Don Cas

This Old Boat

5 stars (Absolutely a MUST for your boat -- you need this book.) - You're familiar of course with the numerous lists of necessary books to have aboard your boat. Boat Owner's comes to mind by Nigel Calder as one. HOWEVER, I believe you will find more useful information within the 408 pages. Also, it's book size (won't be a pain to store aboard) will be welcome. The boring stuff (he tells you how to prioritize) -- some may need to hear/see safety first, and structure/bilge pumps et al. I could understand the reasoning but it wasn't real useful to me. His organizational check-lists will help folks actually plan chronology and FINISH the jobs. The best part though was the step by step, well-illustrated how-to's. Everything I could want/need to know was covered, including how to read my electric meter, how much insulation the refrigerator needs, how much heat loss to expect in various sized boxes, how to plan for power needs, and a logic as to what we really need/can use/and WILL WORK aboard. It's not a be-all/end-all book but it's very very good and well worth space aboard. You'll still need your shop books (for your engine, head, pumps, etc.) but with this gem you'll understand the why as well as the how to do repairs. Even canvas repair is covered. Don't tell anyone, but it's not genius material. You can do it yourself and save big bucks. Mostly though, it's a book of instructions for repairs/improvements and "gosh, that'd be nice" type of things. If you don't know already, you'll learn step-by-step how to Fiberglas, how to make sails, how to fix wiring, WHEN TO HIRE EXPERTS, and more. Even at retail price $35, it's well worth it, though of course I'd suggest saving $$ and buying used. 2 stars (Not complete) - I found that the book lacked certain basic information. for example: when restoring an old boat, one must typically contend with transporting the boat (perhaps mention of trailer, and cradle designs), or de-masting and storage, removing the multi-layer...
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