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Rating:  -
I certainly understand the worthwhile intent of this book. But I would caution the author that ridiculing others' priorities don't elevate his case. In this industry there are no absolutes and no two owners are alike. To suggest that someone's political affiliation is a reflection on the integrity of their ideas is completely out of bounds. Let's quit with the smug diminishment of others.
Rating:  -
but nothing else, sorry :)
The main idea - "Boating is cool. Boating on trawler... sorry, troller, twice cooler :) Can't afford a new one - build it by yourself. You CAN do it! To do it you have to know about... By the way, in my 20-s..." :)
Covered areas:
- why boating is cool, a bit of history;
- what kind of boats is more preferable for crossing oceans and why;
- tech details: hull shapes, engines, sails, materials ("steel=cool"). Valuable comparsions (for example: different hull shapes for same project. You can see how shape affecting common boat params);
- sample drawings of some parts + few drawings of boat projects starting 38' & up;
This is easy-to-read book, and it's not a 'technical book'. I mean it can be compared to memoirs,... some kind of 'technical memoirs' :)
In general, coverage is good for an 'experienced newbie', who know's something about boats in general & dreaming about his own 'troller' boat. In fact, information from this book will not be enough to build something... But this book can inflame your dreams even more. :)
Rating: -
This is a great book for the armchair cruiser, the person who dreams about maybe someday getting a boat and cruising the world. It will add solid substance to those dreams, and make you much better prepared to read the for-sale ads and brochures of yacht brokers.
Buehler adopts a folksy, contrarian, informal style that is a delight to read: we're just sittin' around the port bar with crusty ol' cap'n Buehler, swappin' yarns. Buehler delights in being a contrarian, sniping at all modern trends and current assumptions in yacht marketing. For example: mild steel is almost always better than stainless steel for fittings; deck railings should be welded up from plain steel piping at a fraction the cost of custom stainless; *all* electrical systems *will* fail after enough time around salt water -- like the ubiquitous electric anchor-winch, which *will* fail and leave you stuck. So do without most of them (he advocates hydraulic-powered winches driven from the engine) and design in fall-backs for the ones you can't do without (like the engine starter).
Many of his opinions he justifies with anecdotes from long experience of "messing about in boats" on salt water. Some of the most important are backed by numbers. Most striking is the repeated tables of analyses showing how remarkably efficient a displacement hull is, when driven at its hull speed; and how amazingly fast the horsepower requirements go up, and the effective cruising range falls, as you increase speed even slightly above it.
Along the way he pokes holes in many pretentions and careless assumptions of the modern yacht market, which helps prepare you to read the magazines and brochures with a properly skeptical eye. A fun read and a dose of consumer wariness combined, a good thing. I would happily give this 5 stars except it is a bit dated. Ten years have passed and his cost estimates ought to be updated. Also, he could give a lot more info on good, reliable interior fitting design. For those wanting more info, current info on the designs at the center of this book is found at www.dieselducks.com. Buehler's own home page is www.georgebuehler.com.
Rating: -
Although technically correct the author has a 'problem' with the modern thinking in this field. This theme is recurrent thoughout his book.
Rating:  -
This is my favorite design book so far for around the world passagemaker type vessels. Buehler sort of takes up where Beebe leaves off, and gives an excellent working man's view of the problem. In his opinion, the vessel should be built more thin and streamlined so as to burn less fuel. Trawler yachts like the Nordhaven, are essentially fat, heavy, big-motored trawling vessels, such as scrape the bottom of the ocean bare with enormous lead weighted trawler nets.
His idea, the *troller* yacht, is more along the lines of line fisher vessels. Longer with less beam (width), and stouter, and made of working-class materials like wood or steel, rather than the "easy maintenence" fiberglass hulls favored by modern yacht buyers. He also disdains complicated electrical or mechanical systems, pointing out that such stuff breaks, it is hard to maintain and expensive to have others repair. He gives a number of outlines for vessels he has designed which have ranges of up to 9000 miles on 600 gallons of diesel fuel. He points out that modern workboats are much like his: economical powerboats. Sailboats are too expensive for working joes to go fishing in. They require big crews, and the gear itself is quite expensive. He once compares a modest sailing rig to the equivalent in diesel range: the diesel fuel will get you many times farther, and he points out that in most sailboats, the diesel motor is used half the time anyway because there is no wind. If you have an idea of sailing 'round the world, you might revisit your idea with some of the ideas in this book. I certainly think differently about the problem after having read this. This isn't for Larry Ellison; this is for people who have to worry about money and efficiency. Which means, I suppose, this book is for the type of person who has to buy a book to learn this sort of thing; otherwise you could just buy someone to tell you what kind of boat to get.
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