books

David Gerr's Youngest Fan

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I have mentioned before (in glowing terms) David Gerr's Nature of Boats book. I had it in a stack of books on my desk that I had been referring to off and own. Dane ran across it and it struck his interest.

How many 7 year olds pick up Nature of Boats and proceed to start reading it? The first little bit he did out loud (some of the pronounciations are interesting :-)): read more »

Books - The Store at Craft A Craft

If you've checked this page for any length of time, you've probably seen the rotating "book" display over in the left column. This method hasn't been great for finding things, and there are a LOT of boating and related books out there that I think should be easier to find. So... There is now "The Store at Craft A Craft"... check out this Amazon powered store site for your boating book fix.

General categories are geared around boating specific searches. There are separate listings for the popular designers' publications. Dig around... I keep finding things I didn't know were "out there".

All the "selling" is done through Amazon... I do get a percentage if you buy it through this site... if you would rather go straight to Amazon, feel free. The cost to you will be the same either way.

The older list can be found at: Old Book List.

If you find it cheaper somewhere else, let me know... Amazon's just convenient for a lot of us :-)

Seating for 5?

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Gary Bell on the TrawlerWorld Power Cat mailing list recently brought up an idea concerning craft design that really hits home with me...

Just my opinion here, but it is based on many happy hours -- and a few unhappy moments -- boating in various boats with just the Admiral and similarly boating with guests aboard. You will find that whenever you are there all your guests immediately visit the pilothouse and never leave. I suggest that you design gracious pilothouse guest seating for five. When underway with just your Admiral aboard, a cozy one guest pilothouse might be just dandy. If you go that route, I very strongly suggest a great intercom, so you can summon help when someting gets sticky, or at least you can get a cuppa without abandoning the helm. However, with guests -- like say two couples along for a boat ride -- they are all going to absolutely insist on hanging out wherever you are. Recall how everybody follows the host/hostess into the kitchen at a party, strategically stationing themselves directly in front of the stove, sink, oven, refrig. and liquor locker? If ya banish yer guests to the saloon fer that three hour cruise ya just might hafta face a scurvy buncha mutineers. Lead by the Admiral!

I agree... people want to socialize together. Even if its just your family that's cruising with you. I anticipate 3 of us (wife and child) for the most part, with the occasional short term guest. We're not looking to be passagemaking (would love to, but not soon)... these will be river and coastal cruises. Lots of things to look at. People chatting, looking, pointing out the sites, etc. For this we need the conn and some seating "all together".

As much as I like the Dutch Barge look, I'm thinking that their true background of cargo carrying, which leads to the lower, less windowed cabins, will lead to unhappiness at not being able to see out. Maybe I'm wrong, and that I would never want to look out from anywhere but the wheelhouse, but I don't think so.

Bolger Books

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It seems that many of the "popular" designers have published books over the years, but many of them have gone out of print. read more »

Government learning resources

There are quite a few resources around online that you (the U.S. Government) has already paid for. Many of them are available free.

On the Origami List , a recent poster commented about:

U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers "THERMAL SPRAYING: NEW CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTENANCE" Engineer Manual ... it's relatively recent, being dated
29 January 1999.

It's available at:

http://www.usace.army.mil/publications/eng-manuals/em1110-2-3401/entire.pdf

There are many other U.S. Army Corp of Engineers publications available at

Other items can be found by searching the (pretty well done, actually) Government "search" site at:

I happen to know there is a good "Intro to Welding" manual floating around titled Welding Theory and Application, although a free link to it escapes me at the moment. Its a U.S. Army training manual (its Training Circular TC 9-237 - search for it...). I'm not going to make it available since I'm not sure its "free", but if somebody can find a link or more information about it, please pass it on.

Boats with an Open Mind

Philip C. Bolger has been a designer for much of his long life, and a prolific one at that... he has literally hundreds of plans available. Eschewing the modern, on-line world, he works and interacts by mail and mostly fax . He doesn't have a catalog online (or even in paper, I believe). The preferred method seems to be sending him a fax describing what you want and he'll send you a listing and short description of various designs that he feels will meet your needs.

He also takes custom design work, but currently seems to have a large backlog.

Anyway, on to the book... Mr. Bolger has published several books of plans, of which this is one. It is a collection of 75 plans ranging from small rowing craft to fairly large voyagers, from sail to power. One near constant is that his designs are a bit unconventional. Mr. Bolger is known for his "slab sided" and flat-bottomed (with a "shoe") keel craft, but there are some much more traditional designs included. Each design has a commentary describing the plan, and often some background about how it came to be.

Many of these plans are re-published articles from various periodicals that Mr. Bolger contributed to over the years, including Small Boat Journal and WoodenBoat Magazine.

There are basic tables of offsets and line plans given for most (all?) of the plans, but you best have good ideas and a good bit of experience to build straight from what's in the book.

Regardless, I enjoyed reading his writing, seeing a wide variety of craft, and learning more of what I liked and didn't.

Also check out the Bolger group(s) on Yahoo! for more of his design work.

Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349

 

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