Best ships books according to redditors

1. Determine where you are. This has an impact on requirements for boat registration, insurance, fire extinguishers, what PFDs you carry, possibly a license for the VHF, and possibly some sort of safe boating credential.
   
   
2. Make sure your boat won't sink on you. This means carefully checking all the thru-hulls to make sure they operate smoothly, are in good shape, and keeping them closed when not in use. It also means ensuring the automatic bilge pump is working, and that there's enough power to run it, either in the batteries or from shore.
   
   
3. Make sure your boat won't leave you stranded. Make sure the engine is in good shape and runs smoothly, make sure the steering cables look OK, check all the standing and running rigging, etc. Ideally the boat will have a binder documenting where everything is, when maintenance was performed, and also how old things are (e.g. your standing rigging probably has a service lifetime of 10-12 years).
   
   
4. Clean your boat. Seriously! Power wash it, sand it, paint it, polish it, whichever everything needs. Make it look like new. Not only will you feel better living on it and sailing it, but you'll get familiar with the state of everything and know what will be next up for maintenance or repair. Depending on how things are, set aside time regularly to clean or polish something at random. Ideally it's before things show wear; that's the best way to keep things that way.
   
   
5. Go over the electrical systems very carefully. Better, get a professional. You will want to know how much power you are likely to draw (think instruments, radar, refrigeration, radio, lights, water pumps, etc.) and make sure you have sufficient battery capacity, that the batteries are of the correct type and in good shape, and that the wiring done safely according to the proper standards (and ideally slightly over-spec'd; boats are no place for a fire). Finally, everything should be easy to follow and clearly labelled.
   
   
6. Ditto for the plumbing, etc. You'll need to determine your local pump-out facility, know how to check your holding tanks, etc.
   
   
7. Assuming you have a stove aboard, always switch it off at the solenoid, let the flame go out, and only then turn off the stove (again, fire bad!).
   
   
8. Learn how to use the VHF and what the local channels and rules are. Much is standardized, but some is local.
   
   Resources:
   
   

• Assuming it has a diesel, I'm told this is a very good resource: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071475354
  
• For sailing, you probably want a copy of this: https://www.amazon.com/Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-Fourth/dp/1451650191
  
• Get a copy of the ColRegs and local rules. This covers the rules of the road as well as lighting and other requirements. For example, the USCG publishes the local and international ones side-by-side here: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/index.php?pageName=NavRulesAmalgamated (by treaty, local rules will usually be similar to the international ColRegs).
  
• The RYA has a nice VHF textbook that covers DSC as well; it's mostly correct and the only items that might not apply are the UK-specific radio channels. The USCG radiotelephone handbook is also useful.
  
• Once you've sorted out the basics, the "Sailing Virgins" channel on Youtube isn't that bad; they have some nice (and concise!) videos on various techniques.

The only other one I can really think of is Zubaly's Applied Naval Architecture, I was told during my sophomore year that this book would be my Bible for life, and although I only just graduated recently, it has been quite useful, primarily in school so far though. I know they're not really related topics, but that's all I got.

This is the first sub class listed in my new book World Submarines, Covert Shores Recognition Guide (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541392302) <have received encouragement to plug it here! Happy to share.

I was pretty much you last summer. Land locked state, no sailing club close by, no relatives or friends who sail, and a burning desire to get out on the water.

I was able to learn to sail in four steps:

1. Read a beginners book on how to sail. The book I chose to read was The Complete Sailor by David Seidman. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Sailor-Second-Edition/dp/0071749578 This was a fantastic book that was only $10 bucks for the pdf version. It is well written and contains some fantastic illustrations. Talks about everything from keeping a sailors eye on the wind and weather, to docking and anchoring, and even has a chapter on trailering your sailboat if I recall correctly. Also Inspecting the Aging Sailboat by Don Casey was a fantastic read to help a brand new buyer have some idea of what to watch out for and what questions to ask when buying a used boat. http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449298309&sr=1-1&keywords=inspecting+the+aging+sailboat
   
   
2. Buy a small, cheap boat. I decided to start small and limited myself to getting a dinghy sailboat that was under a thousand dollars. I have heard that starting on a dinghy is ideal. Learning sailing theory in small, responsive craft will help you when/if you move up to larger keel boats where it isn't as obvious that you are making small mistakes. A thousand dollars is easy to make at a summer job. The repairs on small boats are really cheap and if things break your not usually out much money. You will learn the fundamentals in an environment where mistakes like bumping into the dock are not overly disastrous.
   
   
3. Watch YouTube videos. I ended up purchasing a Hobie 16 after reading the books. I had the gentleman I purchased it from help me step the mast and raise the main before I finally bought the boat. No test sail, just did it right there in his front yard. Most people will be more than happy to help you rig it up the first time if you just ask. Afterwards I hit Youtube and watched videos on how to rig the boat to make sure I had it right. Searched for more videos about "How to sail a Hobie 16" and watched all the videos I could find.
   
   
4. Practice, practice, practice. After I had watched several videos, read the books, and set the sails up in the yard it was time to get out on the water. I literally just picked a day with 2-3 mph of wind, put the boat in the water and went for it. Once I was actually out and sailing, the details worked themselves out. I watched even more videos and asked Reddit the occasional question.
   
