#Part of an unbeatable combination (2003-08-17) As anyone reading this review will know, Cark Kiekhaefer was one of the godfathers of the racing world. His Kiekhaefer 625 motors and Don Aronow s cigarette designs, decimated the competition for many years. The book made me appreciate just how hard he strived for success. It also brings to light a softer, more vulnerable side to Kiekhaefer that is endearing. I m sure he probably would have been highly embarrassed. The book is a great account of a life that I believe would make a great movie. If you liked the offshore world of the 7...

#my favorite subject! (2000-07-23) This book is full of details few imagined about Kiekhaeffer and Mercury Outboards. Many of his personal triumphs and disasters are explained. Mr. Rodengen has done a very through job of researching the story of a very secretative and often confusing character. Serendipity often followed this gentleman through his amazing career. From early on when outboard motors were not his intended focus, to when he sold Mercury to Brunswick (for what turned out to be a less than favorable deal for him, though he remained well off by average standards) t...

#An incredible book for Mercury outboards fanatics (1998-07-06) As one who grew up on a marina in central Ky. , the outboard ",wars", of the 1960-70 s were a major part of my life. We were Mercury fanatics in Evinrude country. Rodengen s work on the life of Carl Kiekhaefer is mandatory reading for anyone who worshipped at the Mercury altar. It confirms the genius of Kiekhaefer, and the superiority of his product, while at the same time making clear the weaknesses that ultimately led to the loss of his company to Brunswick, and with it the unique ",personality", tha...

#Biography of Keikhaefer and history of Mercury Outboards (1998-04-12) Rodengen has written what is likely to remain the most complete Keikhaefer biography, and because of this man s life will be the detailed history of Mercury outboards. Rodengen reveals here for the first time: who really invented the inboard/outboard and why Volvo and Mercury never challenged each others patents. He details how Keikhaefer made the mistake of a lifetime, and lost everything he had built. How the genius engineer inventor, Charles Strang was lost from Mercury as an employee, and from Carl as a frien...

#Great for novices and experts (2003-04-22) This is a great text for everyone. I think Zubaly s Applied Naval Architecture does a slightly better job in presenting the coefficients, but in every other respect, this text is superior. Zubaly and this text are weak in the details of seakeeping, but there are several other specific seakeeping texts, namely Dynamics of Marine Vehicles by Battacharia (I know I misspelled his name)

#A Medieval Reenactor s Perspective (2003-06-02) As a medieval reenactor with a nautical persona, I bought this book to get some information on navigational instruments used in the Middle Ages. This book is a gold mine of information on making and using traditional navigational instruments. Although some of the instruments do not fit into my time of interest (Western Europe 1066-1603), most do, and the instructions on making and using them are good. The historical information is spotty,and some information does not agree with other sources that I consider reliable, but this is not i...

#An interesting book! (2002-01-04) This is an interesting book for those who want to know a bit more about the history of navigational tools, by showing you how to build a few of them. Don t expect to build a high-precision instrument directly from the contents, but if you are looking for a book that will start you on the right path, then this is it.

#Excellent Concept. Poor Execution. (2001-09-04) The Good: An excellent overview ancient navigational instruments. In addition to sundials, octants and compasses, Fisher covers such escoteric tools as the traverse board (used to track direction and ship speed), the weatherglass (early barometer), the kamal (arabian navigation tool) and the cross staff (predecessor to the octant). The Bad: Very crude, hand-drawn illustrations and building plans. No photographs or contemporary illustrations of the actual instruments. Though it is clear that the author has made each of these ins...

#a set of projects and histories (2001-07-11) This is not just a craft/wood working set of plans (and a very good set too) it is a history of the tools of navagation. The tools I built from this book work. They are not the best things to use for finding your way (wood instead of metal). But they work reasonably well.

#Nice projects, but not enough explaination (2001-06-28) This has a good selection of projects, but I would have appreciated more detail on how and why the tools work and what is going on. It could use a bit more math and science. This is only useful in conjunction with other books on celestial navigation.

#Super prop book for the serious boater. (2003-09-04) The author has boiled out all the complicated Bessel functions and the reader is left with the bottom line for basic propeller selection. If you are serious boater interested in propellers this is the book for you. . . you don t need to PhD in Naval Arch to understand this. Very straight forward approach. If you have prop related or powering questions, buy this. For 13 bucks you are going to spend more on gas your next outing due to your poor prop. I would have given it 5 stars if the pictures were in color and more recent.

#Get out the spread sheet (2003-06-01) I love the mathmatical models in this book. It really helps a reader of average (myself) intellegence to project how a propeller will work in different situations. I made some spread sheets to work out the models and that really helped. It seemed to focus on the marine boating field, so I wouldn t expect too much if your interest is strictly in speed boats.

#Clear Explanation and Easy Application of Complex Subject (2002-12-07) Dave has done an excellent job of clearly covering a very complex subject. He gives you quick practical ways of estimating as well as more detailed methods for determining propeller requirements and performance. This book will benefit anyone dealing with propellers. This includes boat owners, repair yards and design offices. I am a professional engineer, practicing in naval architecture and marine engineering. As a result I have read a lot of material on this subject. This is the best reference on propell...