Catamaran Sailing: From Start to Finish

• #19 in Best Sailing Books

14 Reviews

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Before I read this book, I knew almost absolutely nothing about sailing. However, after reading it I was able to easily handle a Hobie 16 without previously ever having been on one. The book explains from buying your first boat all the way to advanced sailboat handling. It is a must read for anyone considering taking up catamaran sailing as a hobby.

This book is a great tutorial on everything you need to know about sailing and racing a catamaran. It assumes you know nothing and covers all the information necessary to buy, rig, sail, and store your cat. Geared towards smaller cats and not cruising cats (Hobie, Prindle, Nacra, etc.) I highly recommend it!

My wife and I knew how to sail a Sunfish, and when we went shopping for a boat, we bought a Prindle catamaran. It quickly became apparent that we didn't know how to handle it in heavy weather. Catamaran sailing really is a bit different.

This book was exactly what we needed. It starts at the very beginning, and the early chapters were a bit *too* basic, but the later chapters fill in the level of detail we needed. It is written by someone who clearly knows how to teach and how to write. I don't know a better book to start with.

I do wish this book had an index, but that's my main complaint.

And I mean BEGINNERS! I have about 4 years sailing keelboats and thought this would be a good ice breaker for cats. Much of the boat was simply too basic. With a little common sence and a week on the water, anyone with half a brain could figure out these things by themselves. If you've EVER sailed ANYTHING or have watched two or more sailing movies (I'll even throw Water World into that) this book isn't for you. That, and there was only one picture of a SolCat!

This is an excellent book for the beginner and the intermediate catamaran sailor. It covers all aspect of the subject well -- catamaran sailing, equipment, maintenance, and even trailering. Some previous knowledge on the subject helps, but it is not necessary. It even contains special chapters on racing and heavy-weather sailing conditions. The illustrations are helpful, but somewhat mediocre, but the photos are good. Anyone interested in the subject should buy this book, because it's worth much more money than the paperback price. It was created by experts. Good catamaran sailing!

This book is aimed at a novice sailor, covering all the basics about sailing, such as various points of sail and tacking and gybing. I did find information that I wanted in 2 chapters about sailing cats off the beach and surfing cats. So if you are a novice, a very good book, if you are experience, seek other sources.

If you are considering buying a cat or have never sailed, this is a fine book. Info on standing up the mast putting the sails on, etc. If you know anything about sailing (can leave a spot and hit land somewhere else), this isn't the book for you. Tons of generic information on buying a boat, sailing and turning a boat. Hardly any specifics on any boat. I was very dissappointed. I was expecting a little bit on batten tension, rig tension, etc. Book briefly covers mast rake, shifting gears, and other itermediate set up techniques, but does not give much specific information on "if you do this, this will happen"

We really enjoy this book. We have referred to it over and over again. Each day after sailing we find new things in the book we didn't understand from the time before. I highly recommend this book for new cat sailors who want a great reference book.

I'm a relatively inexperienced sailer and just getting into catamarans, and have read several other sailing books (and many web sites) but still learned a ton from this one. This one really does focus in closely on things that are unique to cats rather than monohulls. Berman covers almost all the questions I had, and then some, and with clear, concise language and occasional very detailed lists of stuff you need or steps to take, which were extremely helpful. Minor complaints: 1) the pictures are low quality and often shot from too far a distance or in lighting (or print quality?) that makes it tough to see what you care most about or what the caption is talking about; 2) Last revision was 1999 so it doesn't say much about what's different about the newer Hobie rotomolded hull boats I'm looking at (Getaway and Wave), or some of the more modern accessories I see in sailing catalogs. But overall, unless you're a veteran cat sailer, I'd bet you could benefit from many things in here... and if somewhat new to it, this is absolutely a great resource.

This is the best complete book on catamarans I've found yet. Great illustrations and all sorts of practical information on everything including all the basics. A truly great reference book! Good effort! 5 stars plus....

The book is like new and arrived in a very timely manner. I am so pleased with this service

Very helpful book on sailing small catamarans. all the technical stuff a newbie needs to know. a bit dated, the appearance of the book is that it is over 20 years old, but incredibly helpful nonetheless. not very helpful to experienced sailors though, mostly because of its age, newer models of catamarans are not discussed in the book... overall though, great helpful book.

This book is the best guide out there for cat sailing. If you need to learn terms and techniques, this is the book for you. It doesn't have a ton of detail on trimming and racing, but a great guide to learn how to sail a cat.

For anyone interested in catamaran sailing specifically - this is a comprehensive overview from purchasing decision factors to advanced racing techniques, and everything in between. The information is provided in an extremely user friendly format - the book is a joy to read - highly recommended for those considering starting cat sailing, just beginning cat sailing , or ready to race catamarans.