Make holding-tank chemistry work in your favor Iss...
March 12, 2026
Want your boat to have great canvas? Ask the right questions. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Marine canvas can make sailing more enjoyable and safer while sprucing up a boat’s aesthetic. Yet so many people d...
A mystery leak kept filling the bilge. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 “Steve!” “What?” “There’s water in the cabin!” “There’s…what? “Water in the cabin! Lots of it!” My new girlfriend, Susan, and I were out ...
For Canadian sailor and artist Christopher Pratt, the yacht was the art. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Many artists have rendered the elegance of yachts under sail, but few have captured the essence and bea...
Replacing an old canvas dodger with a hardtop/canvas hybrid levels up comfort and safety. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 In the grand scheme of things, few items on a sailboat are truly more oriented to comf...
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 ...
An overnight race, a 12 Metre sail, and new friends and places round out an unexpected adventure. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 To make lemonade one must start with lemons; in our case, it was the last-minu...
Oxford’s Downes Curtis was one of Maryland’s most enduring sailmakers. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Maryland’s deep maritime heritage is inextricably linked to the stories and experiences of Black people o...
For in-the-field sail repairs, adhesives can get you out of a sticky situation. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 When I was a young sailmaker in the ’80s, our loft purchased a German-made sewing machine that h...
…and Two More Pilothouse-Type Cruisers Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 The Nauticat 40 represents a direction in yacht design that leans much more to creature comfort than to offshore performance. Despite tha...
A Stout Little Ship With Some S&S Sailability Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 David Chambers was about 13 years old when he first saw a Nauticat. His dad had taken him along to Anacortes, Washington, to l...
Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Sticking a sailmaker’s needle into your hand hurts. Ask me how I know. Fortunately, after the first time, I didn’t do it again…that weekend, anyway. It was the first day of a s...
A drifter evokes pioneering explorers and the eternal quest for meaning. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 We hoist the drifter instead of the genoa, hoping the diaphanous sail will conjure a breeze. I pad forw...
Two self-described amateurs tackle a DIY rigging replacement project. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 When we purchased Dawn, our 1978 Tartan 27-2, she had been dry-docked for several years with her mast down...
Rest and relaxation on a Chesapeake Bay cruise. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 I noticed the colorful accent pillow on a side shelf at the marine thrift shop last spring. For only five bucks, it would perk u...
Doing the toggle twist to keep our masts upright. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 I can’t dance; just ask my wife (cue chuckles). Given a tune, my twists, turns, and shimmies are as hopelessly misaligned as w...
The right decision about finishing an aluminum mast can be key to your rig’s longevity. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 Sailboats would be nothing without their sails, but even less without masts to hold them...
Delayed engine maintenance leads to a white-knuckled sail through a slice of New York history. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 “Whatever you do, retorque the head at 500 hours,” I was told by the previous own...
How safe are your chainplates? Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 “What’s this? It looks like you have a crack in this chainplate!” my friend John said while dropping into his dinghy. It was our final afternoon ...
A fun night sail after a dinner out with friends turns harrowing for a father and son. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 In the moment before disaster struck, I distinctly remember working on the foredeck of my...
An array of flexible, foldable solar panels enables extended cruising even when it rains. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 Some people are motivated by the lure of wealth, fame, and power. I’m motivated by bee...
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 ...
For a new sailor, a fateful trip sparked a seemingly impossible goal. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 When the sailing bug bites, it bites hard. It got me while spending 21 days aboard Selkie, a custom alumin...
How a mast overhaul marked the passing of an icon and a new chapter for a storied rigging loft. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 The 60-odd-foot aluminum tube, balanced horizontally on a custom two-wheeled car...
Custom treads made from composite decking take the pain out of a boat ladder. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 In the sailing world, misery for feet abounds—from scorched decks to stubbed toes to Slocum’s tack...
… and two more mid-’80s designs Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 The 1987 Hunter 33.5 predated my arrival as chief designer at Hunter in 1992, but was still in production until 1994. It was then replaced...
Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 Twenty years ago, I couldn’t have imagined myself as a sailor, much less an editor at Good Old Boat magazine. I grew up near Vancouver, British Columbia, one of the world’s gre...
Quiet morning moments on a boat bestow a tranquil richness Issue 149: March/April 2023 Is there any doubt that the best place to be in the world is on a boat first thing in the morning? Listen: For a ...
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...
Helping a classic Alberg come to life as a racer-cruiser Issue 149: March/April 2023 Sailing — moving a craft through the water using the wind’s energy — is a magical experience. Witness the var...
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...
