A versatile workboat expanded its range Issue 81 :...
June 25, 2026
A raven-winged friend helps a sailor count his blessings. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 During the decade we sailed our 38-foot Cabo Rico, Triana, a sizeable black crow marked the days from season to season...
Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Even though the sailors in our lives might think they have it all, we know there is always something they need. Their preferences can vary as much as their boats. Read on for s...
When a fellow sailor is in trouble, you help—no questions asked. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 It has been more than 10 years since that warm summer day when I first saw a new boat at our yacht club, moored...
A steep learning curve on a Speedy Stitcher eventually yields happy results. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Most sailors have seen a Speedy Stitcher or sewing awl. How many have used one? My first time was s...
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...