   I was able to go from no sailing experience to flying hulls in 20~ mph wind inside of a summer with this method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c105II-L8OA Far from perfect, but we are having a blast. I think a teenager would be able to pull of a similar feat with no problems. You will find fumbling around on the water is far better than dreaming from the shore.
   
   
   
   
   

Putting a bluebook value on boats is really difficult. The equipment and condition can vary so greatly from one boat to another that it would be impractical to group them all together.

In my experience, the best way to get a feel for the value of a boat is to look at a lot of boats. Check out many listings of boats that are in your target size/style, and go and check them out. Even take photos and make notes so it's easy to remember what features were with which boats. Eventually you will come across one that just seems to be a good value when compared to the others that you have seen. It's a bit more time consuming this way, but I feel that you'll get a better boat in the long run using this method.

The problem with surveys is that many surveyors just don't do a thorough job. I wouldn't pay for a survey for a boat until I was quite certain that it was a boat I was ready to purchase. And even still, for a boat of this price a survey may not be worth it. Grabbing a copy of This Old Boat by Don Casey may be worth far more to you than paying for a professional survey since you'll be able to use the information on many boats, and you'll learn a lot about your future boat in the process.

I know I'm not really giving you a solid answer but I'm not familiar with the market in Seattle, and as you've mentioned, location can make quite a difference in the listing/selling prices.

Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Sailboat-Electrics-Simplified-Don-Casey/dp/0070366497/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487103072&sr=8-1&keywords=sailboat+electronics+simplified

Pretty much the gold standard.

That Ranger looks pretty good. I'd double check the bulkheads where the chainplates attach. It looks like water has gotten in there. If the bulkheads are rotted, that's a big job, and if they're rotted where the chainplates attach, there's risk of them pulling out and losing the rig. If the bulkheads are rotted there, I'd probably just walk away from this one. Replacing them just doesn't pencil out from a time or money perspective. It's a big, dirty, time consuming job.

​

I see the Catalina 22 has the "fixed keel" option which makes it a contender. I was about to ward you off of a swing keel trailer boat if you're planning on keeping the boat in the water. Still even with the fixed keel the Cat 22 doesn't have the "bay chops" of the Ranger or the Santana.

​

There are also two other good choices right now:

First, check this boat:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/boa/d/redwood-city-santana-22-hull-508/6863252537.html

The "tuna 22" is an incredibly tough little bay boat, and this one appears to be in pretty decent condition and available for a little more than a song to an owner that promises to take the boat out on the water and use it. This might be the most promising option on craigslist right now, though you'll have to either get the owner's Torqueedo, or alternatively scare up another outboard. And new outboards are expensive.

​

Then this Catalina 25 is a lot more boat for only a little more money and comes with a transferable slip in a good location:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/boa/d/brisbane-25ftcatalina-sail-boat/6882420858.html

​

A lot of it comes down to condition, which you can't really evaluate just by looking at photos - you have to get down there and actually touch and feel and smell the boats in person.

I won't tell you to try and get a surveyor for a boat that's selling for less than two bills. But I will tell you to get ahold of this book and read it before making a decision:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

You could get it in your hands on overnight shipping and have it read by Saturday afternoon if you read fast, before looking at boats on Sunday.

That said, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry when looking at boats. There's always another one coming around the corner. It's always a buyers market for aging plastic sailboats.

Hey, congrats, you have a budget. The downside though is your budget is pretty small for a world cruiser. You're going to be limited to older boats in the 26-30ft range and even then you may need to save up some to equip some addons like a liferaft, windvane and maybe a SSB radio or something for weather.

A start would be here: http://www.atomvoyages.com/planning/good-old-boats-list.html

You can also start with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323

I wouldn't start collecting equipment now. I'd be looking a good solid core boat that you like the layout on that fits your current budget with some money left over. I'd then start cruising more locally on it first and then add the gear you want and need on her for an ocean cruise. Basically shake her down and learn on her with smaller cruises, then work up to bigger ones.

But you want that good solid base of a boat first. Something you can really trust to keep you safe in bad weather and rough seas.

Another option would be to just crew on other people's boats who are cruising the world.

Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum

Gipsy Moth Circles the World by Sir Francis Chichester

And the books that really got me into sailing as a child:

The Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome

Where are you located? Location matters.

Recommend you read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Revised-Updated/dp/0939837668

Here.

Easily doable with a 7 year old, and if you can manage to not interfere too much you'll be surprised at how much he's actually capable of doing himself with just a little direction.

In reality it'll take about 4 weekends to build, but that's probably enough to begin with for a 7 y.o.

Also, why not make your own sails.

Oh wow, I have not read that one - I'll have to get a copy.

I've gotten much enjoyment out of reading Royce's Sailing Illustrated, Capable Cruiser by Lin & Larry Pardey [along with everything else by them], and the Annapolis Book of Seamanship, among others.

Cool, some look interesting. Links attached.

