Although I’ve always thought of myself as more or less immune to the influence of advertising, certain books have had a definite impact. Back in the mid-1980s, one such book even prompted me to violate that cardinal rule of boat selection: buy only a boat suitable for your local waters. Years ago, my local waters morphed from the shallow depths of New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay, which is perfect for centerboard catboats, to the rocky but deep waters around Marblehead, Massachusetts.