 An excellent publication prepared a well-recognized nautical journalist, the author of the popular “The RIB Manual” title with more than twenty years of experience in surveying marine facilities including all types of ships. The content of the volume will help all boat builders and boat owners in performing surveys of the boats on their own. It will definitely serve as a perfect tool for both owners and buyers of the boats and small crafts.
Normally, the boats are quite complicated and expensive, and that is why it is very important that you are able to perform all required detailed checks of the boat, properly identify all problems and deal with them before they become serious, perform the assessment of the boat for any signs of problems without having to hire a professional for the expensive and lengthy report. The text part of the book is richly illustrated and full of useful and practical advice.
The sections of the book cover such important aspects of boat surveying as hull checks, boat engine and hull systems, electrical systems, tools of the trade, mast and rigging, steering, and so many others. This is an absolutely recommended publication for anyone owning a bot ort planning to purchase one, noting the amount of information it provides to the reader.
 Most of us are familiar methods of troubleshooting. When something goes wrong, it becomes painfully obvious. There is a horrifying noise, a burning smell, a mysterious appearance of water in the bilge. At that moment, your primary concern is to know what happened and how to fix it; however, good troubleshooting is much more that a gut-level reactive response.
The author of the book has spent more than twenty years performing the maintenance and repair of the boat engines in Alaska. Most of his practical experience is captured in the pages of this brilliant compilation. This book has been found great by the boatbuilders and boaters worldwide due to the practically useful information contained, numerous informative drawings and illustrations - in short, they all treat this volume as a greatest resource to be referred to on a regular basis by all people engaged in boat repair and maintenance. It is an excellent collection of "fast fixes" enabling readers to repair any failed machinery piece using very basic tools and instruments.
The content has been designed bearing non-mechanics in mind and is presenting effective DIY maintenance procedures that would allow to prevent most of the commonly raising problems from occurring, and this is one of the reasons of global popularity of this volume.
 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.
 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.
 The publication sets the standards for a very easy-to-follow and clearly written primer describing the basics of the engine troubleshooting, care and repair, as stated in the title. It features the full coverage of the four-stroke diesel engines, provides necessary information on both conventional electronic and direct fuel injection systems, etc.
It will be ideal for boat owners and operators since the author, Ed Sherman, who is also the author of this volume, covered every major engine brand presented at the market, with the power from 2 to 300 hp. We would treat this book as the complete guide on how to maintain your own outboard. The intention of the author was to fill the existing gap between the owner's manuals supplied with the engines, and full workshop manuals. Thus, we would recommend this book to everyone owning and involved in the maintenance or repair an overboard engine.
 This clear, easy-to-understand step-by-step instruction book prepared by the veteran sailor and, later, professional journalist Brian Gilbert guides the readers through the every single phase of the boat restoration process, starting from repairing the boat hull and keels, re-constructing and renewing the cabins and ports, to painting, sealing and wiring. They will learn how to deal with evaluation, repair and replacement of the hardware, canvaswork and upholstery.
The appendices provided at the end of the publication and supplemented with so vivid and informative illustrations, will make you understand the tasks as well as the costs and labour involves in the boat restoration projects. Everyone will enjoy this book since it provides you with so necessary and important confidence to restore the boats you can afford to own and to sail. It gives so many practical and helpful instructions the people need in order to properly restore their boats.
Moreover, it contains pictures detailing each of the steps of the boat refurbishing process, including guidance on proper selection and use of the tools. Note that the book was written for regular people without lots of cash but with some skills.
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