Expert guidance for the hands-on sailor--whether you’re varnishing a handrail or replacing bulkheads

With contributions from leading how-to experts, this wide-ranging collection of projects from BoatWorks magazine ranges from structural, mechanical, and electrical projects to plumbing and cosmetic repairs and improvements. Much of this full-color guide’s information cannot be found in any other book. Nigel Calder, Don Casey, Mark Corke, Peter Nielsen, Charles Doane, Paul Esterle, Charles Mason, Aussie Bray, and other sailboat experts show you with step-by-step photography how to:

• Buy and survey an older sailboat
• Replace bulkheads
• Fix below-the-waterline holes
• Repair gelcoat, portlights, or rotten cores
• Paint, varnish, spray polyurethane, mark a waterline, or rebed deck hardware
• Choose a mainsail system, install a headsail furler or an inner forestay, assemble rigging terminals, or build a spinnaker or even a new aluminum mast
• Pamper an Atomic 4 gas engine, replace a Cutless bearing, maintain your diesel, and know when it’s time to repower
• Install a new fuel or water tank, upgrade to wheel steering, replace a propeller or deck hardware, or install seacocks
• Troubleshoot electrical problems, install cockpit speakers, or rewire your boat
• Replace lifelines, install a forehatch, secure your cabin sole, and much, much more