Learning to read boat plans can help you happily select the boat you want to build or buy. Unpleasant (and expensive) surprises might be avoided, and the process almost always proves entertaining.
Designers, when creating their plans, attempt to represent three-dimensional boats on twodimensional sheets of paper or flat computer screens. They employ four basic sets of drawings: the sail plan (or profile), the arrangement plan (accommodations), hull lines, and the construction drawings. After you have studied them all with a trained eye, you should have a good idea of how the boat will go together, how it will look out on the water, and how well it will perform. You can do this in the comfort of home or shop, without the need for getting dirty or parting with much cash.