Good First Book

True, but - as I'm sure you know - the difficult thing is not how to determine the strength of a given structure, it's how to determine the loads it has to withstand.
There are an infinite number of different waves (different steepness, height etc.), that you can head into, and the response depends on a number of things (hullshape, weight, speed etc.) All this makes it very difficult to come up with formulas etc. that encompass all possible situations and are based on theory.
The experienced designer and/or builder has a pretty good idea about what is happening in most cases, but this is only in a few cases based on science and theory.
I think that most of us don't really care about science and theory when we design and/or build our boats. We rely on the scantling rules published by the classification societies (and of course our own experience).
The scantling rules are similar to the Codes of Practice used when designing buildings. These are, as far as I know, mostly based on experience and experiments carried out in laboratories.
Many books about yacht design describe the various types of loads a yacht has to withstand, but hardly any of them describe the magnitude of these loads. The best books - in my opinion - are Larsson & Eliasson: "Principles of Yacht Design" and Dave Gerr: "The Elements of Boat Strength".

 

Thanks for your "grain of truth" about amateur boat-building. I know I can't figure it all out with a couple of equations from some books, but I hope reading a book or two first will limit the likelihood of death from my backyard project. I'll be happy if I end up with boat that moves along at 8-10 knots and is safe. And, part of my quest for books - I must admit - is that I am in the middle of selling my house and moving 700 miles away to place where I have no job , so this website and books will be my vicarious workshop the next 2-3 months.

Thanks again for all of your help.

 

What I need is a book about ship. Do you have any document of ship' strength ? I really need it.

 

Read this thread and you'll find authors and titles, assuming you're interested in sailing/motor vessels and not in large commercial vessels.