Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook (PB)

1st Edition
1265928231 · 9781265928230
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, confide… Read More
US$64.00
Request Review Copy

Receive via shipping:

  • Print bound version of the complete text

Front Matter

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part One: The Boat

Chapter 1. A Boat for Cruising

Basic Design Parameters

Length-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 Comfort

Getting Down to Details

Construction Materials; Cored Hulls and Decks; Hull-to-Deck Joints; Structural Reinforcements; Keels; Rudders and Skegs; Skegs and Propellers; Bilge Water and Tankage

Conclusion

Chapter 2. On Deck

Rigs and Rigging

Rig Options; Masts, Spreaders, and Shroud Angles; Holding Up the Mast; Roller-Reefing Foresails; Mainsail; Odds and Ends

Cockpits and Deck Layout

Center or Aft Cockpit; Basic Parameters and the Comfort Factor; Steering; Dodgers and Biminis; Cockpit Flooding; Deck Design and Layout; Stowage

Dealing with Ground Tackle

Bow Platform; Deck Layout; Anchor Wells; Chain Locker; Windlasses

Addendum: Carbon Fiber Masts

Lightning and Other Survival Issues

Chapter 3. Cruising Accommodations: Fusing Functionality at Sea with Comfort on the Hook

General Considerations

Minimizing Motion; Keeping Things in Place; Insulation; Ventilation; Air Conditioning and Heating

Specific Spaces

Navigation Station; Wet Locker; Galley; Saloon; Forecabins, Quarter Berths, and Aft Cabins; Head Compartment

Conclusion

Addendum: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Chapter 4. Electrical Systems

A Balanced System

Keeping the Load Down; The Supply Side; Supplementary Sources of Power; Defining the Limits; Miscellaneous DC Systems Issues

DC to AC Inverters

Sizing an Inverter; DC and AC Installations

Over-Current Protection and High-Current Circuits

What Size Fuse or Circuit Breaker?; High-Current Circuits; Check Your Own Boat

Low-Energy Refrigeration

Efficiency; Versatility; Insulate, Insulate, Insulate; Enhancing Performance; Effective Refrigeration

Low-Energy Lighting

Fluorescent Lights; LED Lighting; Halogen Lights

AC Systems

Safety; Corrosion; Miscellaneous AC Systems Comments

Bonding, Zinc Anodes, and Lightning Protection

Stray-Current Corrosion and Bonding; Lightning Protection

Conclusion

Chapter 5. The Rest of the Systems

The Engine and Propeller

How Big an Engine?; Propeller Sizing; Propeller Matters; Peripheral Systems; Living with an Engine

Fuel and Water Tanks

Metal Tanks; Plastic Tanks; Freshwater Systems; Watermakers

Bilge Pumps

Flooding Rates and Pumping Capacities; Improving Performance: Hoses and Check Valves; Improving Performance: Electrical Considerations; Float Switches; Keeping Dry Below Decks

Through-Hulls, Seacocks, and Hoses

Quality Through-Hulls and Seacocks; Hoses

Propane Installations

The Problem of Refills When Cruising

Making Equipment Choices

What Spares to Carry?

Chapter 6. Acquisition Strategies

Defining Priorities

What Size Boat?; To Build or Not to Build; Commissioning Costs

Used-Boat Market

Refurbishing an Older Sailboat; Old Racing Boats; A Survey; Go Sailing as Soon as Possible!

Cruising-Boat Questionnaire and Checklist of Desirable Features

Part Two: Cruising Skills

Chapter 7. Boat Handling under Power and Sail

Maneuvering under Power

Close Quarters Maneuvering under Power; Docking (Mooring) Lines; Docking Situations; The Medi
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.