At last, yacht design explained in a way that all sailors can understand and put to use in their sailing, in buying a new boat, or in modifying an existing one. Yacht Design Explained uses state-of-the-art graphics, dynamic charts and photographs, and lucid prose to reveal how sailboats work. It explores why certain designs perform well and others fail, and why some established hull shapes have endured while technology-driven tank-tested ones have bombed. The authors examine a range of crafts, from a high-performance dinghy to a 35-foot racer-cruiser, from a cruising catamaran to an offshore singlehander, breaking through the often confusing physics of yacht design to provide an understanding that sailors can use to get the most out of their time afloat. Yacht Design Explained explores ballast, foils, hull shape, keels, sails, rigs, and rudders, describing the fundamentals behind them.