A Boat Nut’s Christmas Reading List)
ASKING SANTA FOR SOME READING MATERIAL THIS YEAR? HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS.
Now is the winter of our discontent, at least for many of us living in northern climes: The boat’s out of the water, we don’t ski, and sitting in the car at the marina watching the bubble system keep the pilings ice-free gets old way too soon. But it’s also the holiday season, a time of good cheer and lots of prezzies. Don’t let 2014 be another Yuletide of gaudy neckties, sweaters, and cufflinks you’ll never wear. Send Santa a list of boating books you want to find under the tree. What titles should you ask for? Here are some highly opinionated suggestions.
Just remember. Most boating books, even the best ones, have a shelf life about as long as a quart of milk, so Santa might have to search the used-book market for some of these titles. Browsing the stacks in person is hit-or-miss; shopping online at www.abebooks.com or the old standby www.amazon.com is more efficient if you can live without the smells and tactility of ancient tomes. I’ve had good luck at both sites. BOOKS FOR DO-IT-YOURSELFERS If you like taking tools in hand and fixing your boat yourself, or just want to know how things work, boost your expertise with Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual. It covers almost every system aboard a boat: how it works, how to maintain it, how to troubleshoot it, and basic advice on how to fix it. There’s lots and lots and lots of information in more than 800 pages—almost too big to lift, and it’s not exactly fireside reading, but if you need to know the workings of your boat, it’s the first technical boating book you should own.
For engines, I like Practical Boat Mechanics, by Ben L. Evridge, an excellent guide to both gas- and diesel-engine maintenance and repair. For more than 20 years, Evridge was a field mechanic serving the Alaskan fishing fleet, so he knows big diesels and how to keep them happy. He’s also taught diesel mechanics, so he knows how to impart knowledge without putting a reader to sleep.
The Propeller Handbook, by naval architect Dave Gerr, is an invaluable resource for diagnosing performance issues. Not only does Gerr, director of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, explain propeller anatomy in detail—it’s more than just diameter and pitch—he also provides graphs and formulae for figuring out how fast your boat ought to go, and then shows you how to determine your ideal propeller.
Electrical issues plague many skippers, and what’s more confusing than boat wiring? Charlie Wing’s Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook or Wiring is my prime reference for circuitry problems. Wing covers it all, from how to use an ammeter to installing electronics to choosing solar- and wind-powered generators. If you want to know how your boat’s electrons flow, ask Santa for this book.
Major fiberglass repairs are nasty projects, ones I’d rather pay for than perform. But if you have more guts than I do, start by reading Roger Marshall’s Fiberglass Boat Repairs Illustrated. It’s an excellent do-it-yourself guide to both large projects and small, or to understanding why the yard charged so much for fixing that ding on the starboard side. Marshall is a yacht designer, but he obviously knows his way around fabric and resin, too.
There are lots of good books about painting and varnishing, but try Walter J. Simmon’s Finishing. You can buy it direct from the publisher at www.duck-trap.com. Simmons is a boatbuilder in Lincolnville, Maine, and his books reflect the no-nonsense attitude folks up there are famous for. I have the 1984 first edition, which is essentially 72 typewritten pages in a flexible green binder. Nevertheless, between the plastic covers there’s everything you need to know about applying traditional paints, oils, and varnishes. Simmons has since produced a second edition that’s more like a real book, with photos, too. BOOKS FOR DREAMERS Doing it yourself is fun, but sometimes you just want to drift off into your ideal world, and for many of us that involves designing and building our ideal boat, or planning the perfect cruise. Here are a few books to help out with such projects.
Voyaging Under Power is the handbook for folks who want to circumnavigate the globe—and who doesn’t? Originally written in 1974 by Capt. Robert P. Beebe, the book has been revised several times over the years—the latest is the Fourth Edition, updated by Denis D.