Book Stacks 5
More readers responses...
Roger Crawford of Crawford Boat Building writes: Thomas Jefferson said, “I could not live without books.” I would have a hard time living without book and boats, so It’s not hard to imagine that someone who has been building boats for almost five decades would have a large collection of books this subject, and its history. These shown here are about one half of my collection at home and there’s a goodly bunch of them in my office at the shop.
Working from the bottom of the pile upwards………
HOBIE has a large section of the book dedicated to those wonder years I had surfing under the HOBIE banner in the 60’s. Hobie Alter, like the subject of some of the other books here, was a true genius. The story of the HOBIE CAT is in here as well.
JOEL WHITE is a passionate story about one of the greatest boatbuilders Maine or arguably this country has ever produced. The photos in the book are just awesome. His designs are legendary and if you want a good read and learn about incredibly beautiful boats you will find it in this book. White is one of my heroes.
HERRESHOFF. Not much I can say about the man that hasn’t been said. This is a coffee table book that I read from cover to cover about once a year.
HINCKLEY YACHTS. Stunning high-quality photos, and a great story about the history of what I personally believe are the world’s finest semi-custom yachts. Inspirational!
BUILDING CLASSIC SMALL CRAFT by John Gardener is a well written and easily understood boat building resource by yet another traditional builder with Maine roots.
THE DORY BOOK also by John Gardner simply and accurately chronicles the evolution and development of the dory from its earliest years in the 17th century to the modern era. Because of my history, and the building of 200 Swampscott Dories, it has been an important book for me.
RALPH STANLEY. Yes, yet another Maine boat builder who became a legend in his own time. I see his traditionally built wooden boats when I am up in Maine every summer and was most honored to shake the man’s hand and chat with him for a bit once. This is a very good read.
HISTORY OF BOAT SHIPBUILDING ON THE NORTH RIVER. The North (and the South) River was at one time the epicenter of shipbuilding in America. 1000 ships from several yards were built here from 1640 to 1872 and in fact my boat shop is on the site of one of those old shipyards. I am honored to have been able to continue this tradition.
BOATS, OARS AND ROWING by Pete Culler tells you about all you need to know from Cape Cod’s revered designer and builder of small wooden boats. Culler was a forthright, crusty, no-nonsense man whose knowledge of the simple traditional ways of doing all things nautical is priceless! I think that this is the best “pound for pound-page for page” book I own, and I learned a great deal about sprit rigs. Re-reading on occasion keeps me grounded in simplicity as a goal.
AMERICAN SMALL SAILING CRAFT by Howard Chapelle is considered the classic among small-boat builders and historians. In it Chapelle has documented many fast-vanishing working boats, making this the authoritative history of a passing maritime fleet. It is also where the most accurate history of the Melonseed (Melon Seed) Skiff is documented.
THE COMPLEAT CRUISER by L. Francis Herreshoff (son of Nathaniel Herreshoff). Herreshoff takes us on family style cruises in American waters, during which all sorts of boats and a plethora of boating skills are explained while they are used.
THE INCREDIBLE VOYAGE by Tristan Jones. “In a salty, slashing style, Tristan Jones unfolds his extraordinary saga—a six-year voyage during which he covered a distance equal to twice the circumference of the world.” He sails from the highest navigable place on earth to the lowest!
TEMPLE TO THE WIND is the story of Captain Nathaniel Herreshoff life and career and in particular his involvement in the design and construction of several America’s Cup winners.
SPRITSAILS AND LUGSAILS by John Leather. Another “bible” about traditional sailing rigs.
ORIGINS OF SEA TERMS. Lots of fun, trivia, stuff that will amuse and impress your friends, and a great, ahem, “bathroom book”.
John Climaldi writes: I thought I would send over my “stack” for what it's worth. Not the whole library mind you, just what I am reading now. I usually have 3 or 4 going at the same time, then relegate them to reference once I have completed them. Good information for the sailing soul! I also mainly read on my iPad with the Kindle app, so a photo of that rather than the screen on titles!
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow by A J Mackinnon. Small boat storytelling at its best, full of wit and humor, and what it means to have an adventure in your own surroundings.
The Ocean Sailing Yacht Volume 2 by Don Street, illustrations by Bruce Bingham. A companion to Volume 1, which was not illustrated by Bruce Bingham of Flicka fame. What a fine read, with so many takeaways about construction, boat setup, etc. that still hold true today. Illustrations are off-the-charts cool.
Swell: A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening. The true life story of Liz Clark's surfing and sailing journey to the south pacific. Good insight and storytelling from a surfers perspective. A life journey and a worthy read.
Seraffyn's European Adventure, Lin and Larry Pardey. What can I say that hasn't been said before? A series I read many, many years ago that I am re-discovering now that I have acquired a BCC. Reading this, it's hard to imagine the world that was theirs in the 70. Simple, honest, and humble storytelling complete with details about how they voyage and live on their Lyle Hess 24-foot work of art. It's about offshore sailing, and the boat, but also more about the people they encounter along the way, and their relationship and experiences with those people.
The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat by John Vigor. Just downloaded this one last week! I am eager to get started! Hopefully, this will be a good resource for outfitting my boat for coastal and interisland sailing.
That's about it. Aloha!
Ron Badley sleeps beside his extensive nautical collection…he writes: “I try and keep it organized as our house is small. The bookcase is the footboard for the bed. Not too many piles of books. If I take it out of the bookcase it goes back in when I’m done. I try… this is the bookcase. Under the bed is every issue of Woodenboat and a few others.”
We see nice Bolger collection in there. And for some reason we don’t own Practical Junk Rig—looks like a good one.
Miro Peternelj says this pithy stack is only a small part of his 180-book nautical library, but these are ones he refers to almost daily. This practical yacht-designer’s stack includes Bethwaite’s respected High Performance Sailing Gerr’s The Elements of Boat Strength and one we didn’t know about, Aero-Hydrodynamics—not the one by Marchaj, but by Fabio Fossati. It’s billed as “the first major yacht design treatise to come along in a decade.”
More Stacks coming soon…—Eds
And I thought I was the only one reading books! Well, not really. I look at the Stacks and wonder who is sneaking into my study. At 82 I admit that more of my "voyages" are starting to occur through pages, but my San Francisco Pelican is still on its trailer and ready for Spring. Thanks for doing this. PJB