No coupling, no shaft, no strut, less DIY angst Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 There may come a time in a sailor’s life when the cherished family member needs to be repowered. I suspected that not all 13 hor...
Doing a brutal job without the heavy lifting Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 If you own a good old boat you’ve no doubt had the dubious joy of working on its bottom. Perhaps multiple coats of bottom paint ha...
A drop leaf makes and saves space Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Owners of sailboats of a certain vintage face a dearth of counter space during food preparation and galley cleanup. The boat is, after all, a ...
An old boat’s wiring gets a facelift Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 When repowering Natasha, our 1978 Islander Bahama 30 (see “Repowering to a Sail Drive,” July 2013), I was well aware that, as part of the e...
Easy on the eyes and warm to the touch Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The stainless-steel steering wheel on our 1978 Islander Bahama 30 was always cold on the hands and the eyes. I wasn’t a fan of expensive ...
Keeping up an older boat pays back in family time, not dollars Issue 120: May/June 2018 What is the point of all the effort and expense I put into owning a good old boat? I often find myself asking th...
Hot springs and cool sailing help accomplish the goal to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. Issue 136: Jan/Feb 2021 By the time my wife, Carey, and daughter, Nicky, met me and Dreamer in Tahsis on Vanco...
An Easy-to-Sail, High-Quality Coastal Cruiser Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 From the San Juan Islands of Washington State north to the shores of Alaska, the British Columbia coast has it all for fabulous c...
A dreamy cruise is interrupted when the head calls it quits. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 A number of years ago, my family and I sailed Dreamer, the first of two Islander Bahama 30s we’ve owned, from the V...
Issue 143: March/April 2022 What to do with rotted wood on a boat? Whether it’s a supporting internal structure or a wood-cored fiberglass sandwich exposed to the elements, either may be remedied with...
Issue 144: May/June 2022 Circuit Certainty The Hubbell Circuit Tester (LED, 125VAC, 30A) is a handy, affordable little device that could save a boater a great deal of electrical frustration when deali...
A dinghy foot pump comes to the rescue to clear a clogged saildrive water intake. Issue 144: May/June 2022 It was another spectacular summer day, and once again my wife, Carey, and I escaped life asho...
A Vintage Performer for Offshore or Coastal Sailing Issue 144: May/June 2022 After a lifetime of sailing dinghies and family boats, Scott Owens began exploring the concept of supplementing his retirem...
A 28-Foot, Go-Anywhere Masterpiece Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 Like many sailors, Bill and Cathy Norrie had dreams of sailing the warm waters of the temperate oceans, particularly when winter snows beat ...
A quick racer/cruiser from Canada Issue 150: May/June 2023 When Jack and Marilyn Williams moved west from their home province of Ontario in 1977, settling near Victoria on Vancouver Island, one of the...
A coastal sailor jumps at the chance to cross an ocean Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 A lifetime of sailing the protected waters of Vancouver Island on British Columbia’s west coast had given me a wealth of...
A bluewater cruiser in a small package Issue 152: Nov/Dec 2023 I was singlehanding on our Islander Bahama 30 on a spectacular fall afternoon, whitecaps dancing on the blue waters of Plumper Sound in t...
Finding a sensible solution to an alternator’s persistent overheating problem Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 Over the years, and with two different small diesels working in the tight quarters of the engine c...
A fast and comfortable racer-cruiser that has stood the test of time Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 While on vacation in Mexico, Debbie Bulk dreamed of a better way to see local village life away from the re...
A Sleek Racer/Cruiser From the Mid-’80s Issue 155: March/April 2024 Jan Bednarski was introduced to the world of water sports by his father near the prairie city of Edmonton, Alberta. Over the y...
On an ill-fated voyage home, a young family learns lessons in seamanship and community spirit Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 All sailors start somewhere. As a teenager, I was infatuated with stories in Natio...
A sailing buddy asked for my help solving a problem on the hard dodger aboard his Taswell 45. Over the years, a series of small cracks had appeared in the top surface that was composed of some kind of...
Years ago I owned an O’Day 25 on which my family and I explored the coast of British Columbia. Our travels took us from the far reaches of the Salish Sea all the way up to Desolation Sound and beyond,...
A mission to meet a circumnavigating friend takes an unexpected turn. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Bill Norrie had been singlehanding Pixie, his Bristol Channel Cutter 28, for nearly 90 days, sailing from...
Circumnavigating Vancouver Island provides stiff sailing, natural wonders, and kind locals. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 Years ago, after decades of sailing the Salish Sea, my wife, Carey, and I decided we...
Replacing a fabric interior hull covering with oak-on-cedar strips transforms a V-berth. Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 Manufacturers of many good old boats of the ’70s and ’80s were looking for time and cos...
We had been sailing the west coast of Vancouver Island over the past 30 days. Our final day dawned hot and sunny without a ripple on the water, and so we motored our 1978 Islander Bahama 30, Natasha, ...
British Columbia winter months are cool and damp with short days, rain, and minimal sunshine. Having a heat source on board is essential to keep the mildew at bay and so we keep Natasha, our 1978 Isla...
Keeping up an older boat pays back in family time, not dollars What is the point of all the effort and expense I put into owning a good old boat? I often find myself asking this question, usually afte...