Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook (PB)

by Nigel Calder

Overview

The most comprehensive and helpful guide ever written for selecting and equipping a cruising sailboat

Whether you’re a coastal or offshore cruiser, you’ll find your most pressing concerns treated with the know-how that makes for skillful, confident cruising in Nigel Calder’s Cruising Handbook. The author -- one of the most respected marine how-to authors on either side of the Atlantic, and author of the universally admired Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual, -- walks you through all key technical and practical aspects of modern cruising systems and equipment, providing you with a summary of the skills necessary for safe, enjoyable sailing.

The first half of the book includes an easy-to-use tabular method for evaluating a boat's suitability for cruising; ideas for workable deck and interior lay-outs and organization; how to choose and configure suitable boat systems for cruising; and how to install gear for trouble free operation.

The book's second half teaches you boat handling skills; core navigational expertise; anchoring techniques; weather understanding; heavy weather expertise; and specific skills for long-term and long-distance cruising.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781265928230
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	07/11/2023
Pages:	608
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x (h) x 11.00(d)

About the Author

Nigel Calder has decades of sailing and cruising behind him. He is widely acknowledged as the world's foremost writer on boat systems maintenance, and writes regularly for SAIL, Cruising World, Ocean Navigator, Professional Boatbuilder, and Yachting Monthly, among other magazines. He is the author of six books, including Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual, Marine Diesel Engines, Refrigeration for Pleasureboats, The Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean, and Cuba: A Cruising Guide.

Table of Contents

Front MatterPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart One: The BoatChapter 1. A Boat for CruisingBasic Design ParametersLength-Beam Ratio; Keel Types; Displacement Calculations; Ballast Ratio; Displacement-Length Ratio; Overhangs; Waterplanes and Immersion; Comfort Factor; Sail Area-Displacement Ratio; Stability Curves and Ratio; Capsize Screening Value and STIX Number; Maintaining Control; Speed-Length Ratio; Buttocks, Diagonals, and Aft Sections; Speed versus ComfortGetting Down to DetailsConstruction Materials; Cored Hulls and Decks; Hull-to-Deck Joints; Structural Reinforcements; Keels; Rudders and Skegs; Skegs and Propellers; Bilge Water and TankageConclusionChapter 2. On DeckRigs and RiggingRig Options; Masts, Spreaders, and Shroud Angles; Holding Up the Mast; Roller-Reefing Foresails; Mainsail; Odds and EndsCockpits and Deck LayoutCenter or Aft Cockpit; Basic Parameters and the Comfort Factor; Steering; Dodgers and Biminis; Cockpit Flooding; Deck Design and Layout; StowageDealing with Ground TackleBow Platform; Deck Layout; Anchor Wells; Chain Locker; WindlassesAddendum: Carbon Fiber MastsLightning and Other Survival IssuesChapter 3. Cruising Accommodations: Fusing Functionality at Sea with Comfort on the HookGeneral ConsiderationsMinimizing Motion; Keeping Things in Place; Insulation; Ventilation; Air Conditioning and HeatingSpecific SpacesNavigation Station; Wet Locker; Galley; Saloon; Forecabins, Quarter Berths, and Aft Cabins; Head CompartmentConclusionAddendum: Carbon Monoxide PoisoningCarbon Monoxide AlarmsChapter 4. Electrical SystemsA Balanced SystemKeeping the Load Down; The Supply Side; Supplementary Sources of Power; Defining the Limits; Miscellaneous DC Systems IssuesDC to AC InvertersSizing an Inverter; DC and AC InstallationsOver-Current Protection and High-Current CircuitsWhat Size Fuse or Circuit Breaker?; High-Current Circuits; Check Your Own BoatLow-Energy RefrigerationEfficiency; Versatility; Insulate, Insulate, Insulate; Enhancing Performance; Effective RefrigerationLow-Energy LightingFluorescent Lights; LED Lighting; Halogen LightsAC SystemsSafety; Corrosion; Miscellaneous AC Systems CommentsBonding, Zinc Anodes, and Lightning ProtectionStray-Current Corrosion and Bonding; Lightning ProtectionConclusionChapter 5. The Rest of the SystemsThe Engine and PropellerHow Big an Engine?; Propeller Sizing; Propeller Matters; Peripheral Systems; Living with an EngineFuel and Water TanksMetal Tanks; Plastic Tanks; Freshwater Systems; WatermakersBilge PumpsFlooding Rates and Pumping Capacities; Improving Performance: Hoses and Check Valves; Improving Performance: Electrical Considerations; Float Switches; Keeping Dry Below DecksThrough-Hulls, Seacocks, and HosesQuality Through-Hulls and Seacocks; HosesPropane InstallationsThe Problem of Refills When CruisingMaking Equipment ChoicesWhat Spares to Carry?Chapter 6. Acquisition StrategiesDefining PrioritiesWhat Size Boat?; To Build or Not to Build; Commissioning CostsUsed-Boat MarketRefurbishing an Older Sailboat; Old Racing Boats; A Survey; Go Sailing as Soon as Possible!Cruising-Boat Questionnaire and Checklist of Desirable FeaturesPart Two: Cruising SkillsChapter 7. Boat Handling under Power and SailManeuvering under PowerClose Quarters Maneuvering under Power; Docking (Mooring) Lines; Docking Situations; The Media