Hop aboard an adventure on the water with Steve Potts, a shy, South Carolina outlander who overcame outsider status, lack of education, and a series of monumental business setbacks to establish one of the most respected and innovative brands in the boating industry.

“Queer for boats” as a child, Potts dropped out of high school to navigate the boat-building universe with an abiding belief in tolerance and respect, sharpened by his early experiences with racism in the Deep South. Navigate the winds of fortune with him as he jettisons a successful management position to bootstrap his company, but not before it crashes on the rocks of misfortune so often that his exasperated wife advises him to give up. Propelled by his obsession with boats, his ethical principles and his refuse-to-fail attitude, Potts endures humiliation and catastrophic weather to steer his company to success, learning and sharing his life lessons along the way.

Even if you’re an inveterate landlubber, you’ll appreciate his water-borne humility as he absorbs lessons about what not to do before embarking on his own entrepreneurial adventure. Part memoir, part business primer, part hero’s journey, Boat Boy will have you alternately shaking your head, laughing, and taking notes.