. I've plugged the equations and operating parameters into an excel spreadsheet that gives me all the scantling dimensions needed when entering the length, width and depth of the hull. Previous reviewers who stated the subject matter is "wide but shallow" didn't understand what they were reading. If you want to design a boat from scratch and will read and digest the material, this book is a bargain.
Rating: -
Great book! This book was just what I needed, while making boat repairs and contemplating my next purchase (or perhaps build).
With an undergraduate degree in Ocean Engineering with a couple of naval architecture courses under my belt, I really needed a professional's common sense, savvy discussion of boat design. With each page read I visualized the different construction details seen at boat shows and on friend's boats, I can trace failures observed back to the discussions.
The author's writing style really livens up the reading! I have read many books on the subject, this and "The Nature of Boats" are my favorites to date.
My only criticism is that the scantlings were noted to be appropriate for speeds up to 45 knots, I would have liked to book to include higher speed designs as that is my current interest, still looking.... Otherwise, five stars!
Rating: -
As an amateur boat builder, it helped me a lot to understand the subject. After finishing this book, now it is much easier for me to understand the class rules. It already paid back, since it made me realize a mistake on the number and thickness of the scantlings on my friend's boat.
Rating:  -
Gerr starts this book with the calculation of a "scantling number." This number is essentially based off the length, width and height of the vessel. He then applies this number to several charts thoughout the book to give "rule of thumb" values on the proper dimensions of the scantlings (hull plating, stiffeners, beams, etc.) for the vessel in question. Overall this book should be useful to the home boat builder. The math in the book is simple and the values obtained from the book seem reasonable for most boats. The books main weakness is that it glosses over the engineering aspects (calculating stresses, etc.).
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