I've recently been reading a few science fiction e-books that came on a CD that was included on the back flap of a dead tree book some time ago and I'm beginning to have a few thoughts on this as a medium.
The first is that it isn't nearly as nice to curl up in bed with a good book on a laptop. Fall asleep while reading, push the laptop on the floor, and you may have an expensive paperweight. It doesn't really work very while sitting on the porcelain throne, either.
e-books tend to be much cheaper (when you can get them), and you can store a mind dizzying number on a typical laptop. You can get literally thousands of free e-books (copyrights long expired) if you like the classics.
e-books are easier to read if you don't have your reader application (I've been using a web browser; but they do have special software which is supposed to work well) set the the full width of the screen. I usually have the browser opened up about half width. You have to scroll more; but you work your eyes less.
Anyhow, as e-books become more common I was thinking about the practicality of taking them on a long cruise. As with everything, there are several pros and cons...
Pro: A humongous library can be taken without taking up scarce storage space or weighing the boat down.
Pro: No mildew or moldy books.
Pro: Nowadays, many, or even most, folks carry a laptop on board for other reasons.
Con: Reading outside can be an issue as LCD screens aren't all that great to look at in the sun.
Con: Laptops react even worse to being wet than books.
Con: Laptops react far worse to being tossed about than books.
Con: Only one person can use a computer at a time.
Con: It's not nearly as convenient to take a laptop with you on a shore trip as it is to throw a paperback in a backpack.
Con: If the batteries are running low, on board entertainment might be limited to solitaire (you know, played the old fashioned way with those quaint cardboard thingies called 'Playing Cards').
The negatives probably outweigh the positives overall. But adding at least a bunch of the free e-books (try going to http://www.gutenberg.org/ or doing a google search) to a paper library would really increase some options for not much, if any, additional cost. It could make a difference to state of mind if becalmed for several days with a library that has already been read twice through.
Baen Books has a free web library of an assortment of their books. I have about 300 e-books loaded on my palm pilot. The screen on the PDA is relatively readable in sunlight, and it is small enough to fit in a ziplock bag, which can protect it from most spray and such. It is also far more portable than a pile of paperbacks.
Man, I completely forgot about the portable palm pilot type devices.
Baen is actually the source of the books I have (although I got mine from a cd in a David Webber novel).
Do a search on Amazon on books for 10000 and you will find a 3 CD ROM set for about $ 40. It can be gotton at Target as well. Nice.
The con is that is can be scratched and does take computer power to run.
You cant feel the page turn. E books dont have that book smell. I have some Ebooks cuz there handy. Somehow not the same enjoyment tho.
S/V Godot-
If you haven't read Off Armageddon Reef, by David Weber, it is worth a read. Has a bit about sailing, and talks about the difference between a sloop and square-rigger a bit. Don't believe it is available in e-book form yet though.