How to Choose the Right Yacht

book summary

The Yacht Itself:
Sailing performance
Hull speed
Stability.
Cruiser or Dinghy?
What you read in the brochure:
Length
Breadth
Draught
Freeboard
Displacement as a weight
Displacement as a volume
Ballast
Sail area.
The Yacht's Qualities:
Fast sailing
Sailing to windward
Sail area.
The Yacht's Qualities:
Fast sailing
Sailing to windward
Manoeuvrability and course stability
Stiffness
West or dry?
Seaworthiness
Behaviour at sea
Accommodation
Safety.
Construction Features: Viewing Yachts at Boat Shows:
Lateral plan
Midship section
Chine sections
Keels
Rudders
Skeg and distance to the centre of gravity
Bow shapes
Stern
Rigging
Engines
Propellers.
Making Comparisons of Ratios at Home:
Length-beam ratio
Sail area-waterline ratio
Length-displacement ratio
Sail area-displacement ratio
Sailing speed-waterline ratio.
Evaluating Diagrams at Home:
Sailing performance diagram
Qualities at a glance.
Performance Details: Trials on the water:
Under sail
Under engine
Stability and metacentric height
Stability comparison
Appendix:
Symbols and terms
Beaufort wind scale
Reading lines plans
Cylinder coefficient