From: jfh@cs.brown.edu (John F. Hughes)
Subject: Tentative FAQ
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 18:30:18 GMT

The following is a tentative FAQ for rec.boats. Next to the
questions in the table of contents is a symbol. A '+' means that
I've answered it. A '-' means that someone else has promised to
answer it. A ``0'' means that I intend to write it but have not
gotten to it yet. No mark at all indicates that I do not have the
information to answer the question, but that no one has
volunteered to provide it.

The bibliography is still a mess---I need to put it in Bibtex
format or something, and sort it, and lots of other things.
It's also still filled with first-person descriptions of the books, most
of which I did not write, but which were culled from comments on the net.
Still, I thought that circulating it early would be better than
waiting. 

I am sending this out with "USA" distribution, in hopes of getting 
comments before I send it out for real. One possibility, by the way,
is to make an abbreviated version, and support FTP and uucp requests
for the long version. If folks have comments on this, I'd welcome them.

-John
------------------------------------------------------------
Last posted: <date>
This posting: <date>

I have been reading and saving selections from rec.boats for
about 5 years, and operating various watercraft for far longer.
I volunteered, in August 1992, to maintain this Frequently Asked
Questions list for rec.boats, with help from many other people on
topics where they know much more than I do.

The contents of the posting below consist of the information sent
to me by many people; only about 1/4 of it is my own writing. 
I am especially grateful to Michael Hughes (no relation) for
providing much of the bibliography. 

If you have constructive comments please let me know. (I am John
Hughes, jfh@cs.brown.edu). If you have additions you'd like to
see, please let me know.

The information in this posting comes in three forms. There are
facts (addresses and phone numbers, etc.), generally accepted
information (``How can I get into sailboat racing as a crew
member?''), and opinions (``Is this magazine any good?''). My
opinions, when I express them, are enclosed in angle
brackets.
<like this>
If you'd prefer not to see such opinions,
you can filter them (on a Unix-based system) using the following
command:

% sed  -e '/</,/>/d' < this_file > new_file

By the way, my own bias is towards sailboating. This means that
the powerboating information is scantier than the sailboating
stuff. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Sailing stuff:
+	1.1) What are the addresses of class associations for
	   class XXX of sailboats?
+	1.2) How can I get into sailboat racing as a crew member?
+	1.3) Is the MacGregor 26 a good boat? It seems too good
	   to be true. Does water ballast really work?
+	1.4) What's a good first sailboat?
-	1.5) How do those rating systems -- PHRF, time-on-time,
	     time-on-distance, Portsmouth, IOR -- and all that
	      stuff work?
	
Powerboating stuff:
	2.1) What is better? An I/O or an outboard? What's
	     cheaper?
	2.3) Is the Bayliner a good boat? The price is great...
	2.4) Are Doel Fins a good thing?
	2.5) What is a Hole Shot? Will a Stainless prop add to my
	     high end speed? 
	2.6) Is VRO a good idea?
	2.7) What's a good first powerboat?

General Information:
+	3.1) What are the addresses, phone numbers, 800 numbers,
	     for suppliers of boating equipment?
+	3.2) What organizations can help me learn about safe
             boating?
0	3.3) How does GPS work? Should I get GPS or Loran? 
0	3.4) What other newsgroups discuss boating stuff?
0	3.5) What's the 800 number for the User Fee Sticker?
0	3.6) What's it cost to own a boat? 
+	3.7) Who can tell me about boat X?

Bibliography:
+	4.0) Journals
+	4.1) Nonfiction books about sailing trips
+	4.2) Books about racing
+	4.3) Books about maintenance 
+	4.4) Fiction about boats 
+	4.5) Books about boat design, physics, and boatbuilding
+	4.6) Books about seamanship, navigation, the arts of the 
		sailor, and design
+	4.7) Films/videos about sailing
+	4.8) Misc
--------------------------------------------------------------
1.1: What are the addresses of class associations for class XXX
     of sailboats?

Here are some answers culled from the net. There is also a
Laser mailing list, but I do not yet have the address.

J/24
612 Third Street
Suite 4A
Annapolis, MD 21403-3213
301-626-0240
(Steve Podlich or Cass Mairs)
---
US Flying Dutchman Class
(Official name is I.F.D.C.A.U.S - International FD Class 
Association of the US)
Contact:
Guido Bertocci
168 Overbrook Drive
Freehold, NJ  07728
(908)303-8301 H
(908)949-5869 B
guido@blink.att.com

Available info:
    General class info 
    Promotional video - $14
    Class membership $46/year
---
INDIYRA
International DN Ice Yachting Association
Contact person changes from year to year, but you can always
find out who's currently in charge by calling Gougeon Bros.
Boats in Bay City, MI.
---
Catalina 38 National Association
Bill Huber
5076 Bordeau Ave.
Irvine, CA 92714
Annual dues: $25

Catalina 36 National Association
Garry Willis
4350 Glencoe Ave.
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Annual dues: $25

Catalina 34 National Association
Jon Myers
10970 Seville Ct.
Garden Grove, CA 92640
Annual dues: 1 year $20, 2 years $36

Catalina 30 National Association
Doris Goodale
9141 Mahalo Dr.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Annual dues: $15
$23 (Canada & Mexico; US funds)
$24 (outside continent; US funds)

Catalina 27 National Association
Fred Rector
21 Lawrence Ave.
Annapolis, MD 21403
Annual dues: $20

Catalina 25 National Association
Christy Morgan
5011 Revere Ave., N.W.
Massillon, OH 44646
Annual dues: $15

Catalina 22 National Association
Joyce Seale
P.O. Box 30368
Phoenix, AZ 85046-0368
(602) 971-4511
Annual dues: $25

Capri 22 National Association
Dan Mattan
888 Blvd of the Arts #204
Sarasota, FL 34346
Annual dues: $15

Coronado 15 National Association
Ted Stoker
5157 El Roble
Long Beach, CA 90815
Annual dues: $25

