Boatbuilding & Boating

I adore secondhand bookshops—the smell, the atmosphere, and the low prices. In my time, I've found lots of great books about building small boats on their dusty shelves. Because many aspects of boating remain the same over generations and even centuries, older books on the subject can often be as relevant today as newer editions, and there's much indeed to learn from them.

However, I have come to dislike certain types of older books, particularly the ones on boat carpentry that are more discouraging than helpful. They usually start with an anecdote about how the author tried building a boat at a young age and failed. In some versions, the author's father, in a fit of misplaced and misguided rage, destroys the original boat with an ax because it's both shameful and unsafe; in others he burns it. Usually the experience leaves the fledgling boat-builder in tears but determined to win the father's approval. Stories like this make me angry because when I see them I know it's more than likely that the author, deliberately or not, is replaying the part of the angry father and making readers feel inadequate, as if they were kids unable to build a proper small boat. In contrast, the present book is meant to make readers feel confident about building small boats. It will explain them how to make the project go smoothly and efficiently, bearing in mind that mistakes are not the end of the world.

You can correct many with the help of good old cousin Poly Urethane, Uncle Epoxy, and Auntie Filler, so there's no need to fear potential blunders along the way. Thankfully, the bad old boat-chopping and boat-burning days are long gone. The methods I'm presenting here are tried, tested, and known to work. Over the years I've noticed beginners often wonder whether alternative cheaper materials and methods might work just as well as the ones I have included in this book. The answer is some will, some won't, and some will only to a point. If you have a slightly wacky idea about building a boat from expanded foam or using water-resistant (rather than waterproof) glue, ask about it on the Internet discussion groups...

This is the second edition of the nice and world popular book prepared by Frank Sargeant and released to serve as the comprehensive overview of both sailing and power boating, covering all the techniques shared by both. It includes all necessary materials that any boater needs to know when buying a boat; it also addresses the cost of ownership, marine power, motors, weather and technology matters, safe navigation and seamanship techniques, and other boat handling issues; in addition, this new edition of the book contains a separate chapter dedicated solely to the personal watercraft.

You will get the expert advice on nearly every aspect of launching, anchoring, docking, repair and maintenance of the boat. All info on the marine equipment and technology contained in the book is up-to-date and reflects the very latest breakthroughs in the industry. As it is entailed by the name of this book, it will be extremely useful to novices willing to get some basic knowledge on boating and sailing, for the perfect start.

There is a Glossary at the end of the book explaining the most popular definitions and abbreviations the boater may need to use. The list of guide books and online resources is also there for easy reference. Highly recommended for both newcomers and professionals of the boating, since there is always some room for the improvement of your skills.

For some people preparing a wiring diagram for their boats is treated as the headache and the result of such activity performed by such sort of guys leaves much to be desired, obviously. However, it they have a look into this publication, this task may seem much easier for them, since this book contains a huge number of very simple instructions - plain, easy-to-follow and supplemented with the sketches and images detailing every single detail.

The Handbook is really world popular and the present edition has been thoroughly revised and updated with a lot of new and very actual information, making this classical publication even better. The book provides readers with a very understandable and useful guidance for the troubleshooting of the electrical systems, covering but not limited to the engine instruments, various alarms, lightning protection etc. The section dealing with the troubleshooting has been subjected to the most thorough revision.

This is a truly invaluable and practical source of information for people willing to be able to fix any type of electrical problems they might face board their boats, by themselves, without having to involve someone else; in fact, it will be good to any person wishing to understand the basics of electricity.

Well, it goes without saying that a name plays a very important role in the whole destiny of the ship, up to the very last day of the service. A well-designed one will be a finishing touch in the long-lasting process of building the boat and it will form the first impression of the boat. The name of a boat or a ship is referred to as a visible clue to the owner's sensibilities and interests.

Regardless of whether the chosen name is mythical, irreverent, romantic, classical or, say, whimsical, it will not be able to communicate such message without a good and effective design. The title of this book fully reflects the content. The readers will get to know how to choose the graphic style and lettering expressing their personality and boating aspiration the best way, how to work with various techniques of lettering, how to properly communicate their choices to a designer, or a letterer.

