Those of you who have read Paul “Capt’n Pauley” Esterle’s articles in Good Old Boat and his column in Small Craft Advisor are already familiar with the kinds of things that he has developed to make good boats better for daysailing and weekend cruising. Here is an entire book of them.
This book (there is also a video) contains almost 100 quick fixes, devices and gadgets that the good Captain has installed on his boat, Ternabout. The book is divided into 11 chapters: The Boat; Cabin, including gear holders and improving ventilation; Galley (including recipes!); Electrical; Cockpit; Deck/Cabin top, with instructions on repairing dings and replacing windows and pulpits; Hull; Engine; Sails and Rigging; Electronics (VHF and GPS, hand-held and fixed-mount); and Trailer. Every chapter has several suggestions and ideas to make one’s boat a more pleasant place. Capt’n Pauley describes the problem, lays out several possible solutions, then explains what he did in his easy to understand style. His article on mast raising systems, for example, goes into several different rigs and includes cautions about dealing with the hazards of handling the ungainly weight aloft.
Another great thing about his ideas is that they are inexpensive and use materials easily available, such as his waste bin/cutting board and perfectly serviceable curtains from kmart!
The book is spiral bound with plastic laminate covers—an advantage, since it will lie open on a workbench for easy reference. There are plenty of photos and drawings to explain the devices being proposed.
This book is a flipper—one does not read it cover to cover so much as flip through it, checking out Pauley’s ideas and getting inspiration for one’s own boat projects. I already have plans to adopt at least half a dozen of the Captain’s improvements to my own new/old boat.
Optimizing the Trailerable Boat By Paul Estelle, Capt’n Pauley Productions ; 336 Pages)