World Submarines: Covert Shores Recognition Guide By H I Sutton (ISBN: 1541392302) - Link

Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45 (New Vanguard) by Mark Stille (ISBN: 1846030900) - Link

Axis Midget Submarines: 1939-45 (New Vanguard) by Jamie Prenatt/Mark Stille (ISBN: 1472801229) - Link

Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers (New Vanguard) by Edward Hampshire (ISBN: 1472817400) - Link

Hostile Waters by Peter A. Huchthausen/Igor Kurdin/R. Alan White (ISBN: 0312169280) - Link

The Deadly Trade: The Complete History of Submarine Warfare From Archimedes to the Present by Iain Ballantyne (ISBN: 1409158519) - Link

Confederate Submarines and Torpedo Vessels 1861-65 (New Vanguard) by Angus Konstam (ISBN: 1841767204) - Link

Soviet Cruise Missile Submarines of the Cold War (New Vanguard) by Edward Hampshire (ISBN: 1472824997) - Link

U.S. Submarines Since 1945, Revised Edition: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman (ISBN: 1591145996) - Link

US Submarines 1900-35 (New Vanguard) by Jim Christley (ISBN: 1849081859) - Link

Don't worry about the type of boat. Educate yourself to make an informed decision

http://amzn.com/0071445455

http://amzn.com/0393033112

Make a list of the characteristics you absolutely MUST have when purchased or cost you must factor in to modify the boat. E.g.

1. Must be able to cross the atlantic (factor in costs of life raft, storm gear, epirb, ais, etc)
   
   
2. Must be able to be sailed single handed (e.g. does it come with a self steering windvane or will you have to purchase one?)
   
   
3. Must have headroom of at least _ ft in.
   
   
4. Must be able to sleep ____ many people at sea
   
   
5. etc
   
   
   Practical matters:
   
   
6. You are willing to sail the boat back ____ many miles from where you bought it to where you're keeping it considering that it most likely won't be offshore capable when you buy it.
   
   
7. Go to yachtworld.com and browse the boats in this area and on craigslist. Create a list of boats you like, what the gear is, and how much they cost. Watch the markets for at least 6 months before you buy.
   
   
8. Start visiting these boats in your area. A picture of a boat is a lot different than what the boat looks like in real life and what your expectations are. For instance I was looking at westsail 32s and contessa 32s until I was on both types of boat and realized neither were for me.
   
   
   Now, as you visit all these boats calculate your total cost of ownership
   
   TCO = x + y + z
   
   x = the total cost of the boat after broker fees, documentation fees, registration fees, import fees, taxes, etc.
   
   y = the cost of the modifications that you wish to make (multiplies by two if you have never owned a boat before)
   
   z = the cost of moorage + power for ___ many years before you go cruising full time. Keep in mind that if you get a multihull you will be paying a premium for moorage. Do not underestimate this cost.
   

Most production boats in the 35' - 45' range are sold into charter fleets - I'd guess somewhere between 50% and 80% of new boats in this category.

If those are the kind of boats you're looking at then it's about maximising the number of berths they can cram in, and probably also having a swim platform at the rear.

If you read something like Kretschmer's Flirting with Mermaids or Yacht Design According To
Perry, it seems like 20 years ago¹ people bought cruising sailboats with the dream of crossing oceans on them.

Realistically, most boats sold today are sold into charter or used mostly at weekends; it's that kind of coastal cruising that modern designs are best suited for.

 

¹ I suspect it's really a case that 40 years ago, and even as late as 20 years ago, people still did this, but those books are on my shelves and spring to mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Weekend-Skiff-Richard-Butz/dp/1888671106

It even has a sample schedule (4 days) for community building, and a list of materials you will have to prepare in advance. If you have more time, there's plenty of things the kids can do on the materials list.

I've built a metric fucktonne of the canoe with kids, some as young a 7, and I really don't think you have to worry about it not being interesting. The act of building a boat is enough, so keep it simple and go with plywood.

You'll probably learn more than they do.

Get This Old Boat by Don Casey. It is an awesome resource. It'll walk you through diagnosing and fixing almost any problem you can find. There's also check lists for "critical systems" vs "probably needed systems" vs "this might be nice" (my wording, not his.)
Congrats on your new home! Good luck!

I'd suggest reading this, https://amzn.com/0071445455 . Don Casey's Inspecting the aging Sailboat. It gives you a basic run down of what to REALLY look at.

That said a hull being most is a problem with mostly 80's onward racers (at least I think) S2's have balsa cores below the waterline and that can be a huge ordeal. One of my club members bought an old 7.9 that had moisture problems around the daggerboard and it's been a hell of an ordeal for them vs my cabintop that's finished.

> Any suggestions or ideas (or better yet plans or tutorials) would be greatly appreciated.

1. Start by building scale models. You can learn 90% of the essential concepts of boat building very quick and cheap this way. And, you can actually end up with a successful full size built boat more quickly by learning first by building small scale models. They can be simply made of cardboard and tape, too.
   
   
2. Read a couple books. I recommend Jim Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson. You can expect the price of both these books to be paid back via saving you a costly mistake.
   
   
3. Avoid the temptation to be a boat designer. At least at first, stick with a well known tried and tested popular design of a well respected boat designer.

If you haven't already grabbed this or this, I can't recommend them enough as excellent resources to address this and many other questions.

I'm quite seriously considering a sailing wander about early retirement/escape. I recommend r/sailing. There are some experienced sailors there, and sometimes the discussion addresses cruising. I'd also recommend The Coastal Cruiser: A complete guide to the design, selection, purchase, and outfitting of auxiliary sailboats under 30 feet--with a portfolio of successful designs , . Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere , and Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 66th Edition

Get a gel cell deep cycle battery, a battery box and an DC/AC inverter. The gell cell won't leak and if it's deep cycle you can run it all the way down and then re-charge it. Secure the battery box near the centerline somewhere and run the cable to the AC inverter. I would make my own removable box to house the battery and inverter, etc and give it a place to clip into and out of.


