Have your boat text you when it’s in trouble Issue...
June 24, 2026
Channeling old masters through metal tubing Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 When Jennifer and I bought Phoenix, a Hans Christian 33, we had the luxury of being able to install some systems from scratch and th...
What’s the D/L with the SA/D? Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Good Old Boat receives frequent letters from readers asking for an explanation of the formulas used to compare sailboats. We generally refer peopl...
After the storm, it’s decision time Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 For some sailors, after a storm or hurricane comes relief. The mooring held. The neighboring steel boat didn’t break loose during the night ...
A good old classified helps a Chris-Craft Capitan Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 It took two men and 16 years to complete an international effort to save Sophie. She was a little blue sloop, just like the bo...
Wire leashes tame hardware wanderlust Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 The tack of the mainsail on Ternabout, our 20-foot Matilda sloop, was clipped to the gooseneck with a big cotter pin. It did its job well,...
Grandchildren keep the wind in the family’s sails Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 In these my retirement years, I spend many hours messing about on Hornblower, my 1976 Pearson 35. One day, the sea breez...
Evaluating three variations on a theme Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 In the article, “Defining a Pilothouse,” in the September 2013 issue, we looked at how the aft end of a sailboat’s coachroof is designed ...
Sophisticated mechanisms that use a simple principle Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Windvane steering was pioneered by Blondie Hasler in the 1960s and is the autopilot of choice for many bluewater sailors. I...
A solo sailor is active in mind and body Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 In 1974, I owned a varnished wooden Folkboat in Branford, Connecticut. On my first try at sailing solo I was wracked with anxiety, not ...
The rich rewards of sailing solo Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Over the years I’ve learned that, without quiet contemplative time on the water, I suffer as if from lack of freedom. The mind of a sailor seem...
A spacious and comfortable wing-keel cruiser Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 A certain connection draws some sailors back to favored nameplates. Such was the case for Jeff and Liz Fleenor. Jeff was a longtime...
Guest editorial Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 The chart plotter has evolved into a wonder that has simplified navigation and route planning beyond the dreams of sailors of old. Over the last decade, chart p...
Opening the door to a new paradise Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 You don’t have to cross oceans to enjoy sailing and you don’t have to sail around the world to have grand adventures. As my husband, Dave, pu...
A bolt replaces a faulty valve Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Though I have never seen any of this described, I have been having terrible problems with the self-venting drain valve on 500 series Racor filter...
Limiting wear from beach landings Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The cruising life is a hard one for dinghies, especially in tidal areas where they often have to be dragged 100 feet and more up pebble beache...
Wheels take the weight off a paddler’s shoulders Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 It’s not easy for a sailor to stay occupied with boat-oriented projects when snow covers the ground. Building a cart that simpl...
After buying back his boat, he brought her back again Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The legendary singlehanded sailor looked me in the eye, paused for dramatic effect, and said, “Ray, buy this boat. You wil...
An inferior anchor was a drag Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Autumn in the northeastern part of the North American continent is a golden time of year. Gone are the summer mugginess and drab green scenery, re...
Turbulent economic winds pruned a budding sailboat industry Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Most owners of good old boats have a strong association with Japanese products: Yanmar diesel auxiliaries are popula...
A drop leaf makes and saves space Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Owners of sailboats of a certain vintage face a dearth of counter space during food preparation and galley cleanup. The boat is, after all, a ...
Conduct ocean passages from the Maestro seat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In the mid-1960s, Bernard Moitessier was in Tahiti preparing his 40-foