Nigel Calder's Book- A must Have!

[wurzner]

At the risk of promoting a commercial item on this list and getting flamed for it, I still can't refrain myself. I purchased Nigel Calder's "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual" on line at Shop.com for around $36. The book retails for around 49 dollars and is worth every penny of it. If anyone is thinking of adding a book to their tecnical library, I would encourage you to consider this book. I have been reading it cover to cover and it is very well written (check the reviews on line). No personal gain or interest aside from trying to promote a fantastic book in a vast sea of mediocre to ok books available.

Shaun

[Sean Engle]

My $0.02 on book purchases -

I always go to www.fetchbook.info (http://www.fetchbook.info) to check the price of ANY book I'm interested in purchasing.

They cover a huge number of book resellers - and you often find your title at 50-80% off the list price...both new and used (depending on age and popularity).

//sse

[Mike.Gritten]

Shaun,

I couldn't agree with you more. It's a "must have" for any boat owner. We've only had ours for 6 months or so, and find that we use it at least once every project. (Too many times to count so far.....:eek: )

[NateHanson]

I've been meaning to pick this up, and wow, using that fetchbook link I just got it for $23 for the 2005 edition! Nice tip Sean!

[u079721]

What someone should have pointed out by now is that you really need to own TWO copies of this book - one for the boat, and one for home.

I always kept one copy on board along with the Ericson manual and Calder's diesel mechanics book. I have made more than a few repairs while at anchor that I couldn't have done without it. But I kept a second copy at home which I used to help me plan all of my winter projects.

[Mike.Gritten]

Steve,

Great idea!......Hey, wait a minute......my boat is our home.......Guess I just saved $28!

[Ernest]

Most usefull boat book I have read so far.

[Dan Hayes]

Isn't Fetchbook.info (http://www.fetchbook.info) great? I use it all the time - some of those boat books get pricey!

My favorite Boat Fixing Book is Don Casey's This Old Boat. It's not only really informative, especially for guys like me who are "fix-it challenged", it's a funny read, too. The book was so popular, he made enough money to quit his job in banking, write books and articles instead, and go cruising all the time. What a great deal...

Topics covered are hull and deck repair, engine and cooling issues, sail repair and upholstery, woodworking, port light replacement, and painting and blister repair. All geared toward the complete novice.

Second Favorite? The Annapolis Book of Seamanship. Wow, what a great resource. These two books are like the rest of my library condensed...

Anybody else want to chime in? There's probably almost as much controversy over Best Boating Books as there is about the best varnish for sailboats... but I'll leave that one alone!

[NateHanson]

I've really enjoyed Ferenc Mate's "ShipShape". It's perhaps a bit outdated at times, but an outstanding read, and clearly written by a man who lives eats and breaths sailboats. Lots to learn in that book.