Use proper connectors and heat shrink wrap to keep corrosion and water from corroding your wires... this will keep fire hazard to a minimum.


If you want to go all out then you can install a solar charger, which would require a charge controller. If you go the permanent install route you should also install at least 1 or 2 breakers.


http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/05.htm
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/howto_lib.htm

or buy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Sailboat-Electrics-Simplified-Don-Casey/dp/0070366497

>What's the best submarine movie of all time and why is it Down Periscope?
>
>When it comes to the best submarine movie, you've got a lot to pick from there are a lot of really great movies and a variety of genres. Honestly the two that surprised me the most were Run Silent Run Deep and Destination Tokyo due to their age. I wasn't sure that something from that time period could be that captivating and compelling. They're really great and have a lot of what we're all looking for in sub movies, fish in the water, crazy amounts of tension, depth charging, and great acting! Honestly it's impossible for me to pick just one.
>
>As for Down Periscope, who doesn't love that tattoo joke going through the entire movie?! That makes it amazing right there. Welcome Aboard
>
>Outside of the usual suspects, what are some of the better submarine books?
>
>One of my favorites is a non fiction submarine book written by fellow AMA host HI Sutton, "World Submarines Covert Shores Recognition Guide" you can find it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/World-Submarines-Covert-Shores-Recognition/dp/1541392302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536099275&sr=8-1&keywords=world+submarines+covert+shores+recognition+guide Lets you ID subs from all nations and has great information on all of them. Highly recommend checking it out
>
>How's your morse? Mine is pretty rusty. ...-- -.... -.. -.. / ..--- ..... / ...-- ....-
>
>If you meant to start that off with "36DD" please respond with one ping only

​

Surveyors look at the boat in its entirety and make notes of every single thing that's even a little wrong. A surveyor will go through the boat with a fine-toothed comb and make sure that everything - especially vital parts - is in order. Once a surveyor has gone through a boat and compiled his whole report, you basically know that boat's condition better than you know the condition of your own genitals.

The best you can do on your own is pick up a good maintenance book (I believe Don Casey's book is a standard; it's about 500 pages worth of extremely detailed information and it has an entire chapter on what to look for when buying a boat but before you call the surveyor), memorize the whole damn thing, and go from there.

If you're interested in books, I bought this[1] one. It's a pretty good starter. I also bought an older used copy of Chapman Piloting for general boat knowledge.

I personally haven't decided for or against doing it (the possibility is still a few years off), but at least it didn't scare me off entirely. I recently bought a house and the amount of maintenance makes me want to go as far as possible away from maintenance (e.g. getting a super solid tiny house, metal roof, etc) which is not a good point for a boat.

As far learning how to sail, there are "accredited" courses which include time on the water. You can also go outside that and probably get training cheaper. Look up local yacht clubs and see what they have (we have one even in landlocked Austin). I haven't gone farther than research yet so that's as much as I can say.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Revised-Updated/dp/0939837668/

Buy this book, it's great!

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tiBTybADK132Z

Check out this one. Don Casey knows his stuff. Sailboat Electrics Simplified https://www.amazon.com/dp/0070366497/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_TURMAbE79GNPE

Start with the classic, "Sailing Alone around the World", by Joshua Slocum. I would also recommend some other older accounts, such as Cruising under Sail, by Eric and Susan Hiscock.

Get to know Lin and Larry Pardey and their books.

For specific advice on boat systems, see Nigel Calder's books Nigel is a very clear and detailed writer.

As the widely varying answers in this thread suggest, the size of the boat is far from the sole criterion you should be considering; people have traversed the oceans in rowboats. It's not comfortable, but it CAN be done.

Instead, you should ask yourself the question "What do I want to accomplish, and what are the options available to me within my budget?" The Pardeys circumnavigated in a 24-footer that I would find extremely cramped, but they were competent sailors, knew what they enjoyed, and they did a great job of it.

If you're thinking about production boats, this book would be a good place to get you started. In the end, it's a combination of factors having to do with you, the boat, and the way you intend to sail her.

Well, I wanted to build an outrigger sailing canoe, and there's only one book on the subject.

Good books, with some notes:

Dierking's Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes Excellent reference for building any plywood boat, but you should be careful. This book will seduce you. Gary's an expert on making a single outrigger boat that works, is pretty, and is fast and easy to build. You'll buy the book to read and end up the next weekend heading off to Lowes to buy plywook, and ordering an epoxy kit from Raka. These boats are faster and more capable than anything but quite a big monohull, are simple to build, you can sail them yourself, on most of them you can take someone out with you, it's hard to see why anyone would build a ever build 15' dinghy instead of an Ulua or a Wa'apa, honestly, unless there was a racing class they wanted to get into. Highly recommended.

Payson's Go Build Your Own Boat Very good, very readable, some stuff that I still wonder about. Edge nailing into 1/4" ply, for example. How was that supposed to work? But the basic ideas of get it done fast and go sailing still apply.

