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    Richard Smith

    Bandit, a Ranger 26 owned by Dave Gow, shows off the pleasing proportions of her 40-year-old design.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Ranger 26

    A swift, sweet, and well-mannered all-rounder Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 Dave Gow’s Ranger 26, Bandit, was built in 1973 and he’s owned her since 2006. Over the years, the boat’s several skippers have w...

    Richard Smith
    June 29, 2026
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    A combination of finishes can look attractive, whether it’s varnish and paint of different colors, at left, or a mix of painted surfaces with bright and bare teak, below.
    • Maintenance
    • Projects

    To varnish or . . . not

    Not all trim needs to be bright Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Some boats have large amounts of varnished trim while others have little or no brightwork at all. Most good old boats fall somewhere in between;...

    Richard Smith
    June 25, 2026
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    Showing off her rakish lines, Endolyne, above, a Hunter Vision 32 owned by Jeff Carey, stands up to a 20-knot breeze.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Hunter Vision 32

    Advanced concepts in styling and design Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 Walking down the dock on review day, I couldn’t help but notice the sharp contrast between Jeff Carey’s 1989 Hunter Vision 32, Endolyne,...

    Richard Smith
    June 22, 2026
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    Pencil drawing of someone building a boat
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Tips

    Boats are teachers

    And we carry their lessons far from the water Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 A boat — especially an old boat — is a good teacher. It teaches us how to fix things. We read manuals, magazine articles, and book...

    Richard Smith
    June 19, 2026
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    Jimmie and Mary James sail Bodacious, their Santana 27, in the Pacific Northwest, sometimes making forays from Puget Sound into the Pacific Ocean.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Santana 27

    A sturdy club racer and coastal cruiser Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 Humphrey Bogart’s sleek and much-loved yacht, Santana — a contraction of “Santa Ana” — was named for the katabatic winds that blow throu...

    Richard Smith
    June 17, 2026
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    Picture of a boat at sunset
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    Getting hooked on sailing

    Five stages from taking the bait to being truly boated Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 1. The beginning It might have been Swallows and Amazons . . . or the thought of small animals in a beautiful pea-green b...

    Richard Smith
    June 4, 2026
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    C&C designs are easily recognized with their somewhat aggressive lines that suggest performance above the average. The C&C 34+ is no exception, and Intuitive, owned by Paul and Cheryl Vesetinski, carries the look boldly in her dark blue livery.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    C&C 34+

    A fast racer/cruiser from the early ‘90s Issue 90: May/June 2013 C&C Yachts enjoys a hard-won reputation for building strong, high-performance sailboats without neglecting cruising amenities or ap...

    Richard Smith
    June 4, 2026
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    Picture of a boat in a foggy bay
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    A fall solo cruise

    Lingering fair weather is irresistible Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Past Labor Day, through October and well into November, there’s some fine sailing to be had in Puget Sound — warm 75-degree days that tu...

    Richard Smith
    June 3, 2026
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    Richard’s new tarp, top of page, is more handsome than hardware-store blue tarps, at left, and more substantial than many over-the-boom covers that are often too short or hung too high, center. To get a proper fit at the difficult aft end, Terry McDonald made patterns of thin plastic sheet, at right.
    • Projects
    • Sails & Canvas

    A better boat tarp

    Shelter for a cockpit that’s active in winter Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Blue plastic hardware-store tarps appear in our marina about the time mushrooms sprout in the nearby woods. Slung over booms and ...

    Richard Smith
    June 2, 2026
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    ScreenshotDick Osborn sails his Hunter 29.5, Wind Dancer, on Puget Sound. The boat is representative of Hunter Marine’s sailboats with their distinctive styling.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    The Hunter 29.5

    Innovative design and a voluminous interior Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Hunter Marine builds enough boats, about 2,000 a year, to make it one of the leading producers of sailboats in the world. The compan...

    Richard Smith
    May 29, 2026
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    Fire hose makes ideal anti-chafing, at top, and is easily stitched in place with a sailmaker’s palm, above.
    • Maintenance
    • Projects

    Salty-looking anti-chafing

    Fire hose looks the part and takes the wear Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It would be about three hours before the morning tide would turn and take me on a fast-moving flood through Rich Passage on the way ...

    Richard Smith
    May 22, 2026
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    Picture of Gulf 32, Sabine F
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Gulf 32

    A sturdy sailing motorsailer Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Capital Yachts, the builder of the Gulf 32, was formed in 1971 by Jon Williams and Bill Smith when they bought the tooling for the Newport line of ...

    Richard Smith
    May 15, 2026
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    Tom Curley tends lines on the cabintop of his Freedom 28, Catnip, as she sails herself under her cat ketch rig, a trait that makes her very adaptable to singlehanded sailing.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Freedom 28

    A rare cat ketch and uncommonly good coastal cruiser Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 Tom Curley pulled into the marina parking lot on his Victory motorcycle. We stood there admiring this eccentric machine, it...

    Richard Smith
    May 13, 2026
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    Richard’s Ericson Cruising 31, Kuma, and raft mates Raconteur, an Ericson 32, and Over Easy, an Islander 28, enjoy millpond conditions in a well-protected anchorage, at left. Stuart of Over Easy, and Jerry of Raconteur, below, shoot the breeze with Richard in his dinghy.
    • Sailing
    • Sailing Stories

    A gentlemen’s raft

    Sailing solo and being social Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 We three set off on an autumn day bound for nowhere in particular. Jerry in Raconteur, his race-worthy Ericson 32; Stuart in Over Easy, a well-fo...

    Richard Smith
    May 5, 2026
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    Joseph Charnes sails his Ericson 34, Aurora, on and around Puget Sound, mostly singlehanded, top of page. In an unusual feature in the spacious T-shaped cockpit, at left, the cockpit sole in the helm area is slightly elevated and surrounded by a moat that collects and discharges water. All the sail control lines are led aft, making the cabintop either side of the companionway a busy place, at right.
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    ERICSON 34

    A handsome design that excels as a cruiser and club racer Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 Boats designed by Bruce King for Ericson Yachts share a strong family resemblance, from the smallest of the line, the...

    Richard Smith
    May 4, 2026
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    sailboat on water
    • Boat Reviews
    • Monohull
    • Reviews

    Downeaster 38

    A shoal-draft cutter for blue water Issue 112: Jan/Feb 2017 Mike Gover, the owner of the Downeaster 38, Cabezon Café, holds a U.S. Coast Guard certification for up to 100 tons. An avid sport fisherman...

    Richard Smith
    April 1, 2026
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    • Book Reviews
    • Dogwatch

    The Voyages of Fishers Hornpipe: Book Review

    L. Francis Herreshoff, in his introduction to The Compleat Cruiser, holds that there is no better way of instructing than “carrying on a narrative.” Parker’s story revisits 1970&#821...

    Richard Smith
    October 1, 2006
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