What are some good books for boat owners or for someone thinking about buying a boat?

Answer 1

This is a nice varied list of books about both sailing and power boating, for the novice and the more experienced boatowner.

Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 64th Edition : The Boating World's Most Respected Reference

The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge: 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Situation

How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts

Navigation Rules

Quick Reference Navigation Rules

The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing

Getting Started in Powerboating

Boating 101: Essential Lessons for Boaters

Boat Docking: (Close Quarters Maneuvering for Small Craft)

Dockmanship

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Boating and Sailing (2nd Edition)

The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring

Pocket Book of Knots: Sailing * Boating * Household * Climbing * Fishing * Crafts

Nautical Knots Illustrated

Quick and Easy Boat Maintenance: 1,001 Time-Saving Tips

Boatowner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair, and Improve Your Boat's Essential Systems

Sailboat Electrics Simplified

100 Fast & Easy Boat Improvements

DVDs:

The Encyclopedia of Boating Tips

Boating BasicsDVD

Handbook of sailing by Bob Bond

Another thought is to take the United States Power Squadrons Boat Smart Course. It's one night a week for four weeks and not only is it free, but it may help lower your insurance rates. Plus, in many states some sort of boating course is required and this course meets those requirements. Information on the location and times of courses can be found on the USPS website. Good luck.

:I'd like to add in the following to this already excellent list:

American Practical Navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch. This two-volume book came into print in the 1700's and has been kept carefully updated by various government offices. Bowditch, one of America's few well-known mathematicians, made the bold statement that he could write a book that would teach any seaman everything needed to learn how to perform any navigational task -- a pretty strong statement in the 1700's. And it does this. It starts with how to do arithmetic, progresses to mathematics and works its way up to spherical trigonometry, and also includes electronic navigation. The section on weather is priceless in its dry understatement of what a hurricane is like.

First Aid Afloat, Eastman, MD -- a hard core Real guide to what to do if you're out of communication and days from landfall, and something happens. Eastman is a good writer, medically accurate, and not afraid of giving you simple, how-to answers I've usually seen handled as CYA's. If you're planning long cruising, this inexpensive book in priceless.

You may also want consider taking sailing lessons from the Red Cross. I did, it's worth it.

You may want to check out 'The Mariners Handbook' NP 100, by United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

This is the go-to recommended to commercial shipping officers it is a book on everything nautical, it has information on most things you will encounter.

It is also very reliable as it is put out by the UKHO (the guys who make admiralty charts).

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