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ISBN10: 0071784063 | ISBN13: 9780071784061

Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual, 3rd Edition

ISBN10: 0071784063
ISBN13: 9780071784061
By Nigel Calder

© 2005 Published May 31, 2005

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The boatowner's foremost troubleshooting guide, now better than ever

If it's on a boat and it has screws, wires, or moving parts, it's covered in Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. When you leave the dock with this book aboard, you have at your fingertips the best and most comprehensive advice on:

  • Battery technologies
  • 12- and 24-volt DC systems
  • Corrosion, bonding, and lightning protection
  • Generators, inverters, and battery chargers
  • Electric motors and electric lights
  • Marine electronics, antennas, and RFI
  • Diesel engines
  • Transmissions, shaft brakes, and propellers
  • Refrigeration and air-conditioning
  • Tanks, plumbing, and through-hulls
  • Pumps and watermakers
  • Steering, autopilots, and wind vanes
  • Stoves and heaters
  • Winches, windlasses, and bow thrusters
  • Spars, rigging, and roller reefing

"If you had to choose a single book to help you assess and maintain your boat gear, this would be it."—Practical Sailor

"A truly remarkable bible. . . . This book is the best of its kind."—WoodenBoat

"A major achievement. . . . It would be hard to imagine anything going wrong on a boat that couldn't be figured out with this book."—Sailing World

"The world's best technical reference and troubleshooting book."—Sailing Inland and Offshore

"This manual will be of lasting interest to anyone who wants to know how their boat works, what has gone wrong when it doesn't, and how it could be fixed."—Classic Boat

"Without becoming too complex, the book covers almost every imaginable mechanical or electrical matter in the marine environment."—Work Boat World

"Calder lives what he writes, . . . [and] what he offers . . . is practical solutions to problems associated with increasingly complex marine systems. . . . [A] bargain for anyone in the construction and repair side of the boat business."—Professional Boatbuilder

List of Troubleshooting Charts

List of Tables

Preface and Acknowledgments to the Third Edition

Preface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition

Introduction

Chapter 1. Establishing a Balanced Battery-Powered Electrical System

Introduction

Batteries

Getting Down to Specifics

Putting the Pieces Together

Summary: A Balanced System

Chapter 2. Electrical Systems for Energy-Intensive Boats

Additional Energy Sources

Dual-Voltage DC Systems

Fuel Cells, Higher-Voltage DC Boats, and Electric Propulsion

Chapter 3. Maintaining and Troubleshooting a Battery-Powered Electrical System

Batteries

Alternators

Voltage Regulators

Diodes

Chapter 4. Understanding and Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits

Basic Concepts and Measurements

DC Circuits

AC Circuits

Proper Electrical Installations

Chapter 5. Corrosion, Bonding, Lightning Protection, and Grounding

Corrosion

Bonding and Cathodic Protection

Lightning Protection

Grounding

Chapter 6. Battery Chargers, Inverters, Wind and Water Generators, and Solar Panels

Battery Chargers

Inverters

Wind and Water Generators

Solar Panels

Chapter 7. AC Generators, DC Generators, Electric Motors (DC and AC), and Electric Lights

AC Generators

DC Generators

Electric Motors

Electric Lights

Chapter 8. Marine Electronics: Antennas and Radio Grounds, Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Interference, and Saving Soaked Equipment

Marine Electronics

Antennas and Radio Grounds

Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Interference

Saving Soaked Equipment

Chapter 9. Diesel Engines: Operation and Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Winter Layup

Operation and Maintenance

Troubleshooting Part 1: Failure to Start

Troubleshooting Part 2: Operating Problems

Winter Layup and Recommissioning

Chapter 10. From Transmission to Propeller

Transmissions and Shaft Brakes

Connecting a Transmission to a Propeller Shaft

Shaft Seals

Struts, Bearings, and Propellers

Chapter 11. Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning

CFCs and the Ozone Hole

Balancing Refrigeration Needs with Boat Use

Air-Conditioning

Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair

Charging and Topping-Off Procedures

Chapter 12. Tanks, Plumbing, Toilets, and Through-Hull Fittings

Tanks and Fittings

Plumbing

Marine Toilets (Heads)

Through-Hulls and Seacocks

Chapter 13. Pumps and Watermakers

Pumps

Pump Switches

Watermakers

Chapter 14. Steering Systems, Autopilots, and Wind Vanes

Steering Systems

Autopilots

Wind Vane Self-Steering

Chapter 15. Stoves, Cabin Heaters, Gas-Powered Water Heaters, and Lanterns

Gas

Alcohol, Kerosene, and Diesel Appliances

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Chapter 16. Blocks, Winches, Windlasses, and Bow Thrusters

Blocks

Winches

Windlasses

Bow Thrusters

Chapter 17. Spars, Standing Rigging, and Roller Reefing

Spars

Standing Rigging

Roller Reefing and Furling

Glossary

Appendix A: Checklist of Winterizing Procedures

Appendix B: Freeing Frozen Parts and Fasteners

Appendix C: Tools and Spare Parts

Appendix D: Useful Tables

Index

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