Sources for learning boat types

[Shortnsalty]

Anyone have any sources to learn the types of boats and their strengths and weakness?

[jephotog]

Pretty vague question.

Are you talking designs like sloop vs, ketch or specific boat types. For general information about types of boats, just do a search on here. There is actually a forum where people rate their boats or specific threads on boat purchasing where people evaluate the merits of specific boats.

You might want to pick up Royces sailing illustrated for general information on sloop vs ketch type info. From there, there are lots of more detailed books on boat designs. Annapolis Book of Seamanship is another good source.

[Shortnsalty]

Yes types of sailboats ; sloops, schooners etc. Types of sailboats.

[johnshasteen]

You have to start by deciding what you plan to do with your boat. Are you puttering around on a lake, or never leaving a bay or sailing offshore - coastal or bluewater. Once you've made that determination, the right boat becomes much more obvious.

[sailingdog]

Get a good book, like Dave Gerr's The Nature of Boats, and start from there.

[jephotog]

Get Royces book it is from the 50s but it has a lot of great info as is a interesting source. It was what i first learned about boat types 20 years ago, it was not so old then, neither was I.

This is just from my limited knowledge: but for most purposes a sloop (one mast with mainsail and headsail) is the best all around and common boat.
I have never been on anything but a sloop. As you go off shore and short handed, boats like cutters and ketches come into play where you have smaller sails and more options.