"Several feet of shelf space in [our] technical library is devoted to material published in recent years on marine systems for small craft. But the single most frequently reached for reference in this collection is [this book]... It has effectively supplanted everything else on that shelf."

Here is the ultimate refrigeration resource for power and sailboats. Calder, author of our best-selling Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual, covers in detail everything a boatowner needs to know for refrigeration self-sufficiency. A solid introduction to refrigeration cycles and variables is followed by an excellent chapter on building, modifying, and insulating the icebox. All system types are introduced and examined--engine-driven, 12-volt, AC-powered, etc.--and later chapters describe the care, troubleshooting, and overhaul of each component, including the compressor, the condenser, the receiver/filter/dryer, and the expansion valve.

Since its publication in 1987, Nigel Calder's Marine Diesel Engines has been the most respected--and bestselling--book ever written to guide the owners of marine diesels through the labyrinth of maintenance and repair. This edition was expanded to cover the larger turbo-charged diesels found aboard cruisers and sportfishing boats and has all-new troubleshooting and maintenance charts.

This hands-on guide to diesel engines renders its subject more user-friendly than ever before. Evelry step of every procedure is illustrated, so that users can work from the illustrations alone. The troubleshooting charts in the second chapter are followed by system-specific chapters, allowing readers to quickly diagnose problems. Although part of the Sailboat Library, this book applies to any marine diesel.

That fiberglass is malleable, durable, and easy to maintain is well established. But it is also easy to repair, and here is the book that will make that virtue common knowledge. Among the repairs covered: rebedding deck hardware, replacing portlights, fixing leaky hull-deck joints, and repairing cracks, holes, blisters, gouges, and other ailments mortal fiberglass flesh is heir to. Once again Don Casey proves himself the amateur boat repairer's best friend. This book is full of ingenious solutions to age-old problems.

In the "Things That Work" column, SAIL readers share practical solutions for making sailing easier, safer, and more fun. Now the editors have compiled the best ideas. All have been "sail-tested" for at least a year, and are easy to do on almost any sailboat. This book incorporates the best tips from SAIL's Things That Work and adds more than 100 new ones.

Boat wiring has never been more clearly explained and illustrated: 12-volt circuit trouble shooting, batteries, alternators, harnessing wind and solar power, installing and fixing AC devices, proper grounding, replacing poor wiring, adding electrical accessories, lightning protection, and more.