Customer Reviews

Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Interesting book though several things keep it from earning more stars.

Apparently the book was last updated in 1993. So, comparisons using more modern inverters, 400+ Amp alternators, newer wind machines/solar cells are not compared.

Personally, I am more interested in the ground up construction of a marine electrical system. The book deals well with the repair and maintenance of an existing one, as well as small projects. The book is more suited to an existing boat owner rather than a builder.

Lastly, explanations go from basic to advanced with little time spent in between. Though this isn't a major problem.

My recommendation?.. If you need serious help with your boats electrical system.. keep shopping.. But, if you have minor problems, wish to understand the systems better or wish to prevent problems by all means buy this book..

A very well illustrated book, Charlie Wing writes in an easy-to-follow style. Intended for the boat owner, this will help you work on minor to medium projects and converse intelligently with the boatyard for complex projects.

This is a nice book but I was hoping for a bit more information on wiring methods and techniques. It's not bad for people who need some basic background in electricity theory.

I have owned this book about 15 years and keep a copy in my service truck for reference. This book is THAT good! It has the most in-depth section on lead-acid batteries that I have ever found anywhere, and time spent learning the material in that one chapter is worth the price of the book. If you need a working understanding of DC storage, charging, and starting systems, electrical power generation and DC or AC distribution including basic wire sizing and circuit protection, this book is a must have!

The author's reference application is for boating electrical systems, but the principles apply to any electrical system in any application anywhere. Be sure to verify the required electrical codes when using this information in other than boating applications.

The great thing about this book is it is basic enough to start you from Ohm's law and work your way up! With very little initial knowledge you can get a working understanding of relatively complicated electrical systems in a short time.

I use this book to help educate my customers when they are too far behind the curve to make intellengent decisions about the equipment that they are responsible for. Informed customers can make difficult decisions about complicated systems with greater confidence when they understand more about how their systems work, and why it is important to perform the services that are recommended. This book is also a great reference for training new men in the field. Not too detailed or boring to lose them. A great book!

I have them all from Calder to "Living on 12 Volts" to "12 Volt Bible for Boats" and this one is the one that sits next to my breaker pannel.

None of these books will take you from start to finish wiring a new boat but this one does it better than the others. The only better option is to invest a small fortune on the ABYC standards.

Interesting book though several things keep it from earning more stars.

Apparently the book was last updated in 1993. So, comparisons using more modern inverters, 400+ Amp alternators, newer wind machines/solar cells are not compared.

Personally, I am more interested in the ground up construction of a marine electrical system. The book deals well with the repair and maintenance of an existing one, as well as small projects. The book is more suited to an existing boat owner rather than a builder.

Lastly, explanations go from basic to advanced with little time spent in between. Though this isn't a major problem.

My recommendation?.. If you need serious help with your boats electrical system.. keep shopping.. But, if you have minor problems, wish to understand the systems better or wish to prevent problems by all means buy this book..