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Old 01-10-2012, 06:55 PM   #119
Marin
Scraping Paint
 
City: -
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 13,745
RE: Windlass, not a clue!!!

Quote:
nomadwilly wrote:
But about Chapman perhaps there's a big of argument left in me. I do'nt want to hear that Chapman's "OLD" stuff. Tell me what's wrong w what is presented in Chapnman's and I'll talk about that but the fact that Chapman's book started a long time ago dos'nt mean much to me and means everything to you.
Chapmans is a good source of information, but it's mostly general information (unless they've totally rewritten it since I bought my copy some ten or twelve years ago).

So on the subject of anchoring they cover the basics but don't go into much in the way of specifics.* Chapman's presents a one-size-fits-all*technique*in many areas, like anchoring, maneuvering, and so forth.* Earl Hinz's book on anchoring, for example,*makes the information in Chapman's seem like a grade school primer in comparison.

As I said, perhaps it's been totally rewritten.* But when I bought my copy and started looking at topics that interested me, I found myself saying "I already know all that, what I want is specific information that pertains to my kind of boat and where I boat."

Consequently, I don't view Chapmans as being particularly relevant to what I boat with or where I boat.* I*have purchased and read a number of books on subjects from anchoring to radar to weather.* But I have never found any use or reason to look anything up in Chapmans since my first perusal of it.* It's just too basic*and general*for my purposes.* Unless I want to know what side of the mast to fly a*courtesy flag*on.* For that, it's great.

So... a good reference book for novice boaters, in my opinion, but not the be all end all that I think a lot of people give it credit for being.
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