So now you own a boat. It may be your first boat or your fifth. It may

be new or it may have had a previous owner who added equipment, kept

everything lubricated and adjusted, and even turned over to you his hand-

written notebook about adjustments, repairs and maintenance schedules.

In any case, your boat is more complicated than a house, probably better

made than a car--but nevertheless a mechanism with a lot of dials,

adjustments, and systems to take care of.

Charles F. Chapman, that redoubtable boat-owner and editor, had

such strong ideas on this matter that he published a book: Practical

Suggestions for Handling, Fitting Out and Caring for The Boat. The

original cover, from 1918, appears on the facing page. Now, twenty million

boats later, you own a boat. You probably already know that few boats

come equipped with an owner s manual (but there may be a good engine

manual, or good booklets about the water pressure system or the electronic

communications equipment). And this book is a successor to that early

book by Mr. Chapman, now brought right into the 1980 s.