Stambaugh's Good Skiffs Good, readable, interesting introduction to traditional heavy skiff construction as well as stitch and glue. The traditional methods are usually ignored, but if I were going to build a skiff I wanted to keep in the water I might pick that. The heavy skiffs sail really well, are enormously strong, are self-righting, they have a lot of advantages.

Andrew C. Marshall's Composite Basics Good intro to composite work. Technical but readable. Good reference.

Gougeon Bro's On Boat Construction Classic, necessary. Very good coverage of all kinds of stuff, really good.

Russell Brown's Epoxy Basics: Working with Epoxy Cleanly & Efficiently Expert level epoxy tricks. This is the stuff that will amaze people at the next messabout. Read the Gougeon Bro.'s book first, then read this.

Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond Good. Kind of basic stuff, but if you need a book on figuring out centers of effort and basic rudders and boards and stuff it's fine. The boats are plain and kind of simplistic, but they sail fine. For the most part they don't go to windward in any kind of impressive way, but really who wants to be bashing to windward all the time anyway? They're not racing boats, and for dinking around they're great. Don't build his proa; no one ever has, and there's probably a reason for that. The rest of the boats range from fine to quite good (the Laguna is probably the best of his designs).

Bolger's Boats With An Open Mind Classic, great. A must-read. Even if you never build one you'll learn a huge amount from this.

Other Bolger books: 30-Odd Boats, Folding Schooner: And Other Adventures in Boat Design. Anything he wrote is worth reading. I mean, not the novel, but any of his boat books.

Parker's The Sharpie Book Very good intro to sharpies of all sizes.

Little known classics:

A 30', $6,000 Cruising Catamaran : Built, Sailed and Written About Hardcover – 1987 by Roy F. Chandler
I mean, don't pay $48 for it, but if you see a copy in a used bookstore it's worth a few bucks. Some of his 'tricks' for saving money don't translate very well ("My friend gave me this huge bucket of stainless hardware", hey, good idea! I'll try that), but it's a good general outline of turning a worn out racing cat into a small cruising cat on not much money.

Finally, for a lost classic: Chapman 's The Plywood Boatbuilder Vol 41 Excellent and readable look back at what early plywood designs and construction looked like forty years ago. I wouldn't build any of these, there are better designs around now, but it's fascinating to see how the thing developed. Designs for prams and dinghys, sailboats, outboard, runabouts, 47 designs, sailboats from 13 ft to 24 ft.

But really, a great and cheap way to read a lot about boatbuilding is to get hold of old copies of Wooden Boat or some of the other boating publications. You can often pick up a stack cheap or free. In depth articles, lots of pictures, I learned a lot from stacks of ten year old mags people gave me. In fact, I have a big stack of Wooden Boat and some other stuff I need to get rid of right now. Anyone want them? Free to good home, paypal me back the shipping when you get them. Send me a PM if you're interested.

Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0939837323/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CAPWCb34QV9EG

These will be more in the civic line, although in terms of good little work horses, they can usually still play.

I learned a lot from Power Squadron classes, but that was more about navigation and safety than maintenance. Very useful however. It will put you in touch with a bunch of great folks who will love to chat maintenance. Other than that, I got the Nigel Calder book (http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373317120&sr=1-1) and chatted up everyone in the Marina.

Also check out the Wollaston Yacht Club in Quincy. It's got a bunch very cool down to earth folks who love boats, boating, and maybe beer.

Check out a couple of books by Nigel Calder. I recommend starting with Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook as it's a pretty good general overview of everything you need to know for cruising, then try Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual as a guide to all of the stuff that you will spend all of your free time fixing and maintaining. I also have Marine Diesel Engines. He does a great job of explaining everything you need to know in an accessible way. He manages to get to some pretty advanced skills without assuming very much previous knowledge.

Link to the book

You may also peruse his blog where he talked about his project.

Avoid some carefully-selected answers (fibs) from the seller, buy a book or two on boat repair (shameless plug). You'll learn how to do basic inspections of the hull and other things to look out for. Then if you think that's the one, hire an inspector to look it over.

Definitely. You'll save A LOT of pennies too, more than you could possibly imagine right now.

One option if you want to get going sooner is to buy an engineless beater, and Don Casey's book, and get going: http://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Complete-Illustrated-Sailboat-Maintenance/dp/0071462848/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1370306245&sr=8-1

A great book that includes sets of plans, 'Boatbuilding for Beginners (and beyond)' by Jim Michalak.

If you have a boat you need to get "Don Casey's: This old boat" It will explain this repair as well as all other you might need.

Yep it's pretty thick haha, but for your practical purposes you don't need to concern yourself too much with the complex math and calcs. I have no idea how versed you are in Naval architecture or engineering so skip what you already know and forgive me if some of this is obvious to you, but start with making sure you understand the definitions of everything in section one and then section two is what you're looking for. Simple stability. Make sure you understand the equilibrium conditions and the forces and moments that govern them, and the concept of metacentric height. For what you're doing that will be more than enough to make a simple model to roughly ensure you'll be stable. Take the hull you're wanting to build and make a general representative shape to make the calculations easier, i.e. A typical v-hull fishing boat could be simply modeled as a box on top of a triangular prism for simplicity. Down at pages 121 and on there are some simple examples that will illustrate what you'll want to do if you are going to calculate stability. You could also of course just understand the principles and "eyeball" it for s small boat like you want to build. If you are though interested in serious naval architecture I suggest applied naval architecture by zubaly. It's a very practical and straight to the point text that's presented in a logical order and understandable way in my opinion, although there are a few other texts that are considered the bibles of NA as well. Good luck and hope the dinghy turns out great!

https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Naval-Architecture-Robert-Zubaly/dp/0870334751

Some good reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Cape-Horn-Starboard-John-Kretschmer/dp/1580801625/

http://www.amazon.com/World-My-Own-non-stop-voyage/dp/0713668997/

http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/0924486848/

http://www.amazon.com/Across-Islands-Oceans-Journey-Around/dp/1470004615/

http://www.amazon.com/Voyages-Extraordinary-Times-Larry-Pardey/dp/1929214987/

Start simple. There's a sailing version in the book.

