The 40-Knot Sailboat

Bernard Smith, Susan Ida Smith

• Publisher: Bonhopai Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781779793355
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

In The 40-Knot Sailboat, visionary engineer Bernard Smith revolutionizes the way we think about sailing. Blending scientific precision with the passion of a lifelong sailor, Smith challenges centuries of nautical tradition in pursuit of one audacious goal — a sailboat capable of exceeding forty knots. First published at the height of postwar innovation, this groundbreaking work explores the aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and engineering principles behind high-speed sailing, setting the stage for many of the radical design concepts that would later shape modern yacht racing and hydrofoil craft.

Smith's narrative combines lucid technical explanation with the excitement of discovery. He strips sailing to its physical essentials — wind, lift, drag, and stability — and rebuilds it through the mind of an inventor determined to prove that the limits of sail were not those of imagination but of understanding. Illustrated with meticulous diagrams and experimental data, The 40-Knot Sailboat is both a classic of nautical engineering and a deeply human story of curiosity and persistence.

 For sailors, engineers, and dreamers alike, this book remains a thrilling testament to intellectual daring and the relentless pursuit of speed. It is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of science, sea, and the spirit of invention. 

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• Illustrations
• Foreword
• The Disclosures
• PART ONE — History of the Sailboat Problem
• PART TWO — History of the Aerohydrofoil
• PART THREE — Technical Summary
• The Potentials
• APPENDIX — Simple Theory of Sailing
• Bibliography