Capri 14.2 National Association
Dave Dodell
10250 No. 92nd #210
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Annual dues: $15

For owners boats for which there is not a national association
listed above, contact the association c/o Catalina Yachts, P.O.
Box 989, Woodland Hills, CA 91367; annual dues are $12.
---
Other classes:

The Sailing World ``Buyer's Guide'' and SAIL Magazine's
```Sailboat & Equipment Directory'' have information about class
associations. Cruising World also has this information at times,
particularly for classes that are no longer being manufactured. 
Sailing World, SAIL, and Cruising World are all available in
many US libraries.
--------------------------------------------------------------
1.2: How can I get into sailboat racing as a crew member?

The racers on the net seem to have a concensus on this (at least
for crewing on large boats).

(1) Go to local yacht clubs that have regular race series and
post an index card on the bulletin board saying that you are new
to racing, but would like a crew position. Give phone numbers
where you can be reached, and put a date on the card so that
people know it's active. (Ask the club steward about where to
post the card, and whether it's OK). 

(2) Go hang out on the dock on whatever evening the local fleet
races, and ask around if anyone knows of someone who needs crew.
Come dressed for the occasion; bring a foul-weather suit if it's
windy, and wear tennis shoes or boat shoes. Have a hat. If you
bring other stuff (sweater, dry set of clothes) pack it in a
small athletic bag or knapsack. Show up an hour before race time
and let various people know you are there and available. The
club steward, the launch boy/girl, and the dockmaster, are all
good choices.

(3) Make it clear that you are serious--if the skipper says
``can you be there an hour before the race to help pack the
'chute?'', say ``Yes.'' Volunteer to help out with Spring work
on the boat. If you have to miss a race on a boat on which
you've been racing regularly, let the skipper know at least 3
days in advance. 

(4) Listen and learn. Don't go aboard expecting to tell everyone
everything you know. If it turns out that you know more than
they do, keep quiet about it. Your quiet competence will
eventually show through. 
--------------------------------------------------------------
1.3) Is the MacGregor 26 a good boat? It seems too good to be
     true. Does water ballast really work?

    The MacGregor 26 has a very low price for a lot of boat. It
also has a number of flaws. The equipment is not as tough as
that on many other boats of comparable size, and the fiberglass
construction is not as substantial either. If you are planning
to do lake sailing on lakes of modest size, perhaps it is the
boat for you. If you are planning on going into the ocean,
perhaps it is not.  
   The Mac26 is quite large for a trailerable boat, which is one
of its big advantages. it uses water ballast, in part. Water
ballast *does* work, in the sense that having water in a tank
that is attached to the lower part of the hull of a boat will
make it more stable than leaving that tank empty, at least in
static tests (``How hard is it to make the boat tilt when she is
at anchor?'') An important aspect of water ballast is ``free
surface,'' which is to say the amount of water surface area
that is open to air (even within the tank). A half-full water
ballast tank may make the boat *less* stable in a practical
sense, because the slosh of the water interacts with the rolling
of the boat in complex ways. Tankers have huge baffles built
into their tanks to help address the problem. So---fill your
ballast tanks full, or not at all.
   If you are considering a Mac26, you should also look at the
Catalina 22.
<and others whose names I cannot recall>.
Compare the solidity of the structures, the hardware, the
rigging, and also compare the resale values of similar boats in
your area.
--------------------------------------------------------------
1.4) What's a good first sailboat?

The answer to this question is, like so many others, ``It all
depends.'' A number of suggestions have appeared on the net from
time to time, and here are a few:

(a) Owning a boat costs a lot of money. If the boat costs $5000,
you could've invested the same money and made $300 in interest.
Add to this the cost of maintenance, storage, trailer, etc., and
you relaize that owning even a small boat will cost you $500 per
summer. For this amount, you can rent quite a few small boats
for quite a few weekend days of sailing, and thus learn lots
about what kind of boat you like, and what works well in your
area.

(b) If you have any interest in racing, you should own a boat
that's similar to the others in your area. Is there an active
Laser fleet? Buy a laser. You can probably get one that's used
for relatively little. Even if you don't want to race, the boats
in your area tell you something--if they are all shoal draft,
think hard before buying something that draws 5 feet...

(c) Talk to owners of boats like the one you're thinking of
buying. Ask them what's good about their boats. Get them really
talking. Then ask them what things they'd like to change, or
what, if anything, about the design has ever annoyed them, and
listen carefully. 

(d) Get a used boat. This is a more controversial view, but you
should realizze that a boat loses lots of value the moment you
buy it, just like a car. Used boats are *lots* cheaper. And
although a used boat may require somewhat more maintenance,
it'll still be a good deal. Of course, if you have money to
burn, and no time to spare, buying a new boat off the rack may
be the right option for you.

<(e) The best first sailboat is a dinghy that you can row.
Practice rowing it until you are certain you know what you're
doing. Make sure you can row upwind. *Then* hoist the sails, and
learn how to right it when you capsize. Learn how to handle it
around obstacles. Engage in races against other small boats.
Sail with your eyes closed and try to hold a course. Sail
facing backwards. Sail without the rudder (!). When you can do
all this, your next boat will seem simple to handle.>

1.5) How do those rating systems -- PHRF, time-on-time,
     time-on-distance, Portsmouth, IOR -- and all that stuff
     work?
---------------------------------------------------------------