Don't get too bogged down trying to choose a plan. There are literally thousands, they all claim to be the best/ easiest/ cheapest etc. and it's quite possible to spend the rest of your life looking at plans and daydreaming.

Just jump in and do it.

I'm a boatbuilder AMA, if you want.

Buy a book!

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071445455/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cbDqDb8T5QNS7

As someone who is currently in my 4th year in an NA/ME undergrad program I can only offer my perspective on your decision and hope that it helps. Having witnessed a friend or two go through the Mech program my university offers I can tell you that overall the concepts that distinguish NA/ME from general Mech are few - though those few can be quite important. For the most part the classes I have taken mirror the classes my Mech friends have taken to the point where our first Static Structures class was the same, our Intro to Dynamics class was the same, and I even took the Mech version of Fluid Dynamics I because I couldn't take the NA/ME version. For the most part the classes are interchangeable - which sits well with your plan. The differences arise in the fact that Mech will give you none of the basics for Marine design: stability calculations, propeller/engine shaft design, that sort of thing. To compensate, I would recommend this book: Applied Naval Architecture. It's what I use at my university and I find I come back to it quite frequently as it contains a little bit of everything.

Beyond that, my main concern for you lies in the Area of Fluid Dynamics. Right now I'm enrolled in both the Mech and NA/ME version of Fluids II and they are very different. Mech is dedicated to learning CFD in FLUENT and the NA/ME is dedicated to describing scaling parameters between testing models and actual ships. The NA/ME class leads heavy into what my Senior design course will be next year and our Senior Lab, while the Mech class, while useful to know, doesn't help much at all. I wish I could offer you a good source to read on, but as my NA/ME class doesn't use an official book (just course pack) I really don't know of an equivalent that would meet your needs.

So basically, I would say you would be mostly on par with anyone else entering a Masters program straight out of undergrad for NA/ME with just a few exceptions. Hope this helped!

Nigel Calder's book Marine Diesel Engines, while not giving a thorough treatment of a rebuild, will give you enough information to be able to figure out if it's worth rebuilding or not.

I charter right now, OCSC is A-B-C docks. I don't know anyone who knows diesels, sorry. But I have worked on motorcycle engines (never cracked the case open, though). Between that, whatever you know, and this, you might be in good shape. I'm willing to give it a go if you are, anyway.

Best of luck!

I am 6'1" and liveaboard a 45' Gibson houseboat. It's pretty tight but I have about two inches of space above my head. My knowledge of boats is limited but I have been on a few larger vessels that had about 7' ceilings so they do exist.

It's mostly okay but sometimes it can feel a little bit claustrophobic.

Here are some must have books that will help with the mechanical end of things:
http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Edition-Handling/dp/1588169618

http://www.amazon.com/12-Volt-Bible-Boats-Miner-Brotherton/dp/0071392335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457992044&sr=1-1&keywords=12+volt+bible+for+boats

That's great - glad you had a good time

If you or your buddies are book types, I would suggest you introduce them to a couple of books

The first "Two Years Before The Mast" - by Richard Henry Dana - there is a passage in that book that ends with an eloquent statement about sails and sailing...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tallships/comments/9kacom/star_of_india_all_sails_set_sept_30_2018_we_sail/

It's about the sails ... ``How quietly they do their work!''

The scene - 1834 - Student at Harvard basically says: Screw this college stuff, I'm going to be a sailor - he walks down to the ship yards and signs a 2 year contract, sails around the horn visits southern California, and returns to Boston. Along the way, he keeps a journal and it becomes a master piece.

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Years_Before_the_Mast

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Years-Before-Mast-Signet-Classics/dp/0451531256

Book #2 - Is about an old captain - his life story before the book is amazing by it self

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_Alone_Around_the_World

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263

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Haha! Around really hard core racers I feel that way all the time still. I just shut my mouth and nod sometimes. Being immersed in a new language helps some.

I found this book to be particularly helpful.

If you like to sail in windy and rough conditions you should really think about a multihull, IMO. In addition to the cats and tris above, you might give Gary Dierking's book a look:

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Outrigger-Sailing-Canoes-Construction/dp/0071487913

Fast, capable, pretty, and not complex to build. Anything in that book would sail circles around a Scamp or the CLC Pocketship. And if you want to camp out you have a tramp or platform to sleep on, that's actually really comfortable.

Good luck!

