Getting Started in Powerboating [Paperback]

Bob Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

Getting Started in Powerboating is a friendly beginner's guide that concentrates on what you need to know when you first take the helm. This second edition includes a revised gallery of good powerboats, new material on basic safety, preparations to go offshore, and improved illustrations of tricky maneuvers.

Getting Started in Powerboating covers all powerboats--big and small; single-engine, twin-engine, outboard, and sterndrive; trailerable and non-trailerable; fast planing hulls and slow but seaworthy displacement hulls; and everything in between. It can help you decide what kind of boat is right for you, and it describes fully the characteristic handling and behavior of each type.

Bob Armstrong tells you how to dock any boat under any conditions of wind, current, and crowding, and how to leave a slip with a minimum of fuss. He explains how to handle docklines, how to execute close-quarters maneuvers, how to anchor, run inlets, adjust trim for a better ride, and cope with heavy weather. He offers hints for judging the quality of a boat, tips for quick mastery of a boat you've never handled before, and an expert's views on the types of powerboats available--from runabouts to motoryachts to houseboats, jetboats, and catamarans--and what to expect from each.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The author's lifetime of small boat experience lends to his discussion of the basics of powerboating for beginners. From choosing a boat and maneuvering in various waters to overcoming problems associated with drives and handling boats in wind and current, this packs in specific details. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Back Cover

Get the most from your new powerboat from day one!

There’s nothing like the thrill of skimming over the waves at the helm of a fast powerboat. And the thrill is even greater when you’re driving the boat that’s right for you and handling it with skill and confidence. This third edition of Getting Started in Powerboating gives you all the information you need to select the boat of your dreams, maneuver it like a master, and understand the rules and conventions of powerboating.

Thoroughly updated with new developments and technologies, this new edition of the bestselling guide in its field covers all powerboats—big and small; single-engine, twin-engine, outboard, and sterndrive; trailerable and nontrailerable. You’ll discover the difference between a planing hull and a displacement hull, learn to compensate for the effects of wind and current, and master high-speed techniques. Plus this third edition features new photographs that illustrate key techniques and maneuvering sequences, including turning, backing, docking, and more. Must-have information includes:

• The latest on four-stroke outboards
• Jack plates, jet drives, and bow thrusters
• Piloting and navigation basics
• Anchors and anchoring techniques
• An updated market survey of popular powerboats
• State licensing requirements

Bob Armstrong, a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Master, has been a captain since 1962. A boating journalist since the mid-1970s, he has taught seamanship and boathandling in the classroom and on the water, and is currently a freelance charter-yacht captain. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 2 edition (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070030952
• ISBN-13: 978-0070030954
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,746,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide to get you on the water!, August 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Started in Powerboating (Paperback)

"Getting Started" is an interesting and easy to read book that will give one the background he or she needs to select the right boat and then teaches him how handle it. The author starts with the basics of boating, like why a boat floats and what makes a quality boat and smoothly builds to more complicated topics like boat handling, docking, proper line usage, and weather emergencies. Surely Bob Armstrong has trained many crews in his lifetime as a professional Captain. His examples, diagram, teaching technique, and language are forward and easy to understand. I have made good use of many of the techniques in this book since I started in powerboating. It has been an invaluable guide and reference. Thanks, Bob!

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A one-stop book that answers beginners basic questions., January 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Started in Powerboating (Paperback)

I purchased this book because it answered basic power boating questions in one convenient book. The answers could have been found by pouring over a multitude of boating magazines. Much that is covered here can be found in the "classic" books. This book isn't as dry and is well written. A classic book like "Chapmans piloting, seamanship and smallboat handling" (an important resource) is awfully daunting to a beginner anxious to get out on the water. Every beginner should read Bob's chapter on, "Why boats don't behave like cars."

I especially liked the early on comparison of the 3 hull types and of the power types - these are some of the first questions a new boater must tackle to make an intelligent choice when shopping for a boat. This book also covers the basics of docking and use of docklines. This isn't the only book you'll buy but it is a good start by a competent, organized writer/seaman. Jeff Siddons

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boating Class Recommendation, October 26, 2000

By 

"heetbrink" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Started in Powerboating (Paperback)

Bob Armstrong does a great job explaining what to expect as you get started with a power boat. Much if the information could be available in other places, but this is a great reference.

I highly recommend this book to all new boaters who take the United States Power Squadron Boat Safety class I teach because of the first chapter. It poses and explains all the questions one should ask oneself before purchasing a power boat: size, total cost of ownership, type and style, mooring or trailer considerations, etc etc. Understanding and heeding the sound and solid advice in these pages could easily save a boat owner many Boat Units in avoiding wrong choices (A Boat Unit is $1000). It may help you understand what the "Perfect Boat" might be for you, based on your criteria. A definite "Must Have" on your bookshelf.