3.1) What are the addresses, phone numbers, 800 numbers,
	     for suppliers of boating equipment?

General suppliers
------- ---------
M&E Marine 800 541-6501: 
<Inexpensive; badly organized and printed catalog, but the
prices are good. Limited sailing hardware.>

Worton Creek Marina (upper chesapeake) has an excellent Marine
store and parts dept.  Located midway between the Annapolis Bay
Bridge and the C&D canel.

South Coast Marine Supply, Larchmont NY: Much like M&E. Cheaper
prices on a few things.

Post Marine Supply (1-800-YACHTER); 111 Cedar St., New Rochelle,
NY 10801.  Lowest price in the Larchmont/Rye/New Rochelle area
on bottom paint when I looked around.
<I wouldn't buy anything from them if I didn't have to.  The
sleazy cover photo on their catalog might not be enough to put
you off, but the rotten customer relations reported by at least
one person suggest that you're better off going to West Marine
(for mail order), which will match prices, and which has the
best customer relations on earth, or Defender (if you're in the
area), which is nearby and treats its customers pretty well,
too, at least the walk-in variety.>

The Rigging Company in Portsmouth, RI, 1-800-322-1525: They do
sailboat rigging.  Very good customer service reported.

Boat/US 880 So. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 (800)
937-2628;(703) 823-9550; Will meet other's prices.

E&B Marine: 800 533-5007 *Good* prices on electronics,
especially when they are on sale. Limited selection of sailboat
hardware.

West Marine (1-800-538-0775), 500 Westridge Drive, PO Box 1020,
Watsonville, CA, 95077, : Great master catalog. Great customer
service. Will match prices.

Goldberg's Marine (1-800-BOATING)

Overton's (800 334-6541): 111 Red Banks Rd.  P.O.Box 8228
Greenville, N.C.  27835 for technical assitance ask for ext. 286
Mostly waterskiiing stuff.

Defender Marine (1-914-632-3001; 1-800-628-8225 New Rochelle
NY): Great prices, good selection, reasonable warranty. Bad
mail-order service. 
<I'll never use them again.>

Brewer's Hardware, 161 E Boston Post Rd, in Mamaroneck,
914-698-3232. A local chandlery. No mail order.

Marine Exchange, in Peabody, MA. Both new and used equipment.
Will special order. Have a rigging service. Owner is Arlene,
who is reputed to be very knowledgeable.

Hamilton Marine, Searsport, Maine. Good prices, mail order.

Marine Center, 1150 Fairview Ave North (retail outlet); PO Box
9968, Seattle WA 98109 (800 242 6357) Prices lower than local
retail; 180 page annual catalog + 2 sale catalogs per year.
General marine supply: electronic, sail & power equip.

New England Ropes (new Bedford, MA): A fine place to go. They
make great cordage, and they are fun to visit.

Johnson Sails (800) 234-3220. The best catalog by far comes from
Johnson Sails (in Florida somewhere).  They used to have a
6-inch-thick model. Now they have a 168-page catalog devoted
entirely to sailing stuff, according to someone who contacted
them recently.

Layline (1 800 542 5463) Harken heaven. Performance oriented.
Very knowledgeable staff. Good on special order stuff.

Life Raft and Survival Equipment, One Maritime Dr., Portsmouth,
RI 02781; (800) 451-2127 Best source for safety related gear.

Barient, PO Box 308, New Whitfield St., Guilford, CT 06437,
203-453-4374.  Distributors for Barient and Barlow winches.
 
Jamestown Distributors, Jamestown, RI. (401) 423 2520. The most
remarkable selection of fasteners you can imagine, and lots of
other good boat stuff.  Decent prices, prompt delivery,
incredibly knowledgeable staff. All WEST sytems products in
stock, even in the 50 gallon drum size.

General Materials
------- ---------

The nearest sailmaker: will often sell you sailcloth, webbing,
heavy dacron thread, batten stock, etc. The prices may be a bit
high, but you can be reasonably certain that they'll have
certain items. A person worth cultivating. Talk to your
sailmaker about exactly what you need done (e.g., not just "I
need a third reef point" but "I need a third reef point that
will cut the sail area to 1/4 of the full sail, and will make it
as flat as possible.") This will really help your relationship.
I am very fond of Steve Sperry, in Marion, MA (508 748 2581). I
believe he also has a loft in Marblehead now. By the way, you
may be able to get discounts buy asking for off-season work,
e.g., take your sails in to the sailmaker in November and
s/he'll be much happier to see you than if you bring them in
during May.

The nearest rigger: These folks will often give you great advice
about how to rig something new on your boat, and then sell you
the parts with which to do it. If you get a good one, s/he'll
even take back the parts that you end up not using. If you're
*really* lucky, you can buy scrap pieces of tubing and mast
sections that are "too short to use," and use them in your own
projects. Zephyr Spar, in Mattapoisett, MA, seems like a good
place.

Hall Rigging, Bristol, RI. 800 283-1964; They are alos Hall
Spars. They do custom rigging at reasonable prices, and are
fast, even in the busy season. No credit cards.

Resins/alcohol/etc: It's no longer feasible to ship this stuff,
because of new charges for sending it as "hazardous materials."

Everything: The boat graveyard, i.e. Marine Placement,
Davisville, RI 401 294 2360. This is a boat junkyard. You can go
take stuff off a boat, then bargain with the owner for what you
will pay for it.

Used Parts: Bay Yacht Shop, in Warren, RI. Lots of stuff here
sold on consignment. You can get old Merriman winches, of a size
suitable to be primaries for a 30footer, for something like $50.

Boat building and repairing places
---- -------- --- --------- ------
The Gougeon Bros., Bay City Michigan: They sell all the West
System resins, plus everything else you would want to use with
the resins. You can typically find these items cheaper at places
like Defender Marine (up to 30% off Gougeon List),

Class-specific materials
-------------- ---------
Wm. B. Sarns, Inc., Mt. Clemens Michigan: DN iceboat hardware.
It's well-made, it's fast, and he'll make up a custom item for
you if you describe it accurately ebnough. Sarns is a very cool
guy.

Sailcraft of Canada: Tornado hardware and boats. Reported to
have record of shipping stuff out late, ruining a season.

Miscellaneous materials and services
------------------------------------
Globe Rubber Works (800 343 1046), manufacturer of Drive Saver
shaft spacer for reducing noise and alignment problems. Local
distributor is New England Prop Service, 617 288 3133. Measure
OD of coupling and of "alignment ring" in order to get the right
unit.

Harken will actually do things on custom orders. Roy Smith says:
Harken seems to be willing to do custom jobs.  I needed a minor
variation on a Harken block for a special project (basically
consisted of one of their standard blocks but without the rivets
holding it together).  I called Harken and they were happy to
sell it to me.  They charged me list price for the block, but no
custom-order surcharge.

Brownell Boatworks: Boat Hauling---they'll trailer just about
any boat, just about anyplace. 508 758-3774.

Westerbeke Parts: Hansen Marine, 617 631 3282. Not cheap, but
they ship fast.

Time: US NAVAL OBSERVATORY. 1-900-410-TIME, 50 cents per call.

Books: Armchair Sailor, Newport, RI 401 847 4252. If you want a
boating book, they will get it for you, no matter what.

Books: Mystic Seaport (Mystic, CT, area code 203) bookstore: a
good selection.

Books: International marine Publishing, Blue Ridge Summit, PA
17294-0840 (800) 822-8158; a great book catalog.


Books: 
Armchair Sailor
P.O. Box 698
Destin, FL 32541
(800) 451-4185
                                  
 
Diesel Engines: Info about Perkins deisels is available from
Perkins Group of Companies, Eastfield, Frank Perkins Way,
Peterborough, PE1 5NA, England, Phone: 44 733 67474


NMEA Specification for inter-electronic communication 
---- ------------- --- ---------------- ------------- 
The NMEA will sell you the specs or I will loan my copy to you.
("I" in this remark is ben@cv.hp.com)

Anchor Chain And Rode, Other Hardware
------ ----- --- ----- ----- --------

For the best prices on anchor chain and anchor rode (e.g. 100'
1/2" PC = $188.00) try SEA SPIKE ANCHORS, FARMINGDALE, NY (516)
249 2241

The Rigging Company, in Portsmouth RI. 401 683 1525 They have
the best prices I've seen on rope and wire rigging, better than
the big discount houses. (Courtesy of murphy@phri.nyu.edu).

Navigation Software and equipment
---------------------------------

Coast Navigation, 116 Legion Ave., Annapolis, MD, (800) 638-0420
Specializing in instruments and electronics, but carrying some
general boat stuff as well.  Good prices, good service, and
items which the big outfits don't carry.

Celestaire sells a few types of software. Their address is

Celestaire
416 S Pershing
Wichita, KS 67218
(316) 686-9785

They also sell aviation and marine navigation eqpt.; their
catalog is the most complete I've seen in this area. High
prices, though.

Davis Instruments, 3465 Diablo Ave, Hayward, CA 94545, USA sells
PC Astro Navigator.  They also sell sextants and a few other
useful devices.

I (jfh@cs.brown.edu) have a C subroutine package that implements
(let the user beware) the programs that used to be used in the
HP41 Nav Pac. These include a nautical almanac program and a
basic sight-reduction software. This is the only free software I
know of. I also have a variation of the ``stars'' program that
uses the Yale Star Catalog to print a start chart, customized to
any day of the year, from any geographical position, at any
time. It comes with no documentation, though...

---------------------------------------------------------------
3.2) What organizations can help me learn about safe boating?

The US Power Squadron

The US Coast Guard Auxilliary

You can find out about the safe boating courses in your area by
calling the nearest coast guard station and asking. It's best to
do this in late Fall, since many of the courses take place
during the winter and early Spring.
---------------------------------------------------------------

3.7) Who can tell me about boat X?

Various people on the net know about their own boats and seem to
be willing to talk. Here is a list of boat types, e-mail
addresses, and names.

Alberg 30	bobp@sandr.com			Bob Parkinson
Alberg 37	jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
Catalina 27	wms@spin.ho.att.com		Wayne Simpson
Catalina 25	bobp@sandr.com			Bob Parkinson
Cotuit Skiff	bobp@sandr.com			Bob Parkinson
DN Iceboat	jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
Dovekie		jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
Flying Dutchman	guido@blink.att.com		Guido Bertucci
Herreschoff 12	jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
HinkleyIslander	bobp@sandr.com			Bob Parkinson
J/24		roy@wombat.phri.nyu.edu		Roy Smith	
Mercer 44	jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
Puddleduck pram	bobp@sandr.com			Bob Parkinson
Stone Horse	jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
Tornado		jfh@cs.brown.edu		John Hughes
---------------------------------------------------------------

Bibliography
4.0) Journals

WoodenBoat 
<Lovely pictures, informative articles, and they pay attention
to *new* woodworking as well as old. They have a love affair
with Maynard Bray and Phil Bolger, though, and you have to watch
out for this bias>.

Cruising World 
<Good articles, wonderful reader service called "Another
Opinion", which will tell you about other readers who own the
same boat that you do (or that you are thinking of buying), and
who might be interested in telling you about it, Extensive
brokerage and charter listing.>

Ocean Navigator 
<Informative article; passagemaking information, info on nav
hardware and tools. The letters are worth the price of
admission. Nav problems at the end of each issue that include
piloting and offshore celestial problems, with answers. Only
magainze that I read cover to cover. Some articles about
electrics tend to be slightly screwy--Nigel Calder can't
distinguish amps from amp-hours.>

Latitude 38: The SF Bay sailing rag. 
<Cheap paper, irreverant staff. Far more honest than any other
sailing rag.>

Practical Sailor: These folks test out products and do sailboat
reviews and compare products made by different people. They also
answer questions. They have no adverts, so that their
information is nominally unbiased. 
<As I learn more and more, I respect them less and less. They
often test products in ways that aren't all that reasonable.
Their test of rope, for example, was based solely on abrasion
resistance. Fine for your mooring pennant, but not the whole
story. Their test of other products has not impressed me either.
And, last but not least, they have wacky ideas about galvanic
corrosion---I would not trust anything these guys said about
electricity. It helps to be an educated reader.>

Small Boat Journal: now ``Boat Journal.'' 
<Never look at a copy of this printed after 1990, especially if
you are a sailor.  Early issues are real treasures---circa
1978-1980, they were the best, most honest, best produced, small
sailing mag around.>

SAIL: Informative articles, usually pretty basic. Good charter
listings. Good brokerage listing. 

Sailing World: Mostly about sailboat racing. Very good on that
topic. 

Yachting: The very rich person's boat magazine. Most boats over
60 feet.

National Fisherman: The working seaman's magazine. Printed on
newsprint, filled with editorials about why the fisherman cannot
make it in the modern USA, and articles about how well EPIRBs
*really* work, etc. 
<A *great* mag. Wonderful classifieds.>

Sailing: Published in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It's large
format (11 x 14) can have some pretty striking pictures. They're
a general interest sailing magazine. Their design editor is
Robert Perry. There's a "boat focus" column on one particular
boat each month written by an owner...  usually nice family
cruisers.

Soundings: Good articles on all aspects of boats; great classified
section. 

Great Lakes Sailor: Tends to focus on the sailing scene in the midwest.

Americal Sailor: This one is for members of USYRU. Almost
exclusively for racing. Dave Perry has a short but interesting
"rules corner".

Messing About in Boats: Appears to fill the niche left by Small
Boat Journal when they changed.

Yachting Quarterly: A "video format" magazine; about $100 per
year for four videotapes. These tapes include a fair number of
how-to segments, and are supposed to get you an idea of
how-they-hoist-the-chute-on-the-winning-J40, and such things.

West Marine's Annual Catalog
<For pure information per dollar, this has got to be the best
buy around. True, it's a once-a-year journal, but their West
Advisor sections on how to best run marine plumbing, what kind
of wire is best, etc., is really worth reading. Slightly biased
towards promoting the purchase of expensive items, though.>

The Commodore's Bulletin of the Seven Seas Cruising Association:
If you dream of sailing into the sunset someday, this will feed
your fantasies.  Full membership in this organisation is
exclusive, but anyone can join as an "associate" member and get
the Bulletin.  It is just reprinted letters from members
cruising all over the world.  $25/year. Address is: SSCA// 521 S.
Andrews Ave.// Ste. 10// Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 USA
 
Practical Boat Owner, published in Poole, Dorset, England.
P.B.O. is great for boat tests (yachts any size, motor boats
mostly small) and simply excellent for how-to-do-its.
Editorials reflect the British scene since it's a British
magazine. The editor, George Taylor, answers queries in person
by return of post.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.1) Nonfiction books about sailing trips

_Two Years Before the Mast_ by Richard Henry Dana.

Tristan Jones's books

Eric Hiscock's books on cruising (e.g., Cruising Under Sail)

Larry and Lin Pardey's books

Robin Knox-Johnson's book (``Dove''?)

XXX Baileys "117 Days Adrift''

Dougal Robertson "Survive the Savage Sea"

XXX Baileys "Second Chance: Voyage to Patagonia"; interesting
contrast with Slocum's earlier account.

"Sailing Alone Around the World", Joshua Slocum (1899): a great
classic, beautifully written. (Make sure it's the full version).

"Joshua Slocum", Walter Teller (1956,1971). Biography of Slocum.
I think it illuminates and enriches one's reading of the
above.

"Gypsy Moth Circles the World", Sir Francis Chichester (1968):
another classic, of a solo cicumnavigation in a fast but
vicious boat, best read together with:

"The Lonely Sea and the Sky", Sir Francis Chichester (1964).
Excellent auto-biography of the great adventurer.  Includes
transatlantic voyages, and his pioneering first flight (NOT
non-stop!) across the Tasman Sea.

"At One with the Sea", Naomi James (1978). A young woman
single-handing a rather large boat while her husband skippered
in the Whitbread.

"Come Hell or High Water", Clare Francis. A very small woman
racing single-handed across the Atlantic.

"Come Wind or Weather", Clare Francis (1979). Same author
skippering a Swan 65 in the Whitbread.

"The Sea Gets Bluer", Peter Heaton (1965). A good survey of
cruising and circumnavigation literature.

"Maiden Voyage", Tania Aebi (~1988). Excellent (mentioned
already on the net). 18-year circumnavigating westward in a
Contessa 26.

"All in the Same Boat" and "Still in the Same Boat", Paul Howard
and Fiona McCall (late 80's). Excellent story of family of four
circumnavigating in a 30' steel junk-rigged boat. I reviewed
this in rec.boats a few months ago.

Shackelton's Boat Journey, by E.F. Middleton. The most remarkable
small-boat journey you'll ever read about. Understated writing
style emphasizes the enormity of the trip.

'Shrimpy' and 'Shrimpy sails again' (?) by Shane Acton.
This is an amazing story of a guy who spent eight years sailing
the world in a caprice class 18ft boat. None of the other books
I have read on the subject come close to this achievment. A none
sailor, his own money, very very limited funds. This guy is my
hero.

Naomi James was the first woman to sail single-handed around the
world via Cape Horn.  The voyage began from Dartmouth in
September 1977, and ended in June 1978 (after 272 days).  Her
book of the voyage is "At One with the Sea", published in NZ by
Hutchison (ISBN 0 09 138440 0).  The book is a damn good read. I
strongly recommend it.


There is a wonderful book called "The Mysterious Last Voyage of
Donald Crowhurst," by someone whose name I cannot recall.  The
style is not particularly riveting, but the story is.  It all
starts with the discovery of the "Teignmouth Electron,"
Crowhurst's boat, in the North Sea, with no one aboard.  He had
set out in the boat some time earlier in a single-handed
round-the-world race.  The book details a reasonable theory
about what might have happened, and it makes a fascinating
story.


CRUISING UNDER SAIL by Eric Hiscock (3rd edition, including
"Voyaging Under Sail").  Still the "Bible" even though it is now
dated.  This book has more useful information on every possible
aspect of cruising and voyaging than any other source.  It could
also come under several other categories in this listing as it
covers everything from basic boat design to celestial navigation.
A book I wouldn't sail without.

PASSAGEMAKING HANDBOOK by John Rains and Patricia Miller.  The
nuts and bolts of preparing for a long passage.  Oriented toward
delivery work but applicable to any kind of offshore cruising,
especially that first trip.  Highly recommended.

ONE HAND FOR YOURSELF, ONE FOR THE SHIP By Tristan Jones.  The
best book on singlehanding.  Jones is opinionated and eccentric
to say the least, and old fashioned as well.  He is a sailor of
vast experience, however, and has many good ideas.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.2) Books about racing

Stuart Walker. _Advanced_Racing_Tactics_ (Norton 1976, ISBN
0-393-30333-0). (Described as ``the one book'' but also as
``ponderous and dry'').

'Sailing Smart' by Buddy Melges.  

"Speed Sailing" by Gary Jobson and Mike Toppa 

Whidden and Jobson's "Championship Tactics"

Dave Perry's rule book. 

'Championship Tactics' by Jobson & Whidden is an execlent
choice. You can buy a copy from your local North Loft.

Also check into North's 'Fast Course' (tips on how to go FAST)
and 'Smart Course' (racing tactics).  North also has a companion
video which is execlent.  Best video choice are the J World
tapes.

'Winning in One Designs' by Perry
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.3) Books about maintenance 

Pipefitter's Handbook

Machinist's Handbook

Spurr's Boat Book, by Dan Spurr.

UPGRADING THE CRUISING SAILBOAT by Daniel Spurr.  Very good
advice on overhauling an older boat.  Spurr did extensive
upgrades on a Triton and a Vanguard, two good low priced boats
for offshore cruising, and also has many other good project
suggestions.

THIS OLD BOAT By Don Casey.  Some of the most detailed
instructions I've seen for basic restoration and upgrading
procedures, including hand painting with Polyurethane paints.
Assumes you know nothing.

PRACTICAL YACHT JOINERY by Fred P. Bingham.  How to butcher
wood, whether you have only hand tools, portable power tools, or
a full shop.

MODERN BOAT MAINTENANCE Edited by Bo Streiffert.  A large
collection of project and explanatory articles with more
illustration than text.  It covers a remarkable range of topics
and some rather complex projects.  Good for the person who
already knows the basic techniques.  This appears to have been
published originally in Sweden.

COMFORT IN THE CRUISING YACHT CUSTOMIZING YOUR BOAT IMPROVE YOUR
OWN BOAT By Ian Nicolson.  Bunches of nifty project ideas for
improving a boat.

THE FINELY FITTED YACHT By Farenc Mate'.  Another large
collection of nice improve-your-boat projects, mostly involving
the living accommodations.

SHIPSHAPE AND BRISTOL FASHION by L.R. Borland.  Some of the
slickest little boat project ideas I've ever seen.  Out of print
but worth looking for.

UPGRADING AND REFURBISHING THE OLDER FIBERGLASS SAILBOAT by W.D.
Booth.  A good general discussion of the topic with many useful
ideas.

CRUISING IN COMFORT by James Skoog.  Cost-no-object approach,
but many good ideas.  **** Mechanical and Electrical ****

BOATOWNER'S MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL MANUAL by Nigel Calder.
The most comprehensive and practical repair manual available.
This book has been a lifesaver for me in overhauling an older
boat.  One of the books I would not sail without.

LIVING ON 12 VOLTS By David Smead and Ruth Ishihara.  A very
detailed analysis of 12 volt electrical systems and components.
It also contains much useful information about refrigeration
systems as well.  Best if you already know basic electrical
theory and construction.

BOATOWNER'S ENERGY PLANNER By Kevin and Nan Jeffrey.  A very
basic introduction to electrical systems with a lot of solid
information about various options, including some brand-name
comparisons. Assumes you know nothing about electricity.

MARINE DIESEL ENGINES By Nigel Calder.  A good basic introduction
to diesels, although much of it concerns powerboats.

REFRIGERATION FOR PLEASURE BOATS By Nigel Calder.  A complete
discussion of marine refrigeration systems, theory and practice.
This is for the person who wants to build one up from components.

PROPELLER HANDBOOK by Dave Gerr.  Covers the arcane business of
choosing the right propeller for your boat.  Gerr demonstrates
two different approaches to predicting propeller performance, a
simple method suitable for boat owners and a much more complex
approach more suitable to naval architects.  Requires basic
algebra.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.4) Fiction about boats 

The Boy, Me, and the Cat. Henry Plummer. Good writing about a
long cruise on a catboat.

Spartina, by John Casey: Only partly about boats. Very much about
people who work with boats for a living. 

Arthur Ransome: all his books; the swallows and amazons series is
a set of children's books; kids seem to liek them at about age 7
or 8 to start with. Some of us go on reading them forever. ``We
didn't mean to go to sea'' is one of the best. Also, ``Racundra's
First Cruise,'' is about having a boat built in the Baltics and
sailing her back to England just after WWI. Definitely for
adults, not kids.

The Wreck of the Mary Deare, by Hammond Innes. A freighter,
apparently unmanned, nearly runs down a sailboat in the English
channel with a gale rising; that's in the first two pages.
Remarkable descriptions of the Minquiers, a reef off the coast of
France.

The Aubrey/Maturin series, by Patrick O'Brian. British Naval
Fiction at its best. Aubrey is a Captain in the British Navy,
Maturin is the Ship's surgeon. Good fight scenes, excellent
details on naval life and almost anything else ca. 1790-1815. 

Hornblower books, by E.M. Forester. The beginning of British
Naval Fiction. Pale stuff in comparison to Aubrey/Maturin,
according to some, but still pretty good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.5) Books about boat design, physics, and boatbuilding


TED BREWER EXPLAINS SAILBOAT DESIGN By Ted Brewer.  Good
introduction to the technical aspects and jargon of sailing yacht
design.  No math.

DESIRABLE AND UNDESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF OFFSHORE YACHTS
edited by John Rousmaniere.  Technical, but required reading for
anyone choosing an offshore boat.  This is a series of reports
which were inspired by the Fastnet race disaster of 1979 and
sponsered by the Cruising Club of America.

SURVEYING SMALL CRAFT By Ian Nicholson.  How to evaluate a
prospective purchase.  Not a substitute for a professional
survey, but very useful for preliminary work before making an
offer.

THE WORLD'S BEST SAILBOATS by Farenc Mate'.  Even if you can't
afford the boats in this book, it will give you some ideas of
what to look for.  Coffee-table format, glorious photography.
Try not to drool on it.

CHOICE YACHT DESIGNS By Richard Henderson THE PROPER YACHT By
Arthur Beiser.  These books are dated and out of print, but they
are good guides to some of the older designs which are found on
the used market.  **** Boats and Outfitting ****

THE OCEAN SAILING YACHT By Donald Street (2 volumes).  The
first volume is dated but covers the basics well.  The second
volume covers most of the same subjects in a more complete manner
and from a more modern perspective.  The volumes complement one
another.

OFFSHORE CRUISING ENCYCLOPEDIA By Steve and Linda Dashew.  Not
an encyclopedia, but a tremendous collection of well informed
opinion on every subject imaginable.  Oriented towards larger
(sail) boats and cost-no-object cruising, but it has something
for everybody.  Whether it is worth the tremendous price (about
$70) is another matter.

Skeene's Elements of Yacht Design. An early classic.

The Nature of Boats, by Dave Gerr. 

C. A. Marchaij: Sailing Theory and Parctice, Adlard Coles Ltd.
1964 A scientific analysis of the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic
and other design factors wich define the yachts behaviour.

C. A. Marchaij: Aero Hydrodynamics of Sailing, Adlard Coles Ltd.
1979 A complete update of the previous classic text.

H. F. Kay: The Science of Yacts wind and water. G. T. Foulis &
Co Ltd 1971 Has most of the formulas you need, I guess.

"The Art and Science of Sails" by Tom Whidden.  

Not quite so technically inclined is "Sail Power (The Complete
Guide to Sails and Sail Handling)" by Wallace Ross.

"How Things Float" by E. N. Gilbert, 
American Mathematical Monthly, March 1991 
(Vol. 98, No. 3), pp. 201-216 

George Buehler _Backyard Boat Building by Buehler_

Philip C. Bolger ``100 Small Boat Rigs''.  He's managed to take
what could be a very boring topic and make it intensely lively.

Hal Payson, Build the Instant Boats and Build the New Instant
Boats
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.6) Books about seamanship, navigation, the arts of the sailor,
and design

Ashley's Book of Knots and Fancy Ropework. The definitive book
on the subject.

Adlard Coles. Heavy Weather Sailing

C. A. Marjac's *SEAWORTHINESS: the forgotten factor*
(International Marine Publishing Company of CAMDEN Maine),
$34.95.  This is the book on hull design. It is a nice melange
of the artistic, political, academic, and technical, and Marchaj
has a fine writing style. For boaters, all I can say is that
most will find it very controversial. His precise and tightly
argued passages on just why the modern racing yacht is neither
seakindly nor seaworthy will have some, like myself, smugly
nodding, and others, most racers, I guess, hopping mad.

SURVIVOR by Michael Greenwald.  The part of it you don't want to
think about but must.  Mainly about liferaft survival, but also
covers many other topics concerned with safety and emergencies
including medical procedures.  Highly recommended.
 
ADVANCED FIRST AID AFLOAT by Peter F. Eastman, MD.  Seems to be
the best all around medical manual.
 
SAFETY AT SEA by George Day.  Covers everything from yacht
design to abandon-ship in a broad and general way.

KNOTS by Brion Toss (Chapman's Nautical Guides). A nice little
basic introduction to the important knots and their use by a good
writer.

THE RIGGERS APPRENTICE by Brion Toss.  The more sophisticated
aspects of rope and lines.

BOAT CANVAS FROM COVER TO COVER by Bob and Karen Lipe. A very
basic discussion of canvas work with a series of practical
projects from simple to complex.

ANCHORING by Don Bamford.  Anchoring is really a subtle and
complex business which isn't given the attention it deserves by
many people.  While the chapter in Hiscock covers the basics
quite well, this book does it in depth and detail.

PRECISION CRUISING by Authur F. Chace.  A series of cruising
stories which pose various problems in seamanship and piloting,
along with proposed solutions for those problems.  

THE YACHT NAVIGATOR'S HANDBOOK By Norman Dahl.  A concise and
very practical coverage of general navigation and piloting, the
best overall reference on the subject I have found.  The section
on celestial is good enough to serve as a self-teaching course,
although it probably isn't the best choice for that purpose.
Highly recommended, but appears to be out of print :(

AMERICAN PRACTICAL NAVIGATOR (BOWDITCH) By The US Hydrographic
Office (2 volumes).  More than you would ever dream of wanting to
know about navigation.  Most of it is oriented towards big ships,
but everything there is, is in there somewhere. No one will take
you seriously unless you have Bowditch aboard.

WORLD CRUISING ROUTES by Jimmy Cornell.  A route planning guide
for world cruising with regional weather patterns, currents, etc.
Highly recommended.

THE CRUISING NAVIGATOR By Hewett Schlereth (4 volumes).  A full
course in basic celestial navigation plus a complete reference
work on the subject with perpetual almanacs and sight reduction
tables.  No other references are required.  As a self-teaching
course, it is not perfect but it is very good (I learned from
it).  As a working reference, its only weakness is that it does
not include the moon and planets (perpetual almanacs aren't
practical for these bodies).  Printed on waterproof paper with
heavy covers.  This set cost $100 and is now out of print.  A
used copy is a major find.  Volume "00", SIGHT REDUCTION TABLES
FOR SMALL BOAT NAVIGATION is a find in itself.  This is a much
more convenient set of tables than any of the standard sets (it
is a condensed version of HO 229).  Highly recommended.

SEXTANT HANDBOOK By Bruce Bauer.  This is about the instrument
itself and its care.  Not really necessary, but nice to have.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
4.7) Films/videos about sailing


>Also, such an incident was immortalized in TWO
>fantastic movies, "Fitzcaraldo", and one, whose
>title I've forgotten for at least a few hours,
>on the making of "Fitzcaraldo".

"Fitzcarraldo" and would the other be "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe"?
(I've never seen it.)

This isn't quite right.  Maybe you're conflating Herzog's early file
"Aguirre, the Wrath of God" (also great) and "Fitzcarraldo"?
"Fitzcarraldo" was set much later than the Spanish invasion, in the
19th century I think.  Fitzcarraldo simply wanted to open up a new
route, and thus new plantation lands, and to have his own opera
company in the jungle.  That's all.  :)

From: samuel@shemp.cs.wisc.edu (Samuel Bates)

>I've not seen the one on 
>the filming of Fitzcarraldo, if anyone knows the title, please tell me.
It's called "Burden of Dreams", and is quite good; I saw it on PBS several
years ago.

>a few years ago, some friends showed me a video about a guy from
>kansas who managed the get a position on one of the guano boats out of
>bremerhaven.  these boats were 400 foot steel hulled sailing ships
>that supplied germany with nitrates between the wars.......
>my question is, does anybody know what the title of the video version
>of his film was, and where it can be ordered?  please post if you have

This is indeed a fantasic videotape. I think its called "Sailing
Around the Horn" by Captain Irving Johnson. I rented a copy and
made a dub some time ago, so I dont remember the exact title. You
can order it from the Mystic Seaport bookstore/gift catalog. Here
in San Francisco, they have it for sale at the Maritime Museum
bookstore. If all else fails, send me blank tape and I'll make
you a copy.

Capt. Johnson's film documents a rounding of the Horn in 1929 (?)
aboard the "Peking", a 4-masted barque from the famous Laiesz
stable of giant square-riggers. Amazingly, three of them still
survive: "Pommern" at the Mariehamn Museum in the Aland Islands,
"Peking" at the South Street Seaport in New York and "Padua" -
still afloat as the Soviet training ship "Kruzenshtern".

_Anapolis Sailing School_ by John Rousmaniere.  Five or six
volumes on various aspects of sailing.  A nice hands-on approach.
I've only seen a couple of volumes, but I learned a *lot* in
those two hours.
----------------------------------------------------------------
4.8) Misc

(1) Royce's Sailing Illustrated--a compact little book with a
lot of info in it, including descriptions and pictures of
sloops, schooners, marconi rigs, gaff rigs, etc., in other
words, a general intro to the styles of boats that are around
(although it doesn't get into the distinctions between a brig
and a bark, etc., but these rarely come up in day-to-day harbor
scans).

(2) A field guide to sailboats (or is it "a field guide to
boats") . This little book lists about 250 types of boats, from
Dyer Dhows up to Columbia 50s.  They are mostly ones that are in
current production, and some of them are so painful to the eye
that you want to know their names only in order to avoid them.
Each page gives a drawing of the boat, with arrows pointing to
distinctive features, and a long paragraph of text describing
the boat.  There's also basic info like tankage, sail area,
displacement, length overall, watrerline lenght, etc.

_The Wind Commands_ by Harry A. Morton.  A history of sea-faring
people and vessels from polynesian canoes to clipper ships with
an emphasis on Pacific voyages and what was needed to make them.
Morton discusses pivotal developments in ship design,
navigation, maratime medicine which enabled ships to cross the
Pacific, as well as the culture and lore of the sea.  I didn't
care for the writing style and organization.  The book has an
excellent bibliography.

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SAILBOAT BUYING By the editors of Practical
Sailor.  Two volumes, one covering the general subject of buying
a boat, the other reprinting many of the PS boat review
articles.  The best general coverage of the topic.  An earlier
version called PRACTICAL BOAT BUYING is still in print.  This is
a single paperback volume.
 
THE COMPLETE LIVE-ABOARD BOOK by Katy Burke.  Every aspect of
living aboard a boat, technical and otherwise.  This is also a
good guide to choosing a boat from the livability standpoint.
Highly recommended.

SELL UP AND SAIL By Bill and Laurel Cooper.  This book is hard to
describe.  It begins with the question of whether you are cut out
for long distance cruising and then proceeds to a lot of varied
topics which aren't covered very well elsewhere.  Laurel Cooper's
sections on galley work and provisioning are among the best I
have seen.  Very British and sometimes startlingly irreverent.
Useful and a good read.

MANAGING YOUR ESCAPE By Katy Burke.  How to arrange your life so
that it does not require your presence.  Oriented towards
cruising but applicable to anyone wanting to pursue a freedom
lifestyle.

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE OFFSHORE CREW by Lin Pardey.  The
domestic side of offshore boatkeeping.  Covers much more than
galley topics and tells a good cruising story along the way.

COOKING ON THE GO By Janet Groene.  A complete cookbook which
does not require refrigeration.  Includes extensive information
on long-term storage of foods, as for a major passage.

THE ONE POT MEAL By Hannah G. Scheel.  Not intended for boat use,
but probably the most practical boat or RV cookbook around.  I've
used this since my college days.  Probably out of print, but
worth looking for.

THE YACHTING COOKBOOK By Elizabeth Wheeler and Jennifer Trainer.
The only coffee-table cookbook I know of.  Contains some of the
best recipes I have found anywhere, all easy to prepare.  I use
it at home more than on the boat.  This is for coastal cruising,
based on regional ingredients.  Wheeler is a charterboat cook.

VOYAGING UNDER POWER by Robert Beebe (3rd edition).  The only
book I know of about long range cruising in small (50 feet/15
meters or less) power yachts.  The author has designed and built
several such boats and taken them all over the world. 
Newsgroups: rec.boats