Any good books?

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cattlejack

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Hello
I'm thinking of get a boat for the first time. :) Can anybody recommend some good reading material to start with?

Thanks
 
Find a copy, new or used called Chapman's Piloting and seamanship. It is the single greatest compendium of info on boats and boating that you can read. It has lots of pages, is big and heavy, but it is all there. After you get through Chapman, then there are thousands of other, lesser books for you to read on every aspect of boating, but Chapmans will answer any an all questions you have.

So searches on U.S. power squadron and you will find some book references. Also, on this site, if you do a "book" search you will find many posts on folks favorites.
 
ZoeB":3a1mci78 said:
The Nature of Boats is a great book. It is a nontechnical reference that covers everything from hull design to engine types.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Boats- ... e+of+boats

Chapman's Piloting is also a must have for any nautical bookshelf.
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+1 on both of those. The first will get you thinking about how boats work, and the second is a good reference for using a boat. However, get a ride on a CD 22 or a 25 from somebody ASAP to really get a handle on what it is like. Books won't do it all.
 
I would recommend giving "A Perfect Storm" a miss. :twisted:

Martin.
 
Flotsam and Jetsam by Rob White. He is the brother of Bailey White. Great stories about boats and life. Funny. He tells the best outboard story ever about the motor that vibrated off its mount. I laugh every time I tighten my kicker on its mount. Yeh and dont mess with his ducks.
 
Moby Dick. Herman Melville
 
slowtrot":3ih2ayuf said:
Flotsam and Jetsam by Rob White. He is the brother of Bailey White. Great stories about boats and life. Funny. He tells the best outboard story ever about the motor that vibrated off its mount. I laugh every time I tighten my kicker on its mount. Yeh and dont mess with his ducks.
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Another vote for Robb White! He also was a frequent contributor to "Messing About inBoats". I don't know if that publication is still available, but it was great for small craft. It's worth looking for. I was bummed when Robb passed away after surgery.

One of the boats he built and wrote about was Atkins' Rescue Minor. Robb got around 20 mph out of a small Kubota diesel, and near 33 MILES PER GALLON. The boat is about 19 feet in length, with just under a 6 foot beam. It could run at speed in about 18 inches of water.
 
In addition to reading about boating, enroll in a US Power Squadron course now, before you get a boat. This involves more of a commitment on your part which will test your interest, and it will help you prepare for this wonderful world of boating. It will reduce your insurance premium, too.
 
I would recommend that you look for a local chapter of the US Power Squadron - they offer great classes, and have a very educational intro/Safe Boating class. There will be reading material and well as other people in the class who are new to boating. You will likely learn as much from each other as you will the class.

I have to second Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship for the most comprehensive boating information you'll find. Great as a reference, but it can be dry and some new folks find it overwhelming.

Boating is a fun activity, but getting as much education as possible beforehand can make it even more enjoyable (and potentially less dangerous). With that in mind, I'd suggest "Honey, Let's Get A Boat" by Ron and Eva Stob. They went from total newbies to doing the Great Loop. It's a light read, more entertainment than education... but, you may find yourself pondering some of the same beginner questions they had.

You didn't mention why you intend to get a boat... cruising, fishing, a "floating cabin" - buying a boat opens a world of new experiences. This forum has a wealth of information for all things C-Dory, but many also apply to any boating.

Good luck with this next chapter. Like many here, we feel our life is richer because of our time on the water.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
The best book will be the text for the Power squadron or USCG Auxiliary boating skills and seamanship course.
 
If you want something nautical on a deeper and thought provoking level
rather than getting cookbook advice from "how to ..." marine manuals,
I recommend

"First You Have to Row a Little Boat"
by Richard Bode

I've read it about four times and find myself going back to favorite
sections often. The following I have paraphrased.

We teach our children the supposed benefits of competition by
domination of others on the athletic fields. But the truth is, in
life, the best victories we forge are those against problems
within ourselves. So, instead of taking your children to the gridiron
to teach them how to win by trampling their opponent, take them
to a beach, a quiet shoreline, and teach them how to row a little boat.

Aye.
 
Bingo! You have received the correct answer twice! Take the US Power Squadron course before you do anything else! Then spend a LOT of time navigating Cruising America - Halcyon Days. There is a wealth of information on this website.

You did not say whether you want to fish, or cruise or do something else, or where you want to do it - on a lake, a river, in protected waters, open ocean? Take a cruise on a C-Dory, somebody in your area will no doubt offer you a ride. Find out if it is "right sized" and "feels right" for what you want to do. Depending on what you want to do, it might be too small or too big, too fast or not fast enough, whatever.

Chapman's Piloting and Gurr's The Nature of Boats are for a ways down the line, and not really aimed at what you need to know first.

I would give both A Perfect Storm and Moby Dick a miss as well!
 
Here's a quick sample from our website to introduce you to our introduction to the C-Dory world. For us, it was not a decision about a day trip boat or a weekend fishing boat, but for a boat suitable for extensive cruising. This may not be what you have in mind. But, here's a view of the choice for a total boating experience.

http://www.cruisingamerica-halcyondays. ... nching.htm

And, for different lifestyles on the water, here's another quick read:

http://www.cruisingamerica-halcyondays.com/relax.htm
 
As outlined in the link to another thread about buying a first boat; first you -need to define what you want to do with the boat. Is it day use, fishing, taking kids tubing, wake boarding or water skiing? Do you want to spend nights on board the boat? Do you want to spend weekends in the boat, or do you want to spend weeks at a time? What part of the world do you live in. How big is the family and will they enjoy boating--what type of boating? The C Dory is sort of like the VW camper of boating.