I always think it suspicious when people list their boat's condition as "fair" when selling online. I've seen Craigslist boats where the deck is one big maze of spider cracks and softer than a pillow in spots, where the stays are one puff away from snapping, where the rudder can spin freely on the shaft ("it helps to trim the boat") that are listed as "good". If a boat owner lists their boat as anything less than "good", they're either incredibly honest (which is unlikely) or aware of some awful drawback (soggy decks, failed chainplates, clothlike sails, rusty stays, frozen through-hulls, leaky hull-deck joint, or a hilarious and novel combination thereof).


That said, check out "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat", it's a great book that's helped me a great deal and I've spent most of my life on boats:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

At the very least, google "Morgan 35" and see what people have to say. Most of what you read online about boats is by nincompoops so be skeptical (but should you be skeptical of me telling you to be skeptical? SKEPTICEPTION!). If you're going to make a big life decision by buying a large sailboat you should probably get it surveyed, especially if you don't know boats very well.


Anyways, you might try looking at a smaller boat? You don't need more than 30' if you're living alone, and you'll save a lot of money if that's your aim. Plus, a smaller boat is easier to maintain, berth, and sail!

[Dove] (https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263)


[Sailing Alone Around The World] (https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263)

[The Long Way] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0924486848/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496093457&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+long+way+sailing&dpPl=1&dpID=51L%2Btgd-fQL&ref=plSrch)

I'm sure you already are but if not, start keeping eyes on the local used boat market. Wait and watch then pick your pitch. If it's too good to be true, it probably is BUT there are motivated sellers. People buy 2nd boats before selling their current one all the time, people inherit boats they can't afford upkeep on, people leave them at boat yards. This is especially true for smaller and older boats where the annual storage and upkeep can exceed the value of the boat itself.

Set up a separate bank account and figure out your annual cost of ownership. Start getting used to setting that money aside automatically each month. It'll give you a head start on your sinking fund so any early upgrades or repairs don't sting as much.

I watched and saved for 3 years until I was able to make a late-season steal on a well cared for Cal 2-25. Owner bought it for 6k, was paying 3500 for a slip and 1600 for winter storage. He was asking 5k but I waited until late in the season and offered 3400 pointing out the fact that he's breaking even on asking price by avoiding the looking winter storage. We settled on 3800 and we took ownership with 2+ months of the sailing season left.

While you're preparing, read the following books:

• Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1456310038/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Hi8YzbQ3KFZYY
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo (International Marine-RMP) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lj8YzbYPNZDPR

Have you read Sailing Alone Around the World? If not you should seriously check it out, it's absolutely incredible. Slocum was the man.

So, coastal cruiser, homebase Maine, 'Snowbird' itinerary.

That leaves the budget question as the big variable we need if you want specific recommendations. You can do this at many different $$$ levels...but the boat selection and priorities will change.

This is a good place to start: Greg Nestor - "Twenty affordable sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Affordable-Sailboats-Anywhere-ebook/dp/B00422LH04/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355828&sr=1-1&keywords=Nestor+sail

If you need to go for less $$$...that means either smaller, older, or more 'sweat equity' by you. Don't give up here. Many sailors have years of fullfilling cruising under the 'go small, go simple, go early' approach. Refer to this very similar book by John Vigor - "Twenty small sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355337&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Vigor+sail

Plan on 50% of purchase cost, additional, to put it right, depending on the boat and your plans. Strongly consider a survey for the boat that is the "one". They cost too damn much to do more than one, but can save you from that BIG mistake.

http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

This book is pretty something you may need to look at.

Best investment you can make! Everyone should have this on their boat! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071432388?pc_redir=1397569458&robot_redir=1

I have enjoyed these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756689694/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071350993/

Edit 1 to add: Also, for entertaining reading, Joshua Slocum's book and Voyage for Madmen

Can't speak to living aboard personally, or even Seattle specifically, but I'm also researching the feasibility with the SO now. I'm in the middle of this book, The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat, and find it very enlightening. You may want to check it out if you haven't already.

http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=D12

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/wooden-sailboat-kits/skerry-rowing-sailing-dinghy-kit.html

For price reasons, you should probably look at a "wood" boat that's covered in fiberglass and epoxy.

For an actual wooden boat, it's also doable, but will probably cost you more due to the lumber: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dory-Book-John-Gardner/dp/0913372447

Joshua Slocum
http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408214112&sr=1-1&keywords=joshua+slocum

If you pull that off shoot me a message and I will email him all the pictures. Another thing I will suggest is a book called "This Old Boat" http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Completely/dp/0071477942 I have the first ed. but I am sure its all still there. It is a great reference on restoring all kinds of boats but especially older smaller sailboats.

What is it exactly that you've always wanted? I'm guessing the answer is not round-the-buoys racing :) Regardless, you're going to need to get some experience with the basics before people start trusting you with their lives on the open ocean.

Really though, sailing isn't hard. Check out your local sailing clubs, crew for a bit, see if you still love it. If you do, study up on piloting, navigation and the "rules of the road", then rather than being under some skipper's thumb, think about buying your own boat. Check out 20 Small Sailboats To Take You Anywhere from your local library. For the cost of a few month's rent you will have a simple, capable vessel that you can sail wherever you want. Living on a sailboat can be very inexpensive (though it can also be quite expensive).

Good luck, live your dream, and thanks for your service in Afghanistan.

Is this it? I'm thinking of getting it and want to make sure.

Go get yourself a copy of "This old boat" by Don Casey. They should be widely available secondhand.

