WORKING BOATS

Learn about the inner workings of working boats as well as the people who live and work on them.

From the tiny Bristol Bay gillnetter to the large National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel, 10 boats are explored in this browsable work of nonfiction. The concise text details how each boat is built for a specific job and run by a crew with a set of skills and knowledge. Some boats have sleeping quarters for long stretches on the water, such as the halibut schooner, while others, like the double-ended ferry, are used for quick trips that allow the crew to sleep on land. As in David Macaulay’s classic The Way Things Work (1988), there are spreads that focus on the mechanics and machinery of boats. Cross sections and exploded views abound in the detailed illustrations. Although many ship parts are labeled, readers already familiar with boat anatomy may find this book most accessible. In addition to focusing on the boats themselves, the book includes interspersed sections on, for instance, safety gear, engines, and types of oceanography. The text uses the gendered term fishermen throughout and also refers to guardsmen and crewman. Though most of the humans depicted appear to be light-skinned, several brown-skinned people are portrayed as well. The book lacks source notes or a bibliography.

Enjoyable browsing for budding seafarers as well as readers fascinated by all things mechanical.