Features more than 100 cutaway and drawings to give you a glimpse into the inner workings of powerboats and sailboats, including engines and propulsion gear, steering, rigging, ground tackle, electronic gear, electrical systems, and plumbing.

“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

Charlie Wing earned a Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT. Wing lived aboard a cruising sailboat for six years, during which he obtained his U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s license. He is also the author of Get Your Captain's License, Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook, The One-Minute Guide to the Nautical Rules of the Road, and other boating titles.

“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