Boat Maintenance Companions

Fernhurst Books' compact, handy guides to boat electrics and diesel engines bundled together in e-book form for the first time. The perfect quick reference guides to keep on your phone or tablet, easily accessible when you are on board. They contain all the essential information for when you need it most about keeping your boat electrics and marine diesel engine running. The Electrics Companion covers formulae, tools, anodes, protection, multimeters, soldering, AC power, testing, wiring, batteries, connections and power consumption. The Diesel Companion details the parts of the engine and has checklists for monthly, weekly and daily checks. It outlines what to do if the engine won't start, or stop, if it overheats or there are problems with the fuel system. It tells you about servicing, the electrics and winterisation. This will be a valued companion when the electrics or engine doesn't behave.

A compact guide to repairing a fibreglass boat to achieve a lasting, strong and invisible repair. The equipment, tools and material you need are detailed, followed by the 8 stages of glassfibre repair: from the vital initial preparation to the final polish - all amply illustrated. Finishing with a step-by-step guide to 8 common types of repair.

Two of Fernhurst Books' most popular compact, handy guides – the Cockpit Companion and New Crew's Companion – have been bundled together in e-book form for the first time. The perfect quick reference guides to keep on your phone or tablet, easily accessible when you are on board. They are an on-the-water aide memoire of everything the skipper and crew need to know – or find out quickly – when cruising. The Cockpit Companion provides a wide range of information: from lights, shapes and sound signals to knots, ropes and engine troubleshooting. With diagrams and illustrations throughout, this quick reference guide will help to keep you safe when out at sea. The New Crew's Companion is specifically designed for those new to sailing covering what clothes to bring, what the things on the deck are called, how to start helping with the sails and other deckwork. There is also an important section on safety and one on living aboard. It allows new sailors to know what to expect and get the most out of their first sailing experiences. This will be a valued companion for skipper and crew – even first-time crew members.

A compact, handy, splash-proof, on-the-water reference guide containing all the essential information about keeping your marine diesel engine running for when you need it most. Includes checklists, troubleshooting, cooling, overheating, the fuel system, lubrication, electrics, servicing and winterisation. Highly illustrated and easy-to-understand.

Simple Boat Maintenance concentrates on the 67 most common boat maintenance jobs. Each is rated for difficulty on a scale of 1-5 and is explained in simple steps with lots of photos and diagrams. No special tools are required and no skill is assumed. Take this book in one hand, a spanner in the other and set to work. Learn how to: solve most engine problems; look after the gas, water, fuel and electrical systems; service pumps, winches, windlasses & sterngear; repair cracks & holes in fibreglass; find & cure leaks.

First published in 1988 as West Country Cruising, Mark Fishwick's definitive sailing guide for the ever-attractive coastline of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly combines a skilful blend of pilotage and cruising information, with historical insight and suggestions of where to eat and what to do ashore. For those who plan to head west, this book is more than essential reading – it will enhance your enjoyment and prove to be a worthy and much used addition to the ship's library. Those already in the west will find themselves regularly thumbing its pages. Share Mark Fishwick's passion for this region which combines with his in-depth knowledge from a lifetime cruising these waters to create a text which will inspire and inform you. It is enhanced with colour charts and detailed photography, including spectacular aerial shots of ports, harbours and anchorages, many taken in 2020. This latest, ninth, edition is fully updated for publication and further updates are provided every Spring on the Fernhurst Books' website. More than one satisfied reader has aptly described the book as "the perfect on-board companion".

'You will venture into the fringes of the wilderness with the minimum of simple gear, to live with it on its own terms. You will know that one of the sure ways to contentment in this life is a small boat, a fair wind, and a new coast to explore.' Dinghy cruising is a wonderful way to experience nature and new coastlines at close quarters and low cost. Sailing where larger boats cannot reach and sleeping under canvas onboard or ashore, this is boating taken right back to the basics, and all the better for that. This guide, updated and expanded for its second edition, is invaluable for all aspiring or already-enthusiastic dinghy cruisers, showing how to get started and how to expand your horizons. The information and advice is interwoven with wonderfully evocative stories of the author's adventures afloat, from idyllic weeks pottering around secluded rivers and coastlines to hair-raising voyages to remote islands. The text covers: finding a good boat; fitting out for daysailing; boatcraft under engine and oar; mooring and anchoring; preparing for open water; out at sea; coastal navigation; dinghy homemaking; keeping comfortable and safe. And for this new edition, an account of the author's first capsize, new material on electronics and clothing, and more information on boat designs. Illustrated throughout with inspirational colour photos and helpful illustrations, this book shows just why small boats are the perfect passport to remote and beautiful places.

Fernhurst Books' compact, handy guides to navigating at sea, nautical calculations and passage planning bundled together in e-book form for the first time. The perfect quick reference guides to keep on your phone or tablet, easily accessible when you are on board. They contain all the essential information for when you need it most about navigating and passage planning. The Navigation Companion covers all the navigation essentials: charts, compass, tides, standard and secondary ports, dead reckoning, estimated position, course to steer, lights, GPS, waypoints and buoyage in a highly illustrated format making it easy to understand at a glance – ideal for those moments when you need an answer, and you need it fast! The Nautical Calculation Companion is an aide memoire of those calculations frequently needed (but often forgotten) for traditional coastal and offshore navigation and other equations and formulae which can be useful afloat. Each topic has worked examples, and there are frequent diagrams to illustrate the process. The Passage Planning Companion details the timetable for developing a passage plan and goes through all the elements you should consider: port information, routeing, weather, tides, timings and safety. It then takes you through ship management on the passage: the crew briefing, roles, routines, pre-sail checks, watch keeping and much more. This will be a valued companion when planning and executing a sea voyage.