Frugal Yachting: Family Adventuring in Small Sailboats

by Larry Brown

Book Overview

Brown discusses the approaches to eating, sleeping, sanitation, storage, and safety on the smallest (15- to-24-foot) cruising sailboats, and reviews the various hull forms and sail plans available.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070082472
• ISBN13: 9780070082472
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: International Marine Publishing
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Legendary

This book should really be called "Why small boats are more fun!" Brown sagely observes that (1) most sailboats are daysailed, which means most of the sailor's time is spent in the cockpit; (2) a trailerable boat costs a lot less over the years than a boat in a slip, and (3) the simpler a boat is to rig and miantain, the more time you spend actually sailing. Any sailor is familiar with the typical marina scene: Big boats tied up at the dock, being used as a floating picnic table, as the owner doesn't have the motivation or the crew to actually take her out for a real sail. Or the boat that's motored out of the harbor, parked a mile off shore for use as a swimming and drinking patform, and then motored back in. Or the boat that can only bve sailed from one expensive blue water marina to another becuse of its deep draft. Brown likes small, shallow-draft boats that can be hauled up on a beach, or at a minimum, anchored near enough for the crew to wade in. He likes gunkholing- lazily exploring little inlets and estuaries where the big boats can't go. And most of all he likes the West Wight Potter, a 14' mini-cruiser that he and his young family sailed for many years. Brown has probably done more for that boat than all the advertising the company has done over the years. Now there are plenty of people who can buy a 31' boat and afford the slip fees without a second thought, and who don't mind paying someone else to do the maintenance. But there are a lot more people who'd like to sail, but who can't afford paying as much for a boat as they did for the last two family cars. If you're at all interested in sailing, but think you need a big boat with 4 berths, a head, and a galley to enjoy time on the water, read this book; it'll be a revelation.

Can't Judge Book by Title

I got past the first two words of the title (Frugal Yachting)only to be faced with the third word (family). Maybe the rest of the title is what they should have called it: Adventuring in Small Sailboats. I usually avoid things labelled "family", since single folks like me are not welcome in such places, as much as I like kids. But I put all this aside, and with the help of reviews, I thought that this book might be a help to me. I was right. This book is a labor of love by an experienced sailor who shows you most of the boats that would match your interests, spinning yarns, anecdotes, and sailing tricks while he's at it. This book is a treasure. Buy it!

Entertaining and informative, a must read for smallboaters.

Frugal Yachting was all I hoped it would be. I learned much that was very helpful to me in increasing my enjoyment of my own small sailboat. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning to use their small boat to it's fullest potential, at least, as far as cruising is concerned. This book is very well written, easy to understand and filled with valuable information. Read it!

Fantastic resource for beer budget sailboat dreamer.

Appreciated the down to earth approach to sailboat ownership and adventuring with a sense of enjoyment without feeling deprived. Short and sweet reviews of candidate sailboats to take home and cherish.

A must have for the small boat sailor

Frugal Yachting captures the essence of the small boat sailor. A truly remarkable book that should be read cover to cover for first time boat buyers and dreamers alike.Larry Brown has a way of presenting the average sailor's viewpoint. It's more important what you're doing, than what you're doing it in, sailors aren't necessarily rich, and the amount a boat is sailed is inversely proportional to its size.Included are lots of tips and tricks for cruising in style for minimal cost and in minimal space.An excellent tribute to all who love sailing, and could care less about Tarzan yells.Anytime we feel intimidated by big expensive boats in a marina, I just read a few chapters and remember, "Yeah but I'm having as much fun as you (or more), doing effectively the same thing, and am not frightened to leave the dock for fear of a scratch.Frugal Yachting will always remain a cherished addition to our on-board library.