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.