"This book is intended to be a practical and concise presentation of some of the operations involved in designing yachts of all types. Cumbersome and impractical methods which are so often found in more pretentious works on naval architecture have been avoided. Those presented have been in everyday use by the author." Thus wrote Norman L. Skene in the preface to the fifth edition of Elements of Yacht Design.

Skene's is one of the most famous books on yacht design ever written. First published in 1904, Skene did several revisions, the last of which was published in 1938 and is reprinted here in its original form. In 1962, the book was completely revised by Francis S. Kinney and republished as Skene's Elements of Yacht Design. Kinney's last version was published in 1973 and it is long out of print.

While the experts are divided on the relative merits of the different editions, it appears that there is strong demand for Skene's original work. At last the book is again available to the many boatbuilders, aspiring naval architects, and sailors who need it for frequent reference. The index has been completely revised and expanded to make it more useful for today's readers.