The Outboard Boater's Handbook    

This comprehensive manual shows you how to go places and do things you never thought possible in a small outboard motorboat. A well-designed ruggedly built 17-footer, for instance, can fish offshore, circumnavigate Lake Superior, and crisscross the continent on inland waterways or on a trailer pulled by the family car. Small outboards are among the most versatile boats ever developed and are far more able than you might expect. Covered here are all the popular types--and some exciting alternatives as well as methods that may change your entire boating outlook.

Aided by contributions from other experts, veteran outboard skipper David R. Getchell, Sr., offers a wealth of useful facts and special savvy that reveal for the first time in a single book the true potential of these democratic boats 20 feet and under. Here are the means to understand what can be done, and the way to do it safely, including: how to judge a boat's potential and capabilities based on design and construction; how to rebuild an older boat; how to handle a little boat in big seas, surf, or shallow water; how to navigate; how to read the weather; how to head upriver or offshore; how to trailer your boat; how to manage and equip it for camp cruising on a nearby lake or for subarctic exploration; and how to care for the boat and motor.

Contents Back to top

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Contributors
The Boats
Introduction
It's All in the Hull
How to Test a Boat
Twenty Questions to Ask When Selecting a Boat
The Matter of Speed
The Amazing 17s--and Others of a Rugged Breed
The Tin Skiff: America's Favorite Fishing Boat
The Ever-Popular Runabout
The Handy Jonboat
The Booming, Zooming Bassboat
Skinny-Water Boating on the Western Jet Boat
The Semi-Dory Lives On
Canoe Power
Gear for Your Boat
Thieves Are Eyeing Your Boat
Upgrades and Conversions
Introduction
Surveying Fiberglass Boats
Buying Used Aluminum Boats
Dressing Up a Whaler
A 15-Foot Plywood Cruiser
The MFG Just Won't Die
Everyman's Exploration Boat
Working with Canvas
Engines
Introduction
Selecting an Outboard Motor
Jet Drives
Silent Power: The Little Electrics
Straight Talk from a Dealer
Rigging an Outboard
How to Maintain Your Outboard or Sterndrive
The Ticking Fuel-Tank Bomb
Tips on Saving Fuel
Trim Tabs and Hydrofoils
How to Make an Extension Handle
Protecting Your Prop
Boat Trailers
Introduction
Selecting a Trailer
Two Accessories You Can Make Yourself
Choosing a Tow Vehicle
The Tricks of Handling a Trailer
Hitch & Ball, Inc.
Troubleshooting Your Light System
The Critical Wheel Bearings
Electronics
Introduction
A VHF at Your Beck and Call
The Many Kinds of Depthfinders
Installing a Depthfinder
Seamanship
Introduction
Rough-Water Handling
How to Run an Inlet
Anchoring and Mooring Little Boats
The Delicate Art of Docking
Shore Landings and Takeoffs
River Expertise
Locking Through
Do You Really Want to Tow?
Defensive Boating: When the World Is Against You
The Invaluable Nautical Chart
Navaids: The Seaman's Scorecard
Taking the Awe Out of Navigating
The Ins and Outs of Tides
Wind Is Weather
Safety: Boating's Dirty Word
Something to Grab Onto
Running a Tight Ship
Keeping Shipshape
Cruising
Introduction
Cruising in Small Powerboats
Camping, or Backpacking by Boat
Repair and Maintenance
Introduction
Fiberglass Repairs
The Adaptable Epoxy Fillet
Tools for Working Fiberglass
Repairing Aluminum Boats
The Fine Art of Painting
Freeing Frozen Parts
Inflatable Care and Repair
The Marine Supermarket: Finishing Touches