Books about Motorboat from Amazon.com

This book takes the complete novice--armed only with a gleam in the eye, and a basic knowledge of hammer, saw, and screwdriver--and walks him or her through the process of building a boat. The only materials needed are easily available from any lumberyard: plywood, 2x4s, nails, and wood glue. The process is simple, the result is extraordinary--your own boat, ready to sail, in just a week or two, for a fraction of the cost of buying a factory-built (boring!) boat. And the sense of accomplishment is beyond compare.

The main focus of the book is on building the 14-foot sailing/rowing skiff called "Mayfly." Full plans and detailed step-by step instructions are given, with numerous line drawings and photographs. Those instructions can then be applied to the other full plans included: for a dinghy, a motorboat, a rowboat, a canoe, and two other sailboats.

The only other book to compare is Harold Payson's venerable Build the New Instant Boats. But where that book leaves off, this book goes beyond: with chapters on making your own oars, making kick-up rudders, pivoting leeboards, sails, flotation compartments, water ballast, hatches, and tips for cartopping and trailering your boat, and much more. It is an introductory book that will continue to be pored over as the beginner transforms himself or herself into an experienced boatbuilder.

Also included are a catalog of twenty other boat plans for dreaming over, a guide to boatbuilding sites on the web, a guide to materials suppliers, and a bibliography of further reading.

A great book for families, for scout groups, for school shop classes, for anyone who enjoys messing about in boats.

Jim Michalak is a former aerospace engineer who has become, in the last decade, one of the foremost designers of small boats in America. He lives in Lebanon, Illinois.

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Price: $15.27 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Get the most from your new powerboat from day one!

There’s nothing like the thrill of skimming over the waves at the helm of a fast powerboat And the thrill is even greater when you’re driving the boat that’s 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 powerboats—big and small; single-engine, twin-engine, outboard, and sterndrive; trailerable and nontrailerable. You’ll 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

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Price: $7.67 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $20.38 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In World War II, aboard the aircraft carrier Saratoga, Captain Robert Beebe dreamed of one day retiring and cruising the world in a small boat. At that time world cruisers voyaged exclusively in sailboats. But sailboats are confined to narrow lanes of predominantly favorable winds, which can be unpredictable and difficult. Beebe wanted to arrive at distant ports relaxed and on time, not battered and two months late. He wanted to voyage under power.

Back in the 1940s, no suitable long-distance powerboats existed. Beebe literally had to invent modern powerboat voyaging from scratch. The design parameters he developed for long-distance powerboats are still in use by naval architects today. The resulting boat, Passagemaker, was home to the Beebes for many years and more than 60,000 ocean-crossing miles. What Beebe learned in those years of voyaging became, in 1974, , still the most important and influential book ever published on long-distance powerboating.

Now, under the able pen of world cruiser Jim Leishman, Beebe's classic Voyaging Under Power has received its first complete overhaul. The core of the book is vintage Beebe; his designs, his research, and his wonderful cruising stories remain intact. What's new are details of the advances of the intervening years: electronic wizardry for navigation and communication; efficient new engines that wring more miles out of a gallon of diesel fuel; active roll-prevention devices that virtually eliminate seasickness; propeller nozzles and bow thrusters that improve maneuverability and ease handling for short-handed crews; bulbous bow extensions that improve speed, fuel economy, and sea-keeping ability. There's an all-new section featuring the work of other designers, including George Buehler, Jay Benford, James Krogan, Jeff Leishman, Nils Lucander, Charles Neville, and Steven Seaton. Mrs. Beebe has thoroughly revised her original chapter on provisioning the long-distance galley, and there are several new chapters, including Inland Voyaging, which covers long-distance cruising on American inland waterways; Watch-Standing; and A Passagemaker's Machinery.

Voyaging Under Power is the definitive guide for those who yearn to expand their cruising horizons, and cross oceans with speed and comfort..
Price: $8.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $1.17 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Coastal Cruising Under Power is your ultimate companion for exploring the coastal waters of North America with confidence in your powerboat. This beautifully illustrated guide provides countless tips on anchoring, piloting, weather, and more, along with in-depth, step-by-step instructions on numerous specific skills and techniques.

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Price: $12.83 [Notify me when price goes down.]

“Anyone who contemplates any onboard do-it-yourself work should have this book at his or her elbow.”--Cruising World

“This book reduces a boat to its most rudimentary parts in simple drawings and clear explanations. Fascinating to read, it’s a perfect teaching tool.”--Ocean Navigator

Whether you’re a new mariner or a lifetime veteran, How Boat Things Work is a resource you can’t afford to be without. With intricate two-color cutaway drawings of eighty different systems and devices, as well as detailed explanations of how they’re assembled, how they work, and how they can go wrong, this book covers every primary component of your boat's inner workings.

This guided tour “under the hood” of your sailboat or powerboat includes:

• Engines, transmissions, bearings, stuffing boxes, propellers
• Steering systems, autopilots, windvanes, compasses
• Rigging, splicing, line handling, block and tackle, sail controls
• Anchors and windlasses
• DC and AC electrical systems
• Pumps, toilets, seacocks, freshwater systems

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Price: $10.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

When Chapman Piloting lands on your doorstep--all 656 pages of it--it's easy to feel daunted. Have faith, sailor. Now in its 63rd edition, Charles Frederic Chapman's masterpiece is a boater's bible. Indeed, one Amazon.com customer raves, "if you could take a class called Boating 101, this would be the textbook." It's more than just a basic text, however; it's a complete curriculum of nautical knowledge, from knots to navigation, docking to distress calls, plus etiquette, protocol, and terminology for powerboaters and sailors alike. Accessible to the beginner, Chapman Piloting is an essential reference for even the most experienced sailor. A necessary component of any nautical library. Highly recommended. --M. Stein.
Price: $34.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

At last, safe, comfortable, ocean-going power cruisers that don't cost a fortune to own and operate. When boat designer George Buehler realized that he no longer wanted to cruise the world's oceans under sail, he decided to create a line of powerboats that sailors could love and anyone could afford. For inspiration, he turned to the light, lithe salmon trollers of the Pacific Northwest, among the most efficient, seaworthy, and beautiful powerboats ever built. With plans for troller yachts from 38 to 70 feet and detailed information about everything from design theory, building, and outfitting to converting commercial boats, this book is essential reading for anyone thinking about ocean cruising who refuses to spend $500,000 on a boat and $500 a day on fuel..
Price: $16.15 [Notify me when price goes down.]