Having capitulated, here’s how to raise the waterl...
September 25, 2026
Lightweight upgrade — their new cabin “carpet” came in cans Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 “What a stupid thing to have in a boat!” thundered my brother-in-law, as the loose carpet skidded out from under his...
Sloops and cutters — here’s a good look at the family tree Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 Most of today’s sailors think of cutters as having a rig much better suited for offshore voyaging than that of ...
Before the snow comes, build yourself a simple, economical boat shelter Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 Covering our boat marks the end of a season here on the coast of Maine. Warm colors have given way to th...
Expert advice on choosing the right caulk or bedding Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 During a visit to the local home improvement center, I chanced to meet a fellow sailing-club member. Barnacle Bob, as he’s ...
Learn the hard-won secrets of a frugal do-it-yourselfer Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 YOU MAKE LISTS OF THINGS YOU WANT to repair or upgrade on your project boat. But when you visit your local chandlery, re...
A third-generation performance cruiser Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 AT THE 1959 NEW YORK BOAT SHOW, CLINT PEARSON AND his younger cousin, Everett, introduced their first sailboat, the Carl Alberg-designed,...
Popular designer Bill Crealock drew this one for himself Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 I was in my early teens when I first fell in love. She was certainly pretty and beautifully shaped. And she was dark bl...
This was the boat they chose to “safely take them farther” Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 Jon Church spent much of his professional career as a geologist on oil rigs off the coasts of Sweden and Norway. For ...
Never was there a tender so beautiful, faithful, and worthy of a man’s love Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 I began construction of my first cruising sailboat, Fishers Hornpipe, in 1974, in Half Moon Bay, Cal...
Sometimes you get lucky. But not this time Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 At some point in the restoration of our (new to us) old C&C Mega 30 — in fact not too long after I started — I knew I would have ...
Cruisers are just normal people who have wonderful adventures Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 Is our lifestyle suited to cruising? Or is cruising suited to our lifestyle? Which inspires the other? We haven’t ...
Whether you use it or not, you’ll be judged by your speed Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 A few years ago, I set out to write a “trilogy of editorials” dealing with time, speed, and distance. The time editori...
A simple but effective idea to improve a dinghy’s tracking Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 I have made many modifications to our Hughes 26, Smooth Moves, over the years. Some have been real improvements, some...
Not even Sherlock Holmes would have solved this mystery Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 On the desk in my study there is a curious thin-bladed paper knife. As an item of intrigue it would not have disgraced t...
Here’s a quick fix for a serious anchor winch failure Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 The typical foot-operated anchor winch switch lives just a membrane away from a very hostile environment. This membrane is...
One sun, one mirror, and you’ve got The Best Darned Lifesaver, Period Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 Gather around, fellow sailors, and hear this tale about a simple little device that was revered by World W...
An expert woodworker reveals some homely truths about teak Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 Separating myth from reality almost impossible with a wood as well known as teak. From its “discovery” by the Dutch i...
Good kayak, but is it a dinghy? Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 Our C&C 30 didn’t come with a dinghy when we purchased her. On a hunch, we bought a 17-foot rotomolded two-person kayak that we manage...
Almost the answer but not quite Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 When Magnus, our newly refitted motorsailer, needed an appropriate dinghy, I surveyed my fleet. There was a gorgeous Phil Bolger-designed Glouce...
Turning an aging Pedrick 41 into a dream boat Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 My love affair with boats began in 1971, while I was ferrying aircraft in and out of Vietnam via Ching Chuan Kang, a Chinese Air F...
Keeping that drip-drip-drip under control Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 A shaft log guides the propeller shaft through the hull while keeping watertight integrity. It consists of two parts, a watertight sea...
How to repair corrosion damage on painted aluminum Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 How does the paint look on the painted aluminum of your boat? Is it bubbling up and breaking through the surface? This is the...
A 20-year-old 47-footer gets new rigging and spruced-up masts Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 There comes a time in the life of every vessel when it needs more than routine annual maintenance. Our 47-foot ste...
A solid old 27-footer proves her worth in choppy Buzzards Bay Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 I drew a long cool breath in the summer of 1998 when I first saw the hull of a 27-foot Cape Dory hull sitting in a...
Test your seamanship skills in tricky situations Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 SUN GLISTENS ON A PERFECT FRENCH POLYNESIAN SAILING day. The trade wind blows across the deep waters of the pass that cuts thro...
The answers . . . are simple and few. But many men just don’t get it Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 In the beginning, God created man, and man built himself a boat. It was good. Adam looked at Eve and asked ...
Youth and poverty turn a stock Cal 25 into a world cruiser Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 My decision to rebuild a Cal 25 for a voyage around the world was inspired by one basic fact: I was broke. A 25-foot ...
A cruising crew figures one good tern deserves another Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 The first light of morning trickled through the portlights of St. Pauli Girl, our old Bristol cutter, anchored in the lee...
Getting back to the water with very little money and a lot of effort Issue 40 : Jan/Feb 2005 I clearly remember driving down the interstate behind a 1972 MacGregor Venture 222. The boat was being pull...
