Have your boat text you when it’s in trouble Issue...
June 24, 2026
A stout bilge-keeler from across the pond Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 What were you doing in 1975? John Vokaty, then 48 years old, was working in corporate accounting when his wife, Helen, strongly sugges...
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...
When super-human effort isn’t enough, humanity succeeds Issue 90: May/June 2013 This is a story of disaster, struggle, despair, and dreams lost . . . but also one of friendship, creativity, redemption...
A journey alone around the world by sail and by foot Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Good Old Boat is proud to announce our 15th audiobook, this one by James Baldwin about the wonderful and rather unusual two...
Prevention demands diligence and vigilance Issue 90: May/June 2013 Ellen and I have been involved with two major boat fires over the years. The first was in the Caribbean on board Entr’acte, our Nor’s...
A solid, dependable racer/cruiser that’s just plain fun to sail Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Boat reviewers are tasked with finding a good example of the subject boat to sail and photograph. When the C&...
Years of tender care revived a wilting Watkins Issue 90: May/June 2013 Her name is Sundew. She’s a 1978 Watkins 27 shoal-draft cruising sloop. She was named after an award-winning tulip in Holland. Sa...
A simple way to power up or down the mainsail Issue 90: May/June 2013 Many mainsails have a cringle at the luff of the sail a few inches above the tack. It’s known as the Cunningham and is named after...
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...
Be prepared for visiting foreign ports Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Flags have been flying for more than 5,000 years. One of their first uses was for identification at sea. It has long been customary for v...
You can’t take all of them with you . . . Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 One of the things I knew I’d miss most, once we cast off the docklines and went cruising on the 31-foot Cape George cutter I’d built f...
Boat evolution is a non-linear process Issue 90: May/June 2013 Any search for exactly the right words can be a frustrating experience. This is especially true if you’re trying to explain a fundamental...
For taking in air with grace, nothing beats them Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 The best way to keep the inside of a boat fresh and free from mildew is to ensure that it’s adequately ventilated. Dorade boxes...
Tame reefing lines with neatly hitched coils Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Mainsail reefing systems vary in detail but have one problem in common: what to do with the excess lines from the reef-clew outhaul...
No coupling, no shaft, no strut, less DIY angst Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 There may come a time in a sailor’s life when the cherished family member needs to be repowered. I suspected that not all 13 hor...
Having circled the Americas, he’s now focused on the oceans Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 By the time you read this, with luck, Matt Rutherford will be back at sea. Aboard his newly refitted Colvin Gazelle,...
Where you are depends on where you measure from Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 A chart datum is a reference from which data or information displayed on a nautical chart is measured. One type of chart datum, ...
Movable appendages went almost full circle Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 In the early history of yachting there were two distinct types of sailing craft, keelboats and centerboarders, and at the time, as th...
. . . and two fellow CCA keel/centerboarders Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 I have to admit to having a prejudice toward keel/centerboarders — possibly due the fact that I own one — so I’m pleased to be look...
A fine example of Morgan Yachts’ debut design Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 In July 2011, Dave Pickard of Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, was walking out of the locker room having just won anothe...
Every step is an accomplishment in itself Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 I didn’t know this when I was younger. I haven’t been young for 20 years now, but some things, the best things, have no end, no finale...
Defy both chafe and corrosion Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Like many sailors, I spend much of my free time “dock walking.” I enjoy marine design in all its aesthetic variety and my “technical eye” is alway...
Good Old Boat evolves issue by issue Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 As we celebrate our 15th anniversary this summer, my office is lined with three-ring binders filled with a steady parade of our issues: 90 ...
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...
Big-box carabiners are the ultimate clip-ons Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 I’ve tried a number of arrangements for connecting the fenders to Wind-Borne, my 1985 Hunter 28.5, but none have been all that sat...
Fitting an Autohelm without harming the teak wheel Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 I searched high and low for my factory original all-teak wheel, the top of the line of about five wheels and a tiller that E...
Inside/outside viewing when navigating by tablet Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 About 30 years ago, I fabricated a teak swing-out arm for my navigation aids, a Loran and depth finder (it’s pictured in Mail ...
Care in the fall ensures a carefree spring Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Outboard motors on small sailboats should last a long time because they’re lightly used. Most are run only to get the boat into and ...
Clean new bases for turning blocks Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 I’m slowly replacing the teak on my boat with materials that don’t need refinishing. There wasn’t a lot to begin with, so whether I choose to...
Plumbing parts ensure it’s waterproof Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 When I unpacked my bright shiny new anchor windlass 30 years ago, I was impressed by the very capable-looking foot switch. Because I could...
