Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook [Hardcover]

Charlie Wing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2011

Keep your boat's electrical systems running and reliable

“Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook is perfect for learning how your boat’s electrical system and much of its equipment works, and it will be an invaluable guide when adding equipment as well. This book needs to be in every boater’s library as a ready reference on how to make effective repairs and modifications that comply with ABYC standards.”—Ed Sherman, Senior Instructor and Curriculum Designer, American Boat and Yacht Council

“A definitive technical book that is easy to read. Buy this book and throw out the rest.”—Motorboat & Yachting

Whether you take to the sea under power or sail, bounce around the bay in your runabout, or cross oceans in your cruiser, you’ll find everything you need to maintain, repair, and upgrade your boat’s DC and AC electrical systems with this comprehensive and fully illustrated guide.

Tackle onboard electrical projects and learn how to:

• Meet ABYC standards for both DC and AC wiring
• Install solar- and wind-power systems
• Add electrical components
• Prevent corrosion of your electrical system . . . and more

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Keep your boat's electrical systems running and reliable

“Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook is perfect for learning how your boat’s electrical system and much of its equipment works, and it will be an invaluable guide when adding equipment as well. This book needs to be in every boater’s library as a ready reference on how to make effective repairs and modifications that comply with ABYC standards.”—Ed Sherman, Senior Instructor and Curriculum Designer, American Boat and Yacht Council

“A definitive technical book that is easy to read. Buy this book and throw out the rest.”—Motorboat & Yachting

Whether you take to the sea under power or sail, bounce around the bay in your runabout, or cross oceans in your cruiser, you’ll find everything you need to maintain, repair, and upgrade your boat’s DC and AC electrical systems with this comprehensive and fully illustrated guide.

Tackle onboard electrical projects and learn how to:

• Meet ABYC standards for both DC and AC wiring
• Install solar- and wind-power systems
• Add electrical components
• Prevent corrosion of your electrical system . . . and more

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT. Since then, he has spent his career explaining how things work. He founded two do-it-yourself house-building schools, hosted a PBS series on energy conservation, and has written more than a dozen top-selling do-it-yourself books. Wing lived aboard his boat for six years, during which he wrote the first edition of this book.

About the Author

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT, where he later worked as a research scientist. He has written a dozen books on home building and five top-selling boating books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 2 edition (August 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071446443
• ISBN-13: 978-0071446440
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Boating
  • #14 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing
  • #20 in Books > Professional & Technical > Transportation > Ships

More About the Author

Charlie Wing, an acknowledged authority on home building and remodeling, specializes in translating technical information into layman's terms. He founded the Shelter Institute, the nation's first owner-builder school. He has been the host and writer of a national PBS TV series about remodeling and is the author of 14 home-related books, including How Your House Works. He lives in West Bath, Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, January 4, 2007

By 

D. W. Corcoran "b393capt" (Huntington, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook (Hardcover)

This is a really impressive book. It provides a really good understanding of the many forces/dynamics of electrical systems on a boat.

There is a lot more to 12 volts, than a positive and ground. To my surprise, it's more complex than 120 VAC in my house. At home, for the most part, you use one standard type of wire and have no concerns about your wiring causing any part of your house to corrode. While there is virtually a perfect and repeatable way to wire everything in your home, surprisingly their isn't a perfect way to do things on your boat, you need to continuously make tradeoff's when you add something new, and it helps to understand the tradeoff's that were already made on your boat by the manufacturer's and prior owner's in making your next modification. Also, at home for the most part, your not worried about corrosion, while on a boat, the various metals in your boat want to use the water to establish electrical currents that are destructive ... in the very worst case in a matter of days, if not months and years, to metal parts in your boat.

This book explains it all very well. Be sure to start from the beginning where it explains what a battery is. I skipped that section initially (I know the chemistry of a battery more than most people), but found it very helpful to read this section, as the following sections establish how the various metals in your boat colude to form their own battery like behavior where you didn't intend, the result being corrosion.

Also, don't underestimate the importance of the proper and frequent use of fuses/breakers on virtually every electrical run, fuses need to be sized to the diameter wire as well as the device, selection of wire diameter (larger diamater = heavy wire = boat goes slow, small diameter = voltage drops of a 1/2 volt or more potentially unaccaptable to devices), and standard ways to make electrical connections that will be trouble free.

While at somepoint you will want to look at various aspects of your boat to see what tradeoff's were made by the manufacturer or previous owners, you don't need to be near your boat to read this book and understand whats going on, making it a good winter read.

You should really read this in advance. While it also makes an excellent reference later, the worst time to read this is when your under time pressure to change something, since you really need to appreciate that there is more to modifying your electrical system than knowing the difference between 12v postive and ground.

b393capt

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great - but close., May 6, 2007

By 

Hamor Marine Service "Hama Hed" (Dover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook (Hardcover)

Harry Homeowner wouldn't give it a second glance, but Bob Boatowner should. Dr. Charles has put it all together, from shore power to solar, it has plenty of references to ABYC standards for electrical installations. All of the inforamtion is precise and clear, he makes
references to the ABYC and the NEC as necessary. If you're a licensed electrican (like me) you'll appreciate the nomenclature.
If you're Bob Boatowner with little or no experience making electrical installations - this book might not be for you. But, if you are willing to read and read again - you'll be OK.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and detailed, February 15, 2008

By 

Chad Trani "Tireless perfectionist" (Kirkland, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook (Hardcover)

This book has all the detailed information a person would want about DC wiring - particularly in a marine environment. It covers the basics as well as goes the extra distance to explain, in depth, the mechanisims and chemistry of how systems actually work. A great book for either the novice just getting started, or the veteran who wants to further flesh out his informational knowledge. I'd highly recommend it to a friend.