“Anyone who contemplates any onboard do-it-yourself work should have this book at his or her elbow.”--Cruising World “This book reduces a boat to its most rudimentary parts in simple drawings and clear explanations. Fascinating to read, it’s a perfect teaching tool.”--Ocean Navigator Whether you’re a new mariner or a lifetime veteran, How Boat Things Work is a resource you can’t afford to be without. With intricate two-color cutaway drawings of eighty different systems and devices, as well as detailed explanations of how they’re assembled, how they work, and how they can go wrong, this book covers every primary component of your boat's inner workings. This guided tour “under the hood” of your sailboat or powerboat includes: Engines, transmissions, bearings, stuffing boxes, propellers Steering systems, autopilots, windvanes, compasses Rigging, splicing, line handling, block and tackle, sail controls Anchors and windlasses DC and AC electrical systems Pumps, toilets, seacocks, freshwater systems

Know Your Boat is here to rescue the millions of boaters who have always been afraid to peer into their boat’s innards for fear of what they’ll find. Here at last is the humorous, user-friendly guide that will give a timid skipper the courage to grab a wrench and tame the savage beast in the bilge (or at least make its acquaintance). Assuming no mechanical aptitude, David Kroenke provides readers with an easy-to-read introduction to the use and maintenance of the many systems found on today’s typical power or sail boat, including: engine, electricity, electronics, plumbing, refrigeration, windlasses, pumps, and steering system.

The inspiration for the Major Motion Picture Directed by George Clooney—exclusively in theaters December 25, 2023! The #1 New York Times bestselling true story about the American rowing triumph of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin—from the author of Facing the Mountain For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.

Smith Island, the largest Maryland island in Chesapeake Bay, remains one of the most interesting communities on the Atlantic coast. Smith Islanders speak a sort of Tidewater English, are devoted to the Methodist faith, and maintain an intense relationship with the waters of the bay. For generations, they have relied on fishing, oystering, and crabbing for their livelihood and have developed workboats that reflect the conditions - both natural and cultural - of local waters. In The Workboats of Smith Island, Paula J. Johnson looks extensively at the remarkable variety of boats - documenting in fascinating detail their design, construction, and use - and the watermen who depend on them. Johnson identifies the three vessel types most common on Smith Island today: crab-scraping boats, deadrise workboats, and skiffs. Every Smith Islander, she notes, owns at least one workboat, and many have two or even three, requiring each for a different purpose - harvesting "peelers" (blue crabs in various stages of molting), oystering or crab potting, and providing basic transportation. Johnson talks with Smith Island's watermen and boatbuilders, as well as their families and neighbors, about the history and future of the island and about the boats that dominate the island's cultural landscape. She includes dozens of photographs and drawings of Smith Island's distinctive watercraft. The result is a singular portrait of a community inextricably linked to the water.

In any given year, the Louisiana crawfish harvest tops 50,000 tons. The Amazing Crawfish Boat chronicles the development of an amphibious boat that transformed the Louisiana prairies into alternating fields of aquaculture and agriculture. In seeking to understand how such a machine came into being, John Laudun describes the ideas and traditions that have long been a part of the Louisiana landscape and how they converged at a particular moment in time to create a new economic opportunity for both the rice farmers who used them and the fabricators who made them. Walking fields with farmers and working in shops with fabricators, Laudun gives readers a rich portrait of the Louisiana prairies and the people who live and work on them. The Amazing Crawfish Boat seeks to unearth the complex mix of folk cultures that underlie a variety of traditions that are now seen as native to an area populated not just by Cajuns but also by Germans and other groups. Over the years, this diverse mix of cultures has produced an astonishing set of artifacts that demonstrate not only their ability to adapt, but their ability to innovate, and the crawfish boat is a great example of such creativity produced by individuals deeply embedded in their culture and place. While the lives of artists and scientists have been examined for what they tell us about innovation, The Amazing Crawfish Boat seeks to address creativity as part of a larger cultural complex of ideas and behaviors. To ascertain this inventiveness, Laudun examines the historical and cultural trends that led to this creation, drawing from archives, oral histories, and ethnographic accounts. He investigates the shops and sheds where farmers and fabricators work, revealing the immense imagination and intelligence that lie behind the bolts, welds, and hydraulic lines that hold the boats together and, in so doing, hold a way of life together.

A bright flotilla awaits in this exciting nonfiction board book-- perfect for toddlers who love things that go, go, go! Rowboats, canoes, sailboats, speedboats, cruise ships, submarines, tugboats, and more! Boats come in all sizes and we use them in different ways: for recreation, for transportation, and even for police work and fighting fires. Learn all about boats, how they move, and what we use them for in this sturdy, bright board book by an award-winning children's author. Don't miss Gail Gibbons' other exciting board book transportation titles, including Trucks, Planes, and Bicycles! Acclaimed nonfiction author Gail Gibbons "has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children's writer-illustrator" according to The Washington Post. These accessible, kid-friendly introductions to the world around us are now available in board-book form, simplified and formatted for the youngest readers and designed to spark their curiosity.

Details in easy-to-follow instructions how to assemble many useful articles that will both simplify life onboard and provide protection from the elements for both crew and equipment.