Boat Virgin

5 Responses to “The Sailor’s Book of Small Cruising Sailboats: Reviews and Comparisons of 360 Boats Under 26 Feet”

1. ---- Neil H. Says:
   July 21st, 2010 at 8:59 pm

   I purchased this book with much excitement. Unfortunately, the author’s introduction I think says it all: in 1990 (or so) his wife asked him when he would clean out a closet with boxes of old sailing advertisements, etc. He said he would turn it into a book. And now, in 2010, he has. This explains why so many of the boats listed were last built in the 60′s and 70′s. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find many of the boats listed, should you even desire to buy one. I was hoping to find interesting facts that I could use to upgrade my present boat, but there is not enough information for that. It is well organized, and compares boats to similar boats, but many of them are quite old.
   
   The author has a liking for Cat rigged boats, so there are a lot of them. But there are no multihulls at all, no catamarans and no trimarans.
   
   If you are looking for an encyclopedia of many of the single hulled boats that were built through the 80′s, and what problems typically happen to swing keels and the sailing characteristics of shallow draft, then you will enjoy this book. If you are seriously considering the purchase of a new or recently made boat, I would look elsewhere.
   
   Rating: 2 / 5

2. Jeff Mead Says:
   July 21st, 2010 at 10:05 pm

   Well done, with a lot of information. Missing a few (but not many) boats in this category. But also has a few I was not aware of. Enjoyed reading it and will be using it as a reference for a long time.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. J. Devine Says:
   July 21st, 2010 at 11:27 pm

   I like this book a lot. I am looking to purchase a sailboat and it has had many of the manufacturers and models I have not heard before. Just remember a few caviats:
   
   - Don’t expect the latest models. It has been updated, but most models are “Classic Plastic” from the 70s and 80s
   
   - Take the evaluations with a grain of salt. The author hasn’t sailed most of the boats in the book, although he has sailed quite a few. Lots of his evaluations are based on specs and plans. It doesn’t mean he’s wrong in most cases, but some very well regarded sailboats are critisized based on published specs.
   
   - He includes some designs that he admits have never been manufactured.

   Overall a nice resource, especially if you’re looking to buy a used trailer sailer or if you’re someone who likes to look at boat plans. I haven’t seen anything similar for sailboats this size so I reccomend it.
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. Kent S. Kokko Says:
   July 22nd, 2010 at 1:30 am

   This book fills a niche as a good reference guide to cruising boats less than 26 feet, and complements “A Field Guide to Sailboats” and “Dinghys and Daysailers”, among other familiar texts.
   
   The author has profound experience with sailboats, and has arranged his subject matter clearly to allow comparisons between various boats, their history and the relative strengths and weaknesses. The confusion regarding things like “length” are clearly explained – does it refer to LOA, LWL, LOD or is the boat “length” merely marketing hyperbole? Answer – all of the above.
   
   This would be the book to buy when contemplating the purchase of your first or next boat. Of course, once we purchase our first, we are necessarily thinking about the next. It allows you to narrow the field to fit your needs – cruising, racing, or just lazy family sailing.
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. Michael K. Smith Says:
   July 22nd, 2010 at 2:50 am

   This is a must buy for anyone searching for a small cruising sailboat or larger daysailor under 26′ including most mid-sized trailer boats. The author has an extensive and admirable background in the field of monohull sail boats and shares his love for the hobby in this fine compilation exhibiting hundreds of sailboat specs and drawings. Many sailors have strong opinions about boats they’ve owned and loved but Henkel gives us the basic facts and leaves the fluff to the manufacturers brag sheets. Well presented and good for many hours of armchair sailboat research. Your eyes will be opened to many fine small boats you didn’t know existed.

   As an avid former catamaran sailor myself, beachcat sailors must know that a “cruising boat” and small catamarans are two completely different beasts. The title of this fine work says it all so don’t expect what it doesn’t promote. Fair winds.

   Michael

   Rating: 5 / 5

Leave a Reply