Also key is to define your budget for purchase and maintenance.

David Gerr'sThe Nature of Boats does go into basic boat design and type. I think it is a great reference book. However, it is technical.

Chapman's gives you information on how to run a boat--but not a lot about boat selection. I refer to both of these books on occasion and they are great reading for new boaters.

An older book: Boating Magazine's Insider's Guide to Buying a Powerboat: Featuring Tips and Traps for the Smart Boat Buyer Paperback by Robert Lamy is another place to start.

Also Buyers' Guide to Outboard BoatsSelecting and Evaluating New and Used Boats by David Pascoe. David Pascoe is a semi retired marine surveyor, who can be a bit controversial, but all in all he is very thought provoking and does give a lot of general information on what to look for in buying a boat.

Certainly reading Bill and El's adventures will whet your appetite.

The classic C Dory book is "River Horse" by William Least Heat Moon--the story of taking a C Dory coast to coast with only a few hundred miles of portaging. Consider that Mr Moon is not an experienced sailor--and there are some "interesting" comments on the C Dory.

Of course the book which everyone should read in their lives--and hopefully your have already read it is Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame . It is a children's book, but with a number of wonderful lessons of life in it:
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
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Eloquent and informative, as always, Bob. There oughta be recognition for "C-Brat Elders" or something similar. Bob would be one of them, by God.
 
One of our own has a very fine, boating (with friends) book. Its about traveling with a cat on board and how that works, how fun and how it goes.

Check out this book:

Where to buy Cat On A Leash...

http://www.lulu.com/shop/james-bathurst ... 5F81531C00

"...Life isn’t always easy onboard a 25 foot boat, but it is an interesting escape. "

Cat On A Leash is now available in paperback
Cat On A Leash in all eBook versions

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
WOW!!!! First, what a great site to be a part of. How can you not want a C-Dory with all these friends already. I ask a question about get some reading material for a first time boater, and in the first day I got 16 responses. All good advice for books and a lot of good questions. I'm a 57 year old man who has never own a boat. I have looked a C-Dory's and Ranger Tugs for a number of years. We moved to Maryland a few years ago and live right near the water , Brenton Bay to be exact. We have access to a boat launch and dry storage. My better half wants an RV, but I think a boat would be used a lot more. One or two vacations a year virus every weekend or for a few hours after a work day hummmmm???? She thinks we should start with a little less expensive boat, something we could fish off of, waterski and go for a short ride around the bay.
I see a bigger picture on the horizon.
Any advice on this would be helpful. Thanks
P.S. Perfect Storm is one of my favorite movies, watch it all the time.
 
There are at least 8 C brats within a hour or so drive from your location--a bunch across the river. So you should be able to see and probably ride in a boat near you!

As for boats vs RV--we do both, and as we age, probably more RV ing. I am I am in my late 70's. However it is not unusual for us to spend at least a month "RVing" in the Sea Dory. We stop in campgrounds, and sleep and eat in C Dory 22. We have yet to have a camp ground reject the "Boater camping" after we explain that the boat is just like a camping trailer, but floats and has an outboard motor. Often the manager wants to see it, and then says "what a great idea, I want one". But be sure that the Admiral is on board with this decision.

Also C Dorys hold their value very well. Most smaller boats do not. It is not unusual to buy a boat and then sell it for near the same amount a few years later as you upgrade (or down size).

This part of the world is ideal for the pilot house type of boat. It extends your boating into 3 seasons, if not 4 seasons. (We lived in Richmond and traveled around the Chesapeake in a 15 foot open boat back in the late 60's, when I was in the Army) We also have taken one of our larger boats thru this area and stayed there over 4 months in the dead of winter.

The C Dory is a bit unique, being a "modified semi dory" The Dory is a traditional small fishing boat which had a very narrow transom, almost double ended--and was very seaworthy. A semidory has a wide transom and flat bottom--as the C Dory did until about 1987. After this, there was a bit of a very small "V" in the bottom, (this is called "deadrise" and is the angle of the bottom toward the side at the transom or stern of the boat. A C Dory is about 3 degrees--many small boats are 15 to 26 degrees. The flatter bottom uses much less power to plane, or go fast. The deeper "v" boats may use 200 or more HP, where the C Dory uses 70 to 115 hp. The trade off, is that in rough water, the flatter bottom boat may "pound" or slap the water more. Thus you either have to slow down, go off to one side as you go into the wind and seas, or put the bow down, with trim tabs and a foil on the motor. These boats make some very long voyages, and rarely are stopped by weather. For example in Alaska several years ago, during a month, we only waited out weather one day (when even 80 footers were waiting) and another day, we waited too late in the day to stop fishing--and had to follow a fishing boat to our destination at 6 mpg, with the larger boat knocking down the waves ahead of us.

As for water skiing and tubing. It can be done with the C Dory, but, it is not the usual purpose.

I would suggest going to some boat shows (don't be blinded by the glitz or scared by the prices), and see what there is available. Be in contact with some of our members and see their boats. Make a decision.
 
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