Page 56: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2022)

Bookshelf

Working Boats: An Inside Look at

Ten Amazing Watercraft, by Tom Crestodina

Reviewed by

Alan Haig-Brown, Sept. 2022 seiner, and Bristol Bay gillnetter, ? sh for salmon and Crestodina provides knowledgeable detailed drawings of the workings of each gear type. He gives similarly detailed illustrations and text for a Bering Sea king crabber and a classic Norwegian style, wooden, halibut, longline schooner.

If a photo illustration is worth a

Image courtesy Alan Haig-’Brown from the “Working Boats” book thousand words, Crestodina’s cut- away drawings give us more like ? ve hen I was a young boy, I often-humorous representation of troll- thousand words each. This has allowed had a big book of ships ers, seiners, tenders, and others. Many him to squeeze more information into that included cut-away of his framed prints grace the ? sher- 56 pages than can be seen anywhere,

W images of some of the men’s homes and those of appreciative except for a technical paper for heart vessels. The British, Atlantic, passenger collectors. Tom’s booth at the annual surgeons. Where a cutaway view of the ship Queen Mary was one. I was fasci- Paci? c Marine Expo in Seattle is an boat’s pro? le isn’t enough, additional nated to see, not only the luxury salons, ever-popular hang-out. drawings and text are employed to pro- but the engine room and propeller It isn’t only ? shing boats that get vide information on navigation, safety shafts. I still ? nd such representation of the Crestodina treatment. Most of the at sea, and the dangers of icing up in vessels uniquely fascinating. vessel types, from ferries to ? re boats, winter storms.

As a youngster I was also something familiar to the people who work the The largest vessels included are a car of a wharf rat and occasionally talked waters from Puget Sound to Alaska are ferry and a NOA research ship. A coast my way onto ? shing boats and tugs to represented in the book. Two big beefy guard cutter is paired with illustrations see their inner workings. Now, thanks Caterpillar-powered tugs inspired by of their role in rescues at sea. As with to seine-boat skipper and illustrator the Western Towboat company ? eet are the other boats, the author/artist doesn’t extraordinaire Tom Crestodina I can shown. Graphic descriptions of their Z- stop with a simple pro? le but illustrates indulge my fascination to my heart’s drive propulsion and a container barge and explains the role and function of content in the pages of his recently pub- are provided along with the workings each vessel through additional draw- lished book Working Boats: An Inside of a diesel engine. ings as required. It is no cliché to say

Look at Ten Amazing Watercraft. Five types of west coast ? shing boats that, for the mariner inclined, from

Capt. Crestodina has been known are illustrated with cutaways show- eight to eighty this is the one book that amongst the Alaska ? shing ? eet for his ing great detail. Three of these; troller, does it all. 56 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2022

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