This new textbook, written for the high-school and post-secondary levels is a handbook for all boaters.

Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology (ISBN 978-0-9856847-0-9) was published by The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) with support from The Kathy and Jerry Wood Foundation. Topics include the basics of boathandling and safety, marine systems design and maintenance, boatbuilding materials and construction, and everything in between.

Authors Ed Sherman, Director of Educational Programming for ABYC, and Tim Murphy, Editor at Large for Cruising World magazine, give concise explanations and descriptions to educate boaters of all levels. Joe Comeau of Luminum Studio provided clear and elegant illustrations.

"If you like boats, you're going to love this book," said Sherman. "It's a book for any boater."

Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology will be used by Marine League Schools at Broward College, Rappahannock Community College, Skagit Valley College, The Boat School, Honolulu Community College, the New England Institute of Technology, and other marine trades programs around the country. Students from these programs are featured in photos throughout the book.

Highlights include Quick Response codes that link to instructional videos (videos available October 2012), multiple-choice review questions and answers at the end of each chapter, and a glossary of more than 15 pages that covers fundamental boating terms from 'abeam' to 'yawl.'

"This textbook is an amazing collection of marine technical information, gathered for the first time. Anyone interested in what goes on under the hood will find something of value," said John Adey, ABYC President, who wrote the book's foreword. "This is the latest resource added to our office library that has more than a thousand marine-related titles."

Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology has 318 pages, 14 chapters, and hundreds of photos and illustrations. A review version is available for teachers and schools systems. A digital version (ISBN 978-0-9856847-1-6) is also available. Copies of both versions may be purchased by contacting ABYC at www.abycinc.org, 410-990-4460 x100.