Synopses & Reviews
Get the most from your new powerboat from day one!Theres nothing like the thrill of skimming over the waves at the helm of a fast powerboat. And the thrill is even greater when youre driving the boat thats right for you and handling it with skill and confidence. This third edition of Getting Started in Powerboating gives you all the information you need to select the boat of your dreams, maneuver it like a master, and understand the rules and conventions of powerboating.
Thoroughly updated with new developments and technologies, this new edition of the bestselling guide in its field covers all powerboatsbig and small; single-engine, twin-engine, outboard, and sterndrive; trailerable and nontrailerable. Youll discover the difference between a planing hull and a displacement hull, learn to compensate for the effects of wind and current, and master high-speed techniques. Plus this third edition features new photographs that illustrate key techniques and maneuvering sequences, including turning, backing, docking, and more. Must-have information includes:
- The latest on four-stroke outboards
- Jack plates, jet drives, and bow thrusters
- Piloting and navigation basics
- Anchors and anchoring techniques
- An updated market survey of popular powerboats
- State licensing requirements
Synopsis
Getting Started in Powerboating is a friendly beginner's guide that concentrates on what you need to know when you first take the helm. This second edition includes a revised gallery of good powerboats, new material on basic safety, preparations to go offshore, and improved illustrations of tricky maneuvers.
Getting Started in Powerboating covers all powerboats--big and small; single-engine, twin-engine, outboard, and sterndrive; trailerable and non-trailerable; fast planing hulls and slow but seaworthy displacement hulls; and everything in between. It can help you decide what kind of boat is right for you, and it describes fully the characteristic handling and behavior of each type.
Bob Armstrong tells you how to dock any boat under any conditions of wind, current, and crowding, and how to leave a slip with a minimum of fuss. He explains how to handle docklines, how to execute close-quarters maneuvers, how to anchor, run inlets, adjust trim for a better ride, and cope with heavy weather. He offers hints for judging the quality of a boat, tips for quick mastery of a boat you've never handled before, and an expert's views on the types of powerboats available--from runabouts to motoryachts to houseboats, jetboats, and catamarans--and what to expect from each.
About the Author
Robert J. Armstrong, a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Master Mariner, has been a captain since 1962 and a boating journalist and professional yacht deliverer and skipper since the mid-1970s.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part One: Choosing the Right Boat
Chapter 1. No Boat Is Right for Everyone
Chapter 2. Boatspeak
Chapter 3. Displacement Hulls
Chapter 4. Planing Hulls
Chapter 5. Semidisplacement Hulls
Chapter 6. Comparing the Three Hull Types
Chapter 7. Drive Systems
Chapter 8. Picking the Proper Prop
Chapter 9. How to Read Boat Reviews and Tests
Chapter 10. Twenty Questions to Codify Boat Selection
Part Two: The Whys of Powerboat Handling
Chapter 11. Why Boats Don't Behave like Cars
Chapter 12. The Twin-Screw Advantage
Chapter 13. Transom Power
Chapter 14. The Influence of Wind
Chapter 15. What Current Does
Part Three: The Hows of Powerboat Handling
Chapter 16. Know Your Boat
Chapter 17. Boathandling in Wind and Current
Chapter 18. Docking a Single-Screw Inboard
Chapter 19. The "Impossible" Moves with a Single-Screw Boat
Chapter 20. Docking a Twin-Screw Inboard
Chapter 21. Docking Transom-Powered Boats
Chapter 22. Using Springlines for Maneuvering
Chapter 23. Using Thrusters for Maneuvering?
Chapter 24. Using Docklines
Part Four: Enjoying Your Boat
Chapter 25. A Matter of Safety
Chapter 26. Rules of the Road
Chapter 27. Boating and the Law
Chapter 28. Introduction to Navigation
Chapter 29. Getting Underway
Chapter 30. The Tools and Techniques of Trim
Chapter 31. Anchors and Anchoring Techniques
Chapter 32. Inlet Running
Chapter 33. How to Handle Heavy Weather
Chapter 34. Offshore Boating
Chapter 35. Practice Makes Perfect
Appendix: A Gallery of Powerboats
Index