They will be offered a nice visual tour through the history of naming the boats and will be given a good opportunity to browse thousand and a half boat names and also explore the various resources for expanded search. Take some time reading this book and you will see how interesting the process of choosing the name and designing it can be.

Here is a truly perfect and must-have guide for all newcomers to dinghy sailing who are willing to learn the basics as well as to those who are experienced but still intent to improve their sailing skills and get the techniques developed. The Guide is very easy to follow and provides step-by-step instructions supplemented with so many illustrations and photos - it contains everything the dinghy sailor needs to know - the book is divided into four big parts, namely Basic Principles, providing the very basic information on the dinghy boat, Preparing to Sail, First Sail - addressing the preparation and the process of sailing, and Basics of racing - for a bit more advanced sailors.

The Glossary of the terms is also there. We would say that it is one of the most comprehensive sailing books available at the market today. You will definitely enjoy reading it and will find so much of useful and practical information inside. It will be useful even for the people who do not sail dinghy boats - the author of the book did include the large separate section dedicated to the larger boats like yachts and sloops. It contains all necessary basics of the sailing and navigation. The images and graphs are included in the book for illustration of the text.

The real powerboat Bible by Sid Stapleton starts with the perfectly written introductory part, while the main part of the book is divided into several chapters addressing choosing a boat, handling a boat, communication and navigation issues, making necessary preparations for the voyage, emergency preparedness, cruising life etc. There are also six appendixes, their titles are - Powerboat Hull Forms; Marine Diesel Engines; Recommended Medical Supplies; Spare Parts & Supplies; The Cruising Tool Kit and, finally, Resources.

In this book the readers will first get the basic information, followed with the recommendations on selecting a proper functional layout and right basic systems, they will know how to determine what it is all would to cost, and find the cruiser of their dreams, they will also know how to negotiate the purchase; taking into account that all of this represents the contents of the first chapter, you may now imagine the amount of useful information in the whole book, which shall be considered one of the most successful and complete guides to selection of the boat, seamanship techniques and cruising itself. Read this book carefully, it is really worth spending some time on it, we guarantee that.

The refinishing of the boat is one of the most important improvements and one of the most difficult tasks in the whole process of maintenance. Proper refinishing will definitely have a very dramatic impact on the appearance. Exposure to the wondrous powers of paint began for most of us with a yellow and green box of crayons. More recent experience is likely to involve rollers and walls.

Almost everyone has some painting experience. Whether your training is experienced or limited, if you select the right product and take a deliberate and careful approach to applying it to your boat, you are definitely certain to be happy with the results. This book by Don Casey is a perfect source of useful information - it clearly indicates what exactly is necessary to have on hand in order to be able to re-do a boat. For novices this book will be useful thanks to the amount of information, while for professionals it will be equally useful since it will help them bring their knowledge up-to-date with the latest developments in sailboat finishing.

By the way, it has so many common points with another popular book by same author - This Old Boat, which we also do recommend. In short, this publication contains nearly everything the boat refinisher needs to know.

Another bestseller from Ed Sherman, whose widely recognized expertise in boat electrical systems makes him the best choice to train the newcomers. This is a perfect and easily understandable resource for all boaters - very comprehensive and covering nearly all wiring aspects.

Particularly recommended for beginner- and intermediate-level boaters. The training materials chosen for this cover the subject very well but still not get to the point where it would become too technical and therefore difficult to understand for non-professionals. Such approach made this guidebook very handy reference for everyone. The theoretical part is supplemented with a number of very useful practical shortcuts and tips - however, the author did his best to avoid using too much of technical terminology and jargon words. Everyone will find some right guidance and sound advice in this publication.

The readers will learn how to draw up correct wiring diagrams for their boats, how to identify and locate various wiring and electrical circuit components, there are instructions on using multimeters and proper maintenance if batteries, etc. - this book is really full of useful info including troubleshooting various problems with starting and battery charging, installation of AC/DC marine equipment and accessories.