The Hinckley Guide to Yacht Care : How to Keep Your Boat the Hinckley Way

Rating:
Summary: Great Pictures.
Review: Gee- if I only had a million dollars! No, really 10-20-30 million. Anyway some beautiful boats, interiors etc The Hinckley tradition. These guys should make a beautiful coffee table book in large format. The color pictures are glorious but not enough. Gee I've never talked about pictures before- just guess I'm in love or is it LUST. OK- this books best sections are on interior and exterior maintenance- how to do it the right way! They also take on mechanical, electrical, rigging etc. But for practical information here go to NIGEL CALDER. If you'd like your boat to shine like a Hinckley, or just want to know the right way to do things, what works, what doesn't. This is the book for you. I bought it for ideas in redoing my interior, but am happy with the whole book. Would I buy it again. Even though a little pricey- YES.

Rating:
Summary: Hinckley's guide succeeds by being strong on specifics.
Review: Hank Hinckley, of the famous boat-building family, focuses on usable, detail-rich information that can help anyone maintain a boat more efficiently and professionally. Most books of this sort stop short of naming names. You are advised to use "good quality varnish" or "high quality sandpaper readily available at your local hardware store." Hinckley gives names (and numbers) and describes why particular products (and methods) have become the norm in the Hinckley yard. The photogaphs of Hinckley's boats are mouth-watering but he makes it clear and believable that there's value in his methods for more modest craft. I followed his method for exterior varnishing and found it to be quicker and better than my (previous) approach. Knowing for example that the Hinckley yard finds a heat gun to be the fastest way to strip old varnish was recommendation enough for me to try it--they're right and should be--they're pros after all. It seems smart to me to seek the advice of a professional, that's really what Hinckley's book amounts to, in readable, useable and enjoyable format.

Rating:
Summary: A Book I Come Back to a Lot
Review: Messrs. Hinckley have written a book that I've gone back to on several occasions, I suppose because of their Suburb writing style, but also because they address the problem of preventative maintenance and you know that old saw, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is as true now as it ever was. This book is not as detailed as some others when it comes to on-board systems, but it's useful and nice to have around.

Rating:
Summary: Very Shallow Coverage of Topics
Review: This book was a big disappointment. The pictures were nice, but the topics were covered with only a few sentences or maybe a short paragraph at best. I am returning this book in search of a more in-depth book.