A comprehensive guide to help you identify and equip the boat that best suits your needs Well-known boating writer Charles Doane unravels the complexity of cruising sailboat design and explains the fundamentals and the ramifications of each design decision. In easy-to-understand terms, Doane explains theoretical aspects of design, pragmatic issues like keel shape and berth configuration, pros and cons of various construction methods and materials, outfitting, propulsion, rigging and much more.

Tor Pinney is cruising sailor and writer.

Several books have been offered on buying used sailboats for the purpose of long distance voyaging including John Vigor's 20 Small Sailboats and Gregg Nestor's Twenty Affordable Sailboats. The used boats reviewed in these books are all available to those on a modest budget, and there are plenty other used fiberglass production boats out there which are solid candidates for the would-be cruiser. In Outfitting the Offshore Sailboat, Peter Berman reviews the criteria for selecting a used fiberglass hull sailboat, but picks up where Vigor and Nestor leave off. Berman shares his 40+ years' experience of overhauling and refitting a myriad of different sailboats in preparation for offshore voyaging. Follow the information offered in Outfitting the Offshore Sailboat and you can buy and refit a cruising sailboat for a fraction of the cost of buying a new boat.

Jim Howard has cruised the great oceans of the world for over 25 years, often single-handed.

Basic boating skills are covered including steering, tacking, and general navigation.