Parts of a ship, knots, mooring lines, helm orders, Rules of the Road, lights and day shapes, buoys, the station bill and the lifeboat launch: in most study guides it's a wall of text. Here each topic fits on one page, with the drawing and what you need to remember. 73 illustrated pages.
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One topic per page, the drawing that shows you how it's done and the boxes with what you need to know:
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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 11 parts and 68 topics.
You've read the section on fiber rope three times. You close the book...
...and you can't say what twists into what, or which way the coil goes. It was just lines of text.
Here fiber rope is one page: fibers twisted into yarns, yarns into strands, strands into rope, nylon, polyester and polypropylene side by side, and right-hand laid line coiled clockwise.
And every topic around it gets its own page: wire rope, the knots for the demonstration, splices and whippings, stoppers and snap-back zones.
First you understand why it's done that way. Then the order sticks on its own.
The rating, the ship, marlinespike, mooring and anchoring, helm and lookout, Rules of the Road, aids to navigation, safety, Lifeboat Operator, pollution and first aid, and the final review: 68 illustrated topic pages
What if every topic fit on a single page?
Instead of rereading half a page on lights for towing vessels without being able to picture them...
...you open the page and find four night views side by side: towing, not under command, restricted in ability to maneuver and at anchor, each with the lights you'd actually see.
And mooring lines, helm orders, buoys, the station bill and the lifeboat launch become drawings and tables you read at a glance.
You stop rereading and start understanding.
That's Able Seafarer, Illustrated: 11 parts and 68 illustrated topics, one per page, each closing with a boxed takeaway (an EXAM TRAP, KEY POINT or rule of thumb). At the end: the terms deck ratings mix up, the numbers to remember and an exam day plan. What you see in order, you remember.
Because what your brain sees organized, it remembers.
Deck ratings from ordinary to able seafarer, the six AB categories, sea service for each one, why every AB also holds Lifeboat Operator (or Lifeboat Operator-Limited), the two exam modules and how to use this book.
Parts of a ship, deck machinery, hatches and watertight doors, draft marks and load lines, stability basics and the vessels you'll crew.
Fiber and wire rope, the knots for the practical demonstration, splices and whippings, stoppers, blocks and tackles, breaking strength and safe working load: so you tie the demonstration knots in order and know where not to stand in a snap-back zone.
Mooring lines by name, line handling at the pier, the windlass and chain shots, letting go and heaving in the anchor, cargo booms and cranes, and crane hand signals.
Helm orders and replies, steering by magnetic and gyro compass, changing over the steering system, lookout reports, bearings in points and degrees, gangway watch and relieving the watch.
Lookout and safe speed, head-on, crossing and overtaking, stand-on and give-way, lights, day shapes and sound signals: so you can say who gives way in each encounter and tell a vessel by its lights, shapes and whistle.
Lateral buoys and Red Right Returning, lights, ranges and daybeacons, and how to read light characteristics.
Emergency signals and the station bill, fire classes, portable extinguishers and fixed systems, abandon ship, man overboard, immersion suits and lifejackets, enclosed space entry, PPE, tagout and working aloft.
Survival craft types, launching a lifeboat with davits and falls, on-load release gear, liferafts, equipment, boat commands and pyrotechnics: so you can follow the launch sequence step by step and answer the boat commands without hesitating.
Oil and garbage rules on deck, spill response, first aid for bleeding, burns and hypothermia, and CPR and shock.
The terms deck ratings mix up, the numbers to remember and your exam day plan.
At the end of the book: A boxed takeaway on every topic page (an EXAM TRAP, KEY POINT or rule of thumb), plus a final review with the numbers to remember and an exam day plan.
Learn the language of the deck one card at a time: a term and a one-line definition on each card, 10 per page, from ship parts and mooring to buoys and survival craft. Print them and quiz yourself between watches.
Know what to do module by module: what to bring, how to use your time, which pages to reread the week before and how to practice your knots for the demonstration.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
PDF by email: Able Seafarer, Illustrated reaches your inbox as a PDF, and the two free books come by email too. One-time payment, no installments or hidden costs.
Ship knowledge, rope, mooring and the Rules of the Road, one topic per page, to review between watches or at home.
Both modules in order, a boxed takeaway on every topic page (often an EXAM TRAP) and a final review with the numbers to remember. Plus the knots for the demonstration and the lifeboat launch, step by step.
A quick visual review of what you do every day: mooring lines by name, helm orders, buoys and your row on the station bill.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You have 30 days to try Able Seafarer, Illustrated and the two bonus books. If it doesn't work for you, tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100% of what you paid. One-time payment, no subscription.
By email, as a high-resolution PDF, to the address you enter at checkout. Read it on your phone or print it and take it aboard. The two bonus books, 250 Deck Terms on Cards and The Exam Day Checklist, come in the same email.
One-time payment of US$ 27. No installments, no subscription.
For ordinary seafarers and deckhands preparing for the Able Seafarer exam (formerly Able Seaman, AB) and the Lifeboat Operator endorsement (formerly Lifeboatman) in the U.S., and for anyone on deck who wants a visual review. If you're just starting out, you'll need sea service before you can sit the exam: Part I shows how much for each category. It uses the current U.S. rating names, the Inland and International Rules and U.S. buoyage (IALA Region B). Check the table of contents above to see the topics.
46 CFR Part 10 and Part 12 Subpart D (12.401–12.409), the 46 CFR 10.219 fee table, the National Maritime Center deck rating exam pages and sample exams, and the Navigation Rules (COLREGS and Inland Rules, 33 CFR Part 83). Exam and sea service details can change: always check the current NMC exam guide and policy letters.
No. It's independent study material. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Maritime Center.
No. It doesn't replace an approved course, your sea service, the practical demonstrations or your vessel's procedures and station bill. It's a visual review to study alongside them.
Use it alongside them. The sample exams tell you which answer is right, and the Navigation Rules give you the legal text. This book shows you why: each topic drawn on one page, with a boxed takeaway (often an EXAM TRAP) on the point that's easy to mix up. Any exam-style questions in it are written for this book and are not official questions from any exam.
Yes. It's a high-resolution PDF: print the whole book or only the pages you need and take them aboard.
You have 30 days. Tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You don't have to reread the same page hoping it sticks this time.
You don't have to memorize lights and rules you can't picture.
And you definitely don't have to walk into the exam not knowing where to start.
There's an easier way to study for it, and it's one click away.
One-time payment: US$ 27 · Guarantee: 30 days · PDF by email
YES, I WANT ABLE SEAFARER, ILLUSTRATED FOR US$ 27📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
