Customer Reviews

The 12-Volt Bible for Boats

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Good book for the Beginner

The book was published in 1985, so a lot of the technology has changed and improved. It was a real basic book- this is a battery, this is a circuit. I was looking for help rewiring a small boat and this boat was of no major assistence.

This book should be left in the class room, unless you want to know the very basic's of a single engine boat's charging system. This book does not even go in to twin engine, boat's with 120 volt genset's,selector swithes for shore power to generator power, or anything more than a two battery system.If you need help rewiring your boat then I suggest you keep looking

This is a book for those whose knowlege of 12 volt systems could be summed up as "well, I know there's a battery in there somewhere!" If you already know how to use a multimeter, this book probably isn't for you. Absolutely great for it's target audience, the rank newbie to boat electrical systems.

Even if you've never worked with electricity, but now need to because you have a boat, "The 12-Volt Bible for Boats" is a great introduction that covers more than just the basics. The early part of the book covers all of the beginner introduction to batteries and electricity. It also explains the differences between 12-Volt car systems and boat systems. This book helps you determine what gauge wire you need for what current demand of your new piece of equipment and length of the wire run. The later chapters cover specifics of how to hook up particular equipment such as solar panels and wind generators. The final section covers test equipment you can build yourself. This book is definitely worth the price.

Good beginners review of 12 volt systems. Author has good grasp of the subject. Needs revising as many aspects of boating and electricity has changed since written.

Mr. Brotherton has written a basic primer for the 12-Volt system. The second edition was a long time coming, perhaps if they'd attended to business, some of the other books on the subject wouldn't have gained the foothold in the boating community that they have. However, the update is out now and it's well worth having, as it's a good place to start on the theory of it all. The book addresses the subject as if you are a true beginner and you know what, sometimes that's just what one needs.

I bought this book hoping to learn more about Boat batteries but it did not deliver... It does review the basics of electricity, batteries wiring etc and I found a lot of information to be very educative and interesting but the book overall did not answer the most important questions:

1. the 20h battery power was mentioned perhaps once or twice. This is the most important point when it comes to boat power... What does it mean is not enough.. I wanted to know how to calculate the consumption of the various elements.. can i keep the radar on while on battery and for how long? etc...etc...

2. How to charge a battery, how to pick an alternator. Again nothing.

3. What batteries to choose for a sailboat, depending on length equipment etc.. What is the difference between the house batteries, windlass battery and starter battery... All these points were missed.

So in other terms the title is misleading and the book is far from being a bible!!! It should be a 5$ book that you read in one day and discard.. this is not a reference..

This book is useless. It has no helpful information on how to wire up any 12 volt device. All this book does is explain the different parts of an electrical system and nothing else besides that. If your looking for a book that at least has wiring diagrams for 12 volt systems then I would suggest that look for a better book.

Good as advertised - a basic book. Turned out it wasn't really what I was looking for. As another reviewer wrote, if you already know how to use a multi-meter it's probably too basic.
Well done for its advertised purpose.

I bought this booking thinkning that it would help me in the area of re-wiring my boat. Not much help. Very outdated and basic. This book may be good if you are helping a grade schooler with a science fair project, that's about it. I read it cover to cover in a day and gained no tips from it. It seems that the author had good intentions though.