Having capitulated, here’s how to raise the waterl...
September 25, 2026
Biodiesel fuel is the chief suspect Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 After a six-year trial, discussed at some length in the July 2005 issue of Good Old Boat, I have decided to suspend using biodiesel blends i...
Valuable tips for upgrading deck hardware Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 I have not spent a lot of time crawling around the hidden spaces of high-end luxury yachts, but the vast majority of the fiberglass pr...
Protecting cored laminates from failure around fittings Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Though most older fiberglass boats have hulls of solid laminate, their decks normally are built of two thin skins of fib...
Stay safe and sane when sailing singlehanded Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 My friend Dorothy’s brother was visiting from Ohio. She said he was a fellow sailor and invited me over for dinner. Her brother tur...
Rolling and tipping their way to glory Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Next time you’re down at the marina, take a close look at the hulls of your neighbors’ boats. You don’t have to look very far to see rub ...
Gearing up to build a catamaran at home Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 In the last issue, Dave Martin wrote about the chain of decisions that led to his building a catamaran in his garage. In this, the secon...
A novel construction method for amateurs Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Few parts of a boat are more vital than the rudder. If you lose the use of your rudder, you have no easy means of steering . . . always...
Plastic glazing materials have clearly different properties Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 For decades, most recreational boats have been built with hatches, windscreens, and ports made of rigid transparent ...
Learn to make safer, faster passages Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 After spending a few days in Jacksonville, Florida, we planned to head out the St. Johns River and then turn south into the Intracoastal Wa...
Basic insights into how they work Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Much complicated mathematics lies behind the deceptively simple appearance of a boat’s propeller, but it can be described and specified with a...
High winds and freak waves trap lake cruisers in a river Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Two artist friends and I spent more than a week in June 2003 sailing my traditional 27-foot cutter along Lake Superior’...
Three boats built expressly for speed and fun Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 George Olson designed one of the first successful ultralight-displacement boats (ULDBs), the one-off 24-footer Grendel, in 1970. I...
Fast and furious ultra-light fun Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Eric Thomas doesn’t swagger. It’s not his style. Even though he has won an amazing collection of sailing honors with his good old boat, an Olso...
How they shape up to perform their many roles Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 When people discuss yacht design you often hear the phrase, “Well, it’s all a compromise.” That sounds defeatist to me. But if the...
A small Danish motorsailer for all-weather cruising Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Larry Rosen dreamed of owning a boat that sailed well, was suitable for extended cruising, and that he could comfortably liv...
Fun comes first in the St. Petersburg GOB Regatta Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Steve Lang started something big in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a Good Old Boat subscriber, beginning with the very first issu...
Unruly wires get herded onto a bus Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Recently, a failed torque damper required the removal of our good old boat’s good old engine. I made arrangements with the yard boss to have ...
One project serves dual roles in the dinghy Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 There are times when boaters face minor problems that appear unrelated but can be resolved together. After I purchased a used Avon d...
Crucial dials and controls go under cover Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Scrambling around my boat’s cockpit, or watching someone else (especially kids) doing the same, has usually left me wondering when, no...
A springtime sail dishes up variety Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 It was my fault, really. I had unwittingly set the ball in motion by giving my husband, Dave, a copy of John Kretchmer’s Used Boat Notebook ...
Converting light fixtures to use LEDs Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 All the lighting on my sailboat now uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which consume only about one-tenth of the battery power the old inc...
Be a model captain by acting like one Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When you’re the skipper of a boat, you’re responsible for everything that happens on and to the boat. Nerve-racking, isn’t it? It’s hard t...
Phil Bolger’s take on a gunkholer is . . . different Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Phil Bolger’s small boat designs are quite unlike those of other designers. Not many builders would have the courage to put...
A circumnavigator adjusts to life’s shifting winds Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Last spring, a friend of ours sailed from our adopted homeport of Brunswick, Georgia, on the first leg of a planned circumnav...
For peace of mind, check what’s out of sight Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Some of the mechanical components on your sailboat are so reliable you probably don’t give them a thought. But don’t assume they’ll...
Meticulous planning ensures a perfect anchor platform Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When Bruce King designed the Ericson Cruising 31, he gave it a sharp entry. As a result, the deck at the stemhead is rathe...
The less costly route to water independence Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When we decided to transit the Panama Canal and head across the Pacific, we knew we would face a problem that had cropped up occasio...
A weatherproof housing for cockpit electronics Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 I recently swapped out my 22-year-old, obsolete Autohelm 3000 wheel pilot. Neither original nor aftermarket parts were available ...
Shooting stills and video for cruising articles Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 This article is an excerpt from Lin and Larry Pardey’s Capable Cruiser, third edition, which was published earlier this year. Th...
Ensure your first line of safety really is safe Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Lifelines are designed to reduce the chances of your going overboard. On many boats, however, these systems are poorly designed ...
