Dave Gerr founded Gerr Marine, Inc., in 1983. Based in New York City, it designs both yachts and commercial vessels, and probably works on a wider assortment of boat types than any other design office-sail and power, yacht and commercial, monohull and multihull.

In 1979, Gerr started as a naval architect at MacLear & Harris, Inc., where work concentrated on megayachts, power and sail, and where much pioneering design in large and small multihulls was done. Gerr also has built, repaired, and lofted a wide variety of boats, and has supervised FRP production on the shop floor.

In addition, Gerr performs specialized surveys for insurance companies and law offices. He has been an expert witness on a wide variety of cases, from marine-related homicides to routine insurance and damage suits.

Gerr is the author of Propeller Handbook, The Elements of Boat Strength, and The Nature of Boats, all published by International Marine/McGraw-Hill. He has written over 340 articles on boats and boat design that have appeared in almost every major boating magazine, and he has been a contributing editor for Yachting, Offshore, and Boatbuilder magazines.

A graduate of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, Gerr studied physics at New York University and industrial design at Pratt Institute.