[Zdanowicz]

Can anyone recommend any good books or videos on sailboat design and performance? I need to update my list for Santa Clause.

 

[Faster]

Steve Killing's book on design has often been recommended, as is Bob Perry's. The good classics like Skene's and Ted Brewer's, while good reads and full of good info are probably becoming somewhat dated these days.

Youtube is probably as good a source as any for sailing video clips, esp the upper end like Volvo and AC racing.

 

[Jeff_H]

So much has happened so quickly in the world of yacht design and marine science, that most of the books on yacht design are hopelessly out of date if you are really concerned with performance as it is now defined. There are still very good books out there that discuss the basics of yacht design, especially as they apply to the more conservative world of cruising boats.
-Bob Perry's book, 'Yacht Design According to Perry' is a good read and gives a lot of insight into the design process.
-Lars Larsson and Rolf Eliasson's 'Principles of Yacht Design' has been recently updated and is probably as close to a textbook on current design that is out there.
-by Fabio Fossati's book, "Aero-Hydrodynamics and the Performance of Sailing Yachts: The Science Behind Sailboats and Their Design" has been heralded as the CA Marchaj "Yacht design and theory) of the 21st century. While I have not actually seen a copy of this one, I heard some good things about it a few years ago.
-Frank Bethwaite's "High Performance Sailing" and "Higher Performance Sailing' are mildly idiosyncratic views of performance but good books just the same.

Jeff

 

[MarkCK]

I would also recommend Bob Perry's book. It has something for everyone. Whether you are a beginner or much more advanced.

 

[Zdanowicz]

I appreciate the feed back. I'll hunt some of these down.

 

[paulk]

I still like the CCA's compilation "Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts", edited by John Rousmaniere. It covers various hull shapes, keel configurations, rigs, sails, and equipment in a very straightforward way. Some things have advanced since it was written, but the basic tenets, along with the water and wind we sail in, haven't.