Coastal Cruising Under Power is your ultimate companion for exploring the coastal waters of North America with confidence in your powerboat. This beautifully illustrated guide provides countless tips on anchoring, piloting, weather, and more, along with in-depth, step-by-step instructions on numerous specific skills and techniques. Gene and Katie Hamilton write the Do It Yourself . . . Or Not? column syndicated by Tribune Media Services, and are regular contributors to Chesapeake Bay magazine. Gene and Katie Hamilton write the Do It Yourself . . . Or Not? column syndicated by Tribune Media Services, and are regular contributors to Chesapeake Bay magazine. McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide Coastal Cruising Under Power How to Buy, Equip, Operate, and Maintain Your Boat By Gene Hamilton, Katie Hamilton The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Copyright © 2006 Gene and Katie Hamilton All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-07-144514-6 Contents Foreword, by Captain John WooldridgeAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: An Invitation to Come CruisingPART I Choose Your Cruising Powerboat1 Choosing a Boat Design2 Interiors3 Engines, Drive Systems, Steering, and Stabilizers4 Electrical Systems and Generators5 Freshwater Systems, Heads, and Tanks6 Cooking, Refrigeration, Heating, and Cooling Systems7 Buying the Boat8 Where to Keep the BoatPart II Select Gear for Cruising9 Navigation Equipment10 Communications Equipment11 Anchors and Related Gear12 Safety Equipment13 Dinghies14 More Essential and Useful Stuff15 Records and PaperworkPart III Use Your Boat16 Learning Skills17 The Rules of the Road18 Boat Handling19 Anchoring20 Weather21 Piloting and Navigation Basics22 Cooking on BoardPart IV Keep It Running Well and Looking Good23 Routine Maintenance24 Tools and Spare Parts25 Keeping it CleanPart V Live the Cruising Life26 How to Live the Cruising Lifestyle27 Supporting the Cruising Lifestyle28 Planning a Cruise29 Diversions30 Favorite Cruising RecipesPart VI Cruise These Great Destinations31 Erie Canal32 Chesapeake Bay33 Intracoastal Waterway34 North Carolina35 Abacos, Bahamas36 Florida Keys37 Southwest Florida38 Northern California Delta39 Puget Sound40 Door County, WisconsinAppendix 1: Boating Resources and InformationAppendix 2: Cruising Boat Manufacturers' and WebsitesAppendix 3: Cruising Destination InformationIndex Excerpt CHAPTER 1 Choosing a Boat Design Over the past 35 years we've owned seven boats, from a J/24 racing sailboat to a42-foot wooden trawler—and just about every type in between. We didn'tstart small and work our way up the food chain with larger and larger boats.Each boat was perfect for us at the time, but every time our life situationchanged and the boat we had no longer fit our needs, we went shopping. No boat can be all things to all people and no matter how clever the navalarchitect, all designs are at best a compromise. Only a finite number ofobjectives—such as adequate accommodation, good boat speed, and adequatefuel and water capacity—can be achieved with any given design. A change inone area will affect other aspects of the boat, and some compromises provebetter than others. Successful designs are the ones that meet or exceed theirstated objectives. In the following sections, we'll present our take on the types of powerboat thatwe think are suitable for coastal cruising—boats that meet or exceed theirstated objectives. But before we get into the particulars let's make one point clear: it's not theboat that makes a cruise successful, it's the attitudes of the people on board.Anyone can successfully cruise coastal and inland waters in almost any boat.We've met people on modest boats enjoying the cruising life to its fullest, andthose on elegant yachts not having any fun at all. Life and boats, as they say,are what you make of them. IS THERE A BEST BOAT? The answer is no. Every boat has both its qualities and its limitations. Whenyou evaluate your present boat, or shop for a new one, it's important toenvision how you will use it. A slow-moving displacement hull (we'll explain what that is in a moment), forexample, is relatively inexpensive to operate, but the deep draft (depth of theboat below the waterline) can limit your choice of cruising areas, especially inthe shallow waters of the Bahamas and Florida Keys. High-speed cruising boats generally have a shallower draft and a wider choice ofcruising areas, but they are expensive to operate. As technology evolves,however, boats are being built lighter without sacrificing strength, and enginesare becoming more fuel efficient. These developments could result in loweroperating costs. Tank capacity is another major consideration when choosing the right design. Ifyou plan to cruise where fuel, water, and food are readily available, thentremendous load-carrying capacity isn't necessary. However, if you plan tocr