Boating Books

The Real Runabouts III is a book chock full of black and white photographs, charts, early advertisements and information. A treasure trove of material for antique wooden boat fans. There are many, many manufacturers described and shown. I especially liked the old postcard images.
Chapters include:
Introduction

More American Builders (Aeolian - ACO Sea Boats, Atlas Boat Co, Ludington Craft, Fay Bow Boats, Mayea Craft, Minnetonka Boat Works, Penn Yan Boats, North Star, Grebe-Hacker, Hickman Sea Sleds)

More Canadian and European Builders (W.E. Andress, Grew Boats, Hunter Boats, Jeffrey Boat Works, W.J. Johnston, Mason, Matheson, Port Carling, Motonautico International, Italcraft),
Non-Wood "Real Runabouts" (Mullins Steel, Century, American Skier, Chris Craft, Elite Craft, Correct Craft, Master Craft, Ski Supreme),

Material Applying to Volume I (Chris-Craft, Hacker Craft, Century, Dee Wite, Gar Wood, Hafer Craft, Ramaley Boat Works - Wayzata MN, Streblow, Dingle Boat Works, Fitzgerald & Lee, Greavette Boats Ltd, Shepherd Boats Ltd, Ditchburn Boat Co, Riva, Rio, Faul)

Material Applying to Volume II (Higgins-Pioneers in plywood Runabouts, Dodge Boats, Ventnor, Sea-Lyon, Mariner of Michigan, Fairliner, Dart, Globe Mastercraft, Eckfield, Larson Boat Works, Meteor, Robinson Seagull Cruisers, Philbrick, Boesch, Minett & Minett Shields of Canada)

Technical Section: Bilge, Prop Shaft Alignment, Plank Replacement, Plexiglass Windshield Care, Upholstery Care and Maintenance, Gray Engine Serial Numbers, Propeller Sizes Chart, Spark Plug Chart, Photo Guide to Older Chris-Craft Engines, Evolution of Boat Trailers and Inboard Power Boats, Aquaplaning Behind Your "Real Runabout", "What Do I Do With My Runabout Now That I Own One?", Boat Hoist and Dock Manufacturers, The Role of the Real Runabouts Amateur Speedboat Racing, Where to Find Hull Numbers on Various Brands of the Real Runabouts, A Guide to Chris-Craft Hardware, A Collector's Guide to Modern Chris-Craft Inboards, Expanded List of Restoration Shops, Dealers and Old Parts Sources, Clubs, Magazines and Books of Interest, Photos From Yesterday, Nautical Terms and Nomenclature Applying to Real Runabouts

Bibliography
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Index to Volumes I, II, and III.

I'd never thought of refurbishing a sailboat. To my surprise this witty, informative tale of happy travail kindled envy, and made the task seem excitingly do-able. Through the non-technical (mostly) content, I felt I'd come to know the author in unexpected ways. This project, he observes, taught him nearly as much about himself as he learned about restoration of this Atkins Packet Sloop. This is an exemplar of popular non-fiction and an excellent How To book. It is beautifully produced with artfully effective color and black and white photos and drawings. It is much more than a Coffee Table book. At the least it is intriguing and engrossing. Bob Duff

I picked up this book based on an NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) review. I read it in about four hours and enjoyed every minute of it. There was family conflict, there was a mysterious boyfriend, evil pirates and then racing for survival on a sailboat without a mainsail and limited provisions. I have recommended this book to my department chair and I'm hoping to be able to offer it to my 9th graders. I think it will be a high-interest book for even my most reluctant readers. While the narrator/main character is female, the adventures should appeal to male readers as well.

It's a compact refresher guide for boating captains, navigators and deck hands. It's extremely concise, clear and well illustrated with lots of examples. It's small, takes little space on the shelves, very easy to carry around. The colour coded pages aid in finding what you need quickly.

Do not confuse this as a starter's guide, though. Nothing replaces proper boating/sailing education and full manuals. This book covers the essentials and serves as an aid in those rare moments when one forgets the little, less obvious things. Keep in mind this is mostly for british waterways, but does make frequent reference to American standards (when it applies, often they're the same).

This book is everything it promised to be. Recommemded by a retired meteorologist during his marine meteorlogy seminar at the Seattle Boat Show, I bought it based on his recommendation. Written for professional fishermen and merchant marine officier trainees, it is easy to understand, well-doumented with color photographs, graphs and tables and a pleasure to read. A must-have book.

If you want to pass the exam for marine engineer this is the book that you need for Naval Architecture exam

I very much enjoyed this book, and find it to be a continuing source of useful information. It is unlike any other book concerned with boat restoration or maintenance that I have seen. All the other books take a thematic approach - a section on diesel engines, a section on rigging, etc.

This book, however, is a photographic log of the restoration of a specific fibreglass boat - a 25 year old, 40ft North Wind called "Samba". The author meticulously recorded the entire process of restoration, and the book contains hundreds of high quality colour photographs of the job. The text is not as exhaustive, and does not go into technical details most of the time, but that's fine because that is not the point of the book.

The book is also organized chronologically, which is most unusual. It starts with a chapter assessing the boat prior to restoration and each chapter thereafter looks at one restoration phase, as it was undertaken. This means that issues to do with deck hardware, for example, appear in several chapters throughout the book. At first this may seem a poor way to structure things, but it actually works very well.

I especially liked this book for three reasons:

Firstly, the photos document real people doing real jobs. I have an aversion to DIY books that only have line drawings and diagrams - I like to see that the author actually did themselves what they advise you to do.

Secondly, the book is quite inspiring. It makes you itch to get at your own boat and tackle problems - even ones you might have been putting off as too awkward or expensive.

Thirdly, the solutions he offers are sensible, seamanlike, and appropriate. When something can be done cheaply or with used materials then that is done, but when it is best to buy a brand new component, he does that.

The book reminded me a lot of Michael Naujok's two books "Boat Interior Construction" and "Fitting Out Your Boat", which I also enjoy. It is not a true reference book, but if you have Calder's "Boatowner's Electrical and Mechanical Manual" in one hand, and this book in the other you are set. The former will give you "just the facts, ma'am" while this one will make you feel like doing the work. I often pick it up to just to browse for relaxation.

The book is fantastic. It is the first book I have found that shows all types of rigging techniques as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. There are many pictures of the systems on different boats with a couple of schematic diagrams. I would say the book is targeted at racers primarily, be it at club or national level. Its a very useful book if you are refitting a boat, as I did.

Neil Corrigall

Clarence Jonk's classic book is the story of a poor but idealistic young man and his adventures of living on the Mississippi River on a home-made houseboat during the Great Depression. Originally published in 1964, it has been re-released in 2003.

There is something about living by a big river that makes one wonder what the river leads to. It turns out that the destination is not so much a place as a state of mind. The power and magic of the river are transformative and when your journey is over you are better for it. I think that the same can be said for Clarence Jonk's River Journey - if you read it you will be better for it.

My 20 month old son loves this book. He keeps coming back to it time after time after time. This one and Peek-A-Moo, also by Bernard Most, are excellent choices