Observers Book of Small Craft

[TamarMike]

When we were staying in a holiday cottage this year there was the usual selection of books on shelves there, including this one which was published way back in 1976 covering many of the boats around then. It is a pity there is not, as far as I am aware, any contemporary equivalent of it around now. It would of course have to be a lot thicker now as many of the boats in the original one are still to be seen as well as all the newer designs over the last 33 years.

I know it's possible to find details of most yachts on the internet e.g. on brokers pages but a book like that would be great for keeping the kids amused, particularly on the river and around the Sound when there would be lots of boats for them to try to identify!

 

[Searush]

Try Bristow's Book of Yachts. Been published most years for about 40 years or more. Just buy a few copies spanning the period you want as each edition only covers the boats currently in production. You'll probably find a few on Amazon.

I have a copy of the Observer's Book somewhere, seem to remember it covered a lot of dinghies too.

 

[stephenh]

Small craft book

TM, try here for the original :

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/S...&sortby=3&sts=t&tn=observers+book+small+craft

Good luck

 

[25931]

I agree that an updated edition would be worth having - I still look at my old one from time to time.
Jim

 

[Woodlouse]

I doubt such a book would be a very big seller. After all, how many pages of white plastic can you honestly look at whilst reading almost identical specs time after time? Gotta admit it would make a dull edition to Jane's.

 

[Bajansailor]

Another good reference book is 'Sailing Boats of the World : A Guide to Classes' - but again it is from the 70's.
There are a few copies available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailing-Boa...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255782524&sr=1-1

I have a copy - it is rather massive (1,200 pages!) and it pretty much covers every sailing boat (including dinghies) that existed in 1974.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was an updated version!

 

[Kelpie]

There's been a copy of that Observer's guide lying around my parents' house for years. Quite useful for 'boat spotters' (if there is such a thing) to identify boats that they see, but I wouldn't use it as a guide for choosing a boat- too many models missing, and a single paragraph is hardly sufficient to describe a boat's characteristics.

 

[Searush]

I'd be surprised if anyone was daft enough to choose a boat just from a review.

The way I use mine is to remind myself what options there are before I go looking around the yards. It is also very useful if you come across a yacht you don't know, the basic stats & designer's name give you a lot of info.

So, yes, they are usefull & no, I wouldn't use one as my sole arbiter of which boat, but it does have a useful input to make.

 

[Vid]

Can't think how I didn't have one in the day - I had the cars and aircraft ones when young but not this one. Thanks to the links am now correcting that oversight.

 

[dunedin]

TM, try here for the original :

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/S...&sortby=3&sts=t&tn=observers+book+small+craft

Good luck

Ta - just bought a copy of this and Bristows for a bit of fun (have a very old Bristow's already)