Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 Protect Your Pate Thinning hair is a bummer for anybody, but for sailors especially it has major downsides, among them sunburn, scalp cuts, bumps, and bruises. There is just n...
For certain applications, glued-on studs are an alternative to through-bolts. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Through-bolts are the gold standard for strength and security when it comes to attaching stuff to ...
A simple strap with low-friction rings can improve mainsail performance. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 Sails are amazing fabrications. They start out as bits of flat cloth, and through the tailoring of the ...
Padding your mast climbing harness will save your legs and allow you to work longer Issue 149: March/April 2023 Climbing harnesses have become increasingly popular for mast work, outstripping the trad...
Regulating copper-leaching rates of antifouling paints may be better than banning them Issue 149: March/April 2023 Copper is lethal to many marine organisms. That’s why it works. Antifouling paints re...
DIY rope hooks to keep your coils organized Issue 150: May/June 2023 Hooks are designed to snag. But that is the polar opposite of what I need in a rope locker. Installed in a sail locker, for example...
The right products and technique are key to separating those stubbornly cemented parts Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 I’ve tried solvents for removing sealants, but unless they are aggressive enough to melt...
Tape can provide a quick fix for torn or cracked vinyl windows Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 Eventually a vinyl window will crack, either because of extreme age or extreme cold. The right fix is new vinyl,...
A solution for smaller boats and sensitive waters Issue 155: March/April 2024 Let’s be honest — toilets aboard small boats are tricky and can be icky. My first cruisable boat, a Stiletto 27, had a che...
The ins and outs of replacing your stainless lifelines with synthetic. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, abbreviated UHMWPE and best known by the trade names Dyneema an...
One of the most painful things I’ve ever done aboard a boat occurred while sailing Shoal Survivor, my PDQ 32 catamaran, off the coast of Virginia with my wife and 15-year-old daughter. Permanent berth...
Yawing on the hook can wreak anchorage havoc. Here’s how to help prevent it. Issue 138: May/June 2021 A few years ago, while anchored in the snug little harbor of Oxford, Maryland, I witnessed t...
Spare chain and the right placement make an easy kellet for an all-rope anchor rode. Issue 138: May/June 2021 Small boats often use only rope for rode. This is understandable; chain is heavy, and smal...
Nearly 90 years old, the revolutionary Northill anchor continues to inform today’s generation of ground tackle. Issue 138: May/June 2021 At first glance, it’s just another fisherman anchor. But ...
For years I’ve been landing 36- to 48-inch striped bass during the Chesapeake Bay spring trophy season. It’s a spring ritual and yet, I never cease to be amazed at how easy it is to wind in 200 feet o...
Dynamic climbing rope can be an intriguing option for some uses aboard. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 I’m a sailor, and I’m a climber. For both pursuits, rope is central. Not surprisingly, because the use c...
Tricing is a quick fix for a multitude of dangling dinghy issues. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 For a sailor on the hook, few things are more convenient than a dinghy on davits. As soon as the anchor is set...
Edson Marine clearly has an eye for what the market needs, adding to its products a garden hose connector fitting made by Banjo, one of the best-known manufacturers of this style of fitting. It’s an i...
Bolted boltrope? Try this handy harpoon to retrieve it. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 Many good old boats (and newer boats with laminate sails) feature mainsails that attach to the mast via a boltrope in th...
Steering chains lurk unloved, out of sight, in one of the toughest environments on the boat, a constantly damp bilge. And steering failure ranks near the top of the list of reasons why boats are aband...
Marlow Blue Ocean, as far as I know, is the first dockline made entirely from recycled bottles. Though counterintuitive, plastic water bottles are made from the same polymer used to make virgin polyes...
The LED revolution has seen a million rechargeable lights hit market—many for the marine market. I had one question on my mind when I received this Mantus Snap-On Light for review: Is there anything s...
Knowing battery basics and technologies empowers battery choices. Issue 131: March/April 2020 Aboard any boat with an electrical system there exists a need to store electricity. Enter the batte...
Need to replace a prop? Pull the lower unit on an outboard without pulling the engine? How about installing an external strainer without pulling the boat? Working on most anything below the trampoline...
Suffering’s for singing the blues, not sailing. Here’s how to stay pain-free on the water. Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 When I was in my 20s, a long breezy day on my beach cat invariably resulted in a grim...
Affordable and innovative, these five boats were multihull game-changers. Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 Anyone who’s read this magazine for a while can appreciate how deep and broad the roots of monohull sa...
Safety and comfort increase with a companionway fix Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Sailboat designers have good knees. I know this because I’ve owned three sailboats with companionway step heights twice as ...
E10 gasoline is now a fact of life, but its devils don’t have to be Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 Why is ethanol problematic for marine engines but not for cars? The only noticeable difference for the fami...
Losing the steering is not necessarily the end of steering Issue 126: May/June 2019 Loss of steering is possibly the most common reason boats sailing long offshore passages are abandoned. The inabilit...