The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge: 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Situation (Paperback)

by John Vigor (Author) "Abandoning Ship The rule of thumb is never to abandon ship until you have to step up to your liferaft..." (more)
Key Phrases: length abaft, one short blast, waterline length, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Eric Hiscock (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Opening [this book] is... like opening a can of salty nuts. I can't resist just a little more before putting it away." -- Dockside

"Some of the stuff in this 242-page volume is useful... all of it is snake-eye fascinating." -- Boating

"Vigor successfully combines fun and function in a dictionary-style resource that is eminently readable... [It] is tough to put down." -- Lakeland Boating

Review
``Some of the stuff in this 242-page volume is useful. . .all of it is snake-eye fascinating.'' (Boating )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: International Marine division of McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070674752
• ISBN-13: 978-0070674752
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,867 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best advice i've had in along time, June 21, 2000

By	geoff beck (Australia) - See all my reviews

having already read this book , I found it was filled with wisdom from the introduction to the very end , being on the water a lot for a living myself this book pointed out some of the more obvious rules of thumb that apply too mariners. And some very good ones i'd never heard of , but as it states in the book " good advice is so very hard to come by when it comes to rules of the ocean , and the black box theory is some thing i will do my utmost to adhere to as it is all very true done with the witty sence of humor that would appeal to more than most fisherman allthe way to seasoned sailors its a very handy book , A must for all serious Boaties !

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the novice, January 11, 2007

By	Chris S. Fuller "weather geek" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't what we had hoped. It is a better learning tool for the novice. The entries to the book are written in a alphabetical format. For example, entries about 'sails' are under S. We hoped it would be more of a non-fiction story form where one sailer's knowledge can help other sailers undergo new adventures. You'll read it once and then leave it on the shelf.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars way over rated, November 17, 2006

By	svSailor (Annapolis) - See all my reviews

This book has some definitions but, for the experienced boater, its a waste of shelf space. The "rules of thumb" are too brief to have any real value.