Kevin Falvey - The Total Boating Manual: 311 Powerboat Essentials

THE TOTAL
BOATING
MANUAL

KEVIN FALVEY

AND THE EDITORS OF BOATING MAGAZINE

Kevin Falvey is an award-winning journalist, speaker, and author of the heralded Falveys Guide to Fishing Long Island . He has been writing about boats, boating, and the outdoors since 1982. Falvey oversees a steady stream of informative content at his post at the helm of BOATING, celebrated for helping boaters buy the right boat, teaching them to maintain their craft, and instructing them on how to operate their boats reliably, confidently, and safely. He lives and boats with his family on the waters of eastern Long Island, New York.

BOATING is the largest and most popular content provider serving recreational boaters. Founded in 1956 as Popular Boating , BOATING today produces video, magazines, and books, as well as publishing several monthly enewsletters. BOATING reaches almost 2 million people per month via boatingmag.com and social media. The Total Boating Manual joins this portfolio, delivering the same high-quality information about boats, their maintenance, operation, and navigation that boaters have come to expect from BOATING for over 60 years.

Before man walked on the moon, before color TV was common, and long before the Internet, my parents sat me in a small, outboard skiff and handed me a fishing rod. The fish were biting that day, but it was I who was hooked. I thank them both for setting me off on a lifelong adventure involving boats and the sea, which has resulted, among other things, in the writing of this book.

I also have to thank my staff at BOATIING for the guidance, dedication, and inspiration they deliver each day. In particular, Sue Whitney and Ryan Swanson spent many extra hours helping to bring this book to fruition.

Finally, let me thank the staff at Weldon Owen, and, in particular, my editor Mariah Bear. Mariah, you maintained a steady hand on the helm and, like a compass, you always showed the way.

Photographs courtesy of Shutterstock Images, with the following exceptions: Airman Technology Group: 076; Avon: 093 (lotion); Jim Barrett Photography Inc.: 264, 266; Christian Brecheis: 106; Chris-Craft: 001 (cuddy cabin); Eric Colby: 226, 227; Columbia Sportswear: 085 (shirt); Costa Del Mar: 088; Crevalle Boats: 039; Cruisers Yachts: 001 (express); DieHard: 052 (left); John Digsby: 186; Bill Doster Photography LLC: 009, 011, 020, 027, 056 (A), 073, 085 (shoes), 089, 096, 144, 165, 175, 191, 207, 212, 284, back cover (cabin cruisers, fishing couple); Doug Dukane: 295; Drawtite 19; Ebbtide: 001 (bowrider); Kevin Falvey: 082, 158, 200, 211, 253, back cover (man in hatch); FLIR Systems: 147; Fluke: 214; Four Winns: 001 (midcabin); John Frazier: 199; Furuno: 069 (screenshots); Greg Galuba: 283; Garmin Ltd.: 146; Grady-White: 001 (dual console); Jim Hendricks: 070, 075 (fisherman), 084, 269; Hummingbird: 069 (sensor); Hurricane Boats: 001 (deck boat); Interlux: 202; Interstate Batteries: 237; JimBuoy: 037 (horseshoe, ring); Richard Johnson: 069; Steve Karp: 035, 203; KCS International/ Cruisers Yachts 118; Tom King: 018, 28, 093 (pool noodle), 102104, 201, 251; KiwiGrip: 205; Josh Letchworth: 019, 021; John Linn: 227 (closeups), Chapter 3 Closing Image (Bayliner); Lowrance: 074, 077 (transducer); Magellan: 056 (B); Mallory Marine: 283 (bottom); MasterCraft Boat Company: 155; Maxwell Marine International Ltd.: 124; Pete McDonald: 210; Mercury Marine: 075 (motors); Minn Kota: 075 (I-Pilot); Mojo Sportswear: 085 (shorts); Polk Audio: 056 (D); Proline Boats: 001 (walkaround); Ravenol: 297; Raymarine: 077 (green image); RC Pet Products: 184; Tom Reid: 060; Scarab Jet Boats: 153; Tom Schlichter: 196; Sea-Doo: 001 (PWC); Sea Ray: 001 (flybridge); Si-Tex: 056 (C); Grafton Marshall Smith: 142, 216; Stamas: 001 (center console); Star Brite: 225; StayPut: 223; Richard Steinberger: 053 (courtesy Meridian Yachts), 188, back cover (lake); Stingray Boats: Chapter 3 Closing Image; Zach Stovall: 045, 234; Rick Strand: 013, 015; Thomas R. Wilson / Cobalt Boats LLC: 227 (boat), back cover (pontoon boat); John Tiger: 289; Tilley: 085 (hat); Trojan Battery Company: 052 (right); USCG / Chief Petty Officer Chuck Chavtur: 176; USCG / Petty Officer Shawn Eggert: 048 (figures in water); USCG / Chief Petty Officer Albert Michell: 042; USCG: 157, 170, 173; Randy Vance 90, 93; WestMarine: 052 (middle), 072; John Whittle: 290. The publisher made every effort to reach rights holders and regrets any omissions.

Illustrations courtesy of Conor Buckley, with the following exceptions: Tim Barker: 007, 032, 043, 046, 081, 094, 107109, 111113, 122, 124, 125, 128, 130, 134135, 140, 154, 168, 174, 181, 204, 222, 242, 243, 254, 256, 259, 260, 267, 270, 271, 273, 279, 281, 285, 287, 296, 299310; Tim Eggert: 127; Marine Retailers Association of the Americas: 010; Christine Meighan: 097; Steve Sanford: 114; Pete Sucheski: 059; Lauren Towner: 031, 248, 249

Ancient marine wisdom holds that the two happiest days in any boaters life are the day that the boat is bought and the day that the boat is sold.

Cynical? Sorta. But the statement doesnt lack for merit. Boating is an expensive, time-consuming, and skill-dependent activity. Joining the ranks of boat owners, one does more than just practice conspicuous consumption. One embarks upon a journey of fun, adventure, discoveryand potential frustration.

New boaters soon learn some hard lessons, like that a land-based weather forecast doesnt cut it and that a seeming tiny difference in wind speed can change how they dock, anchor, and cruise their boat. They learn that there is a bewildering array of equipment that can help ease their way or enhance their enjoyment on the water, but little reliable instruction for the use of this gear. New boaters also learn that anything that can break will, and usually at the worst time, and that furthermore, one cannot count on getting out and walking, hailing a cab or simply waiting idly after calling for a tow when Murphy rears his head.

This book will help with all of that, and do so in a way that other sources cannot. The publication of this Total Boating Manual just happens to coincide with Boating magazines 60th anniversary. The editors at Boating , have collectively authored thousands of boat reviews and technical articles and produced hundreds of videos related to boat buying, boat ownership, boat use, and boat maintenance. Millions of boaters have placed their trust in Boating magazines expertise, and weve brought that same level of care and passion to this book.

One of the great things about boating is the way that it rewards its devotees with a sense of accomplishment and of self-reliance and grants the avid practitioner the gift of mastery over a wide variety of disciplines. There is no price that can be placed upon such a bounty. The Total Boating Manual will help guide you to receipt of that prize and ensure that the happiest day of your life is any day you step aboard a boat you can call your own.