3D YachtManuals
TESTIMONIALS

From M/Y Blue Guitar, a 105 ft. Camper & Nicholsons Motor Yacht (26 Oct., 2000)

To Whom it May Concern,

It is my pleasure to write this letter of reference on behalf of Leo Lindstrand. I first met Leo in January 1997. He was serving as interim Captain aboard Blue Guitar and I was being brought aboard as the new permanent Captain. Leo had previously served as the Captain of Blue Guitar in years past, and had been asked by the owners to come in after another Captain had been terminated to rescue and bring under control a yard project that had gotten out of control. He handled this task in an admirable fashion in addition to insuring that I was brought up to speed as quickly as possible.

The owners and I have since asked Leo back several times to work as a project specialist for us over the last four years. Leo has a tremendous grasp of all phases of the engineering requirements for a yacht such as Blue Guitar. In addition, he is a tremendously hard worker, well organized, and extremely even tempered. One of the things I have always admired and respected about Leo is that he has always handled our working together so well. There is ample opportunity for a clash of egos when a former Captain works with a new Captain, and that has just never happened.

In addition to working as a project specialist for us, Leo also was responsible for creating a very extensive operations manual for use aboard Blue Guitar. It will without question make transitions from Captain to Captain or Engineer to Engineer much easier. In addition to compiling the information and writing the text, Leo used his extensive computer skills to illustrate the manual. Needless to say, the owners were extremely pleased with the result.

There is no question that Leo has made many contributions to Blue Guitar over the years, and has certainly made my job easier over the last four years. I am also very aware of how happy the owners have been with Leo’s work. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely

Capt. Jeffrey A. Hardgrave
M/Y Blue Guitar

From M/Y Hilarium, a 138 ft. Hakvoort Motor Yacht (3 Jan., 2006)

To anyone interested in Leo's Yacht Manuals:

By way of introduction, my name is John Burry and I used Leo's manual when I took over as engineer on M/Y Hilarium. The boat was in the Med and the engineer left suddenly before I arrived. Although the Captain had a good working knowledge of the systems, it was Leo's Yacht Manual I had to rely on to find out how things worked. It's hard to overstate how helpful his manual was in keeping the systems up and working.

Hilarium's Yacht Manual has all the things that would take you years to find out right there at your finger tips. All the hidden plumbing, wire runs, junction boxes, ducting, just everything you need to know right there in a easy to understand format. I don't know how you put a value on something like this, I just know it was the singularly most important manual I had on the boat, period.

When we got back Stateside, Leo was in the engine room with things like a placard showing how to operate the fire pump that was so easy to understand any crew member could use it to operate the pump in an emergency. He updated his information and helped me formalize start up and shut down procedures for the major systems. His knowledge base is just amazing, everything Leo did for the boat was quality.

I have handed off to another engineer and Hilarium's Yacht Manual helped make that seamless. The Captain had the security of knowing whoever the current engineer is they will have access to all the details of the boat right there in front of him. Nothing gets forgotten or overlooked, it's all there in the Yacht Manual.

Captain John Burry
Contact me on email at

Quoted from: "Manual Labor" by Jay Cole, Yachting, September 2001

(Note: This article is about manuals in general)

"...a yacht owner's manual recently impressed me so much that I felt compelled to devote this column to such works in general. This manual was product specific, and vessel information and systems were detailed with text, color photos and illustrations...
...An owner's manual should not only provide the particulars of a vessel's operation and systems, it should serve as a reference tool long after the warranty expires...
...Several years ago I was faced with rewiring the portion of the emergency shutdown system triggered by fire. The system included both factory wiring and the wiring of components supplied by a vendor. The task would have taken hours longer and cost hundreds more dollars had the manual not included a detailed explanation of the system and accurate electrical schematics...
...Before you invest in a boat, investigate what information the builder will provide when you take delivery. Be sure the owner's manual clearly details vessel operation and defines important systems: fuel, electrical, and bilge, for example. Note whether there is a docking plan that explains proper hauling and blocking procedures. Check for specifications or part numbers for specialized hardware such as shafts, propellers and rudders...
...A well conceived owner's manual can save big bucks and, sometimes, an owner's sanity."