He recommends installing a second maintenance bilge pump with a smaller hose, which mops up whatever the big one lets back down again when it turns off the power.

https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388 This will help you fix nearly everything. It's slightly technical but has very good information.

This was a great resource for my wife and I (boston, 42' trawler): https://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Living-Aboard-Boat/dp/0939837668.

>maybe use sail track and sliders

If you do this, the guy who built the boat might cry. It sounds like a very traditionally built boat. A sail track certainly isn't traditional.

If you look closely at the picture you linked, there is a thumb cleat right where you described. The thumb cleat is used to secure block for the jib halyard. The jib is flown without a stay.

The mainsail should be laced to both the mast and the boom, as shown in the picture. To strike the sail, you fold the boom up to the mast.

This is all described in extensive detail in John Gardner's Dory Book. I would bet a large sum of money that the builder used that book as his reference.

The first boat I built in high school was the weekend skiff . A simple boat which turned out nice and the directions were easy to follow.

I also built some simple open, single person, kayaks with a group of kids for a summer camp that was from two sheets of plywood. I don't have the plans anymore but those were really simple and the basic boat could be made in a week course with teenagers.

I've had people here recommend me some good books on this topic:

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat - Don Casey

For fiberglass specifically:
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats - Henry C. Mustin

John Vigors 20 small sailboats to take you anywhere:

https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499492768&sr=8-1&keywords=20+small+sailboats+to+take+you+anywhere

John Vigor wrote a now well-known book about quality and design in offshore craft: https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323

His angle is certainly a traditional one, but if you look at this book you can get an idea of the sorts of things that you might be seeking in an offshore boat.

Get a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Diesel-Engines-Maintenance-Troubleshooting/dp/0071475354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415398133&sr=1-1&keywords=marine+diesel+engines

My own boat is gasoline-powered, but I do enough reading about powerboats in general to be aware that this book is the Bible where caring for marine diesel engines is concerned. The author is the technical editor at PassageMaker magazine.

West Marine carries it, but you could get it cheaper by ordering a used copy from Amazon.

EDIT: You're welcome. Appreciate the upvote. /sarcasm

As a software developer I assume you will need to stay connected while travelling. You might find some of the information on Technomadia's blog helpful. They are app developers that live on a boat part of the year, and an RV the other part. They post a lot of articles about staying connected and working virtually from a boat full time.

A good book I found helpful about liveaboard life is, "The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat," by Mark Nicholas. He lived aboard for years, so some of the technology he mentions is dated, but he lists the potential problems and rewards that come along with living aboard full time while working a regular, full time job while he lived in Boston.

Another book that might pertain to you and I've seen excerpts from is, "Leap of Faith: Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat," by Ed Robinson. You might download a sample and see if it's helpful. Good luck and take care.

Ian Oughtred book is excellent: https://www.amazon.com/Clinker-Plywood-Boatbuilding-Manual-Oughtred/dp/0937822612

John Gardner book is also great: https://www.amazon.com/Dory-Book-John-Gardner/dp/0913372447/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492717229&sr=1-2&keywords=john+gardner+boat

Kit boats are excellent intros, Chesapeake Light Craft is a good provider.

Boatbuilding classes are great too, Piediver suggested a good one

http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Edition/dp/0071477942

How about you start here or another conversion book:
https://www.amazon.com/12-Volt-Bible-Boats-Miner-Brotherton/dp/0071392335/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Read http://www.amazon.com/12-Volt-Bible-Boats-Miner-Brotherton/dp/0071392335 and avoid the learning curve of blown fuses and burnt boats. 12 vdc is easy but dangerous enough to RTFM.

Oh man: https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263

1896 solo round the world sail (the wrong way). So extraordinary.

I agree it’s not a reputable blue water boat, but the Catalina 27 is listed in Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere because many people have crossed oceans in it.

Bob Perry is one of the top designers. Here's a book of his: http://www.amazon.com/Yacht-Design-According-Perry-Shaped/dp/007146557X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374854434&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+perry+boat

Website: http://www.perryboat.com/

He's also active on Sailing Anarchy (this site is not for the thin-skinned -- check out the Cruising Anarchy forum)- http://forums.sailinganarchy.com

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showuser=2980

I would recommend this book Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More! by Jim Michalak http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891369296/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am just starting to build a Piccup Pram and bought the plans from this designer. I would also recommend you use designs of something that has already been built as the behavior of the boat has been vetted for placement of the mast/sail/rudder etc.

Also you are likely underestimating the expense of the materials. You have to use marine grade plywood as only that plywood glue will be water proof. A 1/4" thick 4'x8' sheet is $50 each and for a small sail/row dinghy it takes 5 sheets. The sail is $600 if you want to buy it from http://www.duckworksbbs.com/ or around $250 in materials if you want to sew your own sail. I expect I will have $1400 in material cost to complete the build but am doing it more for the experience and having a boat just the way I want it.

But by all means draw pictures and daydream. There are lots of fun times doing that. But when you get down to building it you may want to consider the cost and going with a known design that you can customize in your own personal ways.

Here is a complete youtube video of a gentleman (Martin Houston) building a Jim Michalak AF3 plywood boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76nlJR-RSUM

I saw a lot of Jim Michalak boats in the Texas 200 which I did for the first time last year in my Catalina 22. http://www.texas200.com/