The fascinating story of fiberglass boats and the mavericks who dreamed them. Nine out of ten sailors today own sturdy, often beautiful fiberglass craft. Fiberglass brought boating to the non-rich, but the history of that revolution has never been told. Daniel Spurr rectifies this omission with his highly readable and affectionate account of the fiberglass boat, from its earliest incarnation in World War II to the present day. In the early days, when shoestring genius was unfettered by industrial efficiency, therewere boats with tailfins, boats baked in ovens, and boats designed to be dropped from planes. The voyage from those first ugly ducklings to the graceful boats of the 1990s makes a riveting adventure of triumph and ruin. Along the way, Spurr profiles landmark designs that now set the standards in the used-boat market, and he portrays the revolution in human terms, introducing us to the vivid personalities who invented--often in their garages and rarely at a profit--the world of boating we know today.

Michigan will always be known as the automobile capital of the world, but the Great Lakes State boasts a similarly rich heritage in the development of boat building in America. By the late nineteenth century, Michigan had emerged as the industry’s hub, drawing together the most talented designers, builders, and engine makers to produce some of the fastest and most innovative boats ever created. Within decades, gifted Michigan entrepreneurs like Christopher Columbus Smith, John L. Hacker, and Gar Wood had established some of the nation’s top boat brands and brought the prospect of boat ownership within reach for American consumers from all ranges of income. More than just revolutionizing recreational boating, Michigan boat builders also left their mark on history—from developing the speedy runabouts favored by illicit rum-runners during the Prohibition era to creating the landing craft that carried Allied forces to shores in Europe and the Pacific in WWII. In Making Waves, Scott M. Peters explores this intriguing story of people, processes, and products—of an industry that evolved in Michigan but would change boating across the world.

How long have composites been around? Where does the classical laminate theory come from? Who made the first modern fiber composite? This work in the history of materials science is the first examination of the strategies employed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in researching and developing hybrid materials. The author analyzes numerous sources which record a regular back and forth between applied design and exploratory materials engineering in building such “modular materials”. The motivations, ideas, and concepts of engineers, scientists, and other players in industry and research are also examined within the context of their day. This book presents the development and importance of composite materials within historical context. The content includes Early composite materials The development of composite materials in the industrial nineteenth century Composites in twentieth-century polymer chemistry The development of hybrid material systems in the second half of the twentieth century Summary. The author: Dr. Andreas T. Haka is an engineer and historian of science and technology. He is currently a lecturer in the Section for the History of Science and Technology at the University of Stuttgart. His main focus is on the history and practice of materials research, raw materials, materials science and technological constructive design, scientific networks, and research technologies.

In a book that is sure to become a classic, internationally respected boatbuilder, yacht manager, and delivery skipper Bill Seifert shares his hard-won solutions to a host of boat design, construction, and equipment issues and seamanship dilemmas. Unlike other books on the subject, Offshore Sailing doesn’t just tell readers what to do for safe and comfortable passage making; it shows them how to do it with clear, step-by-step instructions and nearly 200 detailed drawings and photographs.