''Chapman Piloting & Seamanship'', published by Hearst Books has been a leading reference book for power and sail boaters for nearly 100 years. Known as "the Bible of Boating", more than 3 million copies have been printed. The 67th edition (2013) has 920 pages, 1,500 full-color illustrations and charts, and

exploded view An exploded-view drawing is a diagram, picture, schematic or technical drawing of an object, that shows the relationship or order of assembly of various parts. It shows the components of an object slightly separated by distance, or suspended in ...

s and cutaways and updated with information on federal laws, regulations, and fees. It includes much popular new technology – especially communications and electronic navigation/common surveying equipment: GPS,

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, depth sounders/fish finders, chart plotters. It also reviews most common other marine goods and devices such as engines, solar panels, batteries, pumps and osmosis/treatment units. It contains authoritative information about boating rules, weather, tide, currents, navigation, seamanship for powerboats, small craft, and boats under sail; anchoring, communications, and navigation; inland boating, marlinspike seamanship, and boating customs. It is often used as the text for private boating schools throughout the U.S. It is the officially recommended book for the U.S. Coast Guard's boating education classes and many local United States Power Squadrons.

History

The work originated in 1917. The original author,

Charles Frederic Chapman Charles Frederic Chapman (January 4, 1881 - March 21, 1976) was an avid boater, editor of Hearst's ''Motor Boating'' magazine from 1912 to 1968, co-founder of the United States Power Squadrons, co-founder of the Chapman School of Seamanship and ...

(1881–1976), was an avid boater, and the editor of Hearst's ''Motor Boating Magazine'' from 1912 to 1968. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the U.S. Government needed to train men in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine to become operators of small boats, including landing craft, utility craft, gigs, patrol craft. Then Assistant U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, commissioned Chapman to write a manual that could be used to help provide that training. Chapman did this in three days, drawing largely on articles that had appeared in ''Motor Boating Magazine''. The result was ''Practical Boat Handling'', the first edition of which was published in 1917 with 144 pages, 5 × 7 . From this, the book evolved through many editions into ''Piloting, Seamanship & Small Boat Handling''. The book title has now been shortened to ''Chapman Piloting & Seamanship''. Chapman was one of the original founders of the United States Power Squadrons.

Citations and Notes

{{Works about sailing Sailing books Handbooks and manuals