Anybody who owns a boat knows that the maintenance and upkeep can be very high. A cleat or a rope may break, engine parts wear and bulbs need replacing. Most sailors prefer to spend their spare time out on the water rather than in dry dock fixing their boat. The fourth edition of the Boat Data Book is an essential reference book for any boat owner and will reduce your time fixing problems in dry dock. Choosing the correct piece of equipment results in it lasting longer, which will mean less time fixing problems and more time out on the water. This book has 200 pages of information, charts, diagrams and good advice. You can find out which size cleat you need and which anchor is most effective for your boat size and weight. It lists cable strength against width for all the available materials, as well as information on which launch speed for your boat length and horse power. There are, of course, conversion tables between metric and imperial and from US sizes to European standards. This book contains so much detail that it even advises which size bunks and chart tables to fit inside your cabin. The information you need can be accessed quickly via a comprehensive contents page and as most boat stores will also own this book, you could just quote the page number to them and they will know what you want. -- Stephen Payne