Modern Boat Maintenance: The Complete Fibreglass Boat Manual

Publisher: Sheridan House, Adlard Coles Nautical, 1996 (US), 0-7136-4465-6(UK) £ 14.99

My own bookshelves at home are already groaning under the weight of a number of “Do it Yourself” boat maintenance manuals, so I confess I was not immediately enthusiastic about being asked to review “Modern Boat Maintenance”. There is, of course, a huge range of publications available on the subject, some better written than others and I would place this particular volume in the upper quartile of such books.

The subject matter covered is comprehensive, ranging from background material and typical construction methods for fibreglass boats through to engine systems and safety and maintenance. Although there are no photographic illustrations, I found the line drawings were perfectly adequate and, in many cases, were a better way of illustrating the text.

I imagine that experienced sailors will already have much of the knowledge contained within the pages of “Modern Boat Maintenance” but even so will undoubtedly pick up a few nuggets of useful information. Less experienced sailors will gain more use from this volume and those readers who are in the early stages of boat ownership will find it an invaluable companion to be kept on board as a handy guide for fault fixing etc. It is also excellent value when compared with some of the weightier tomes available and would certainly make a useful stocking filler. I am certainly comfortable in recommending it as a practical gift which will be particularly appreciated by those with limited practical skills. In conclusion, the manual proved more interesting than expected and I came away with a number of useful ideas for my owncruiser. - SP

Page prepared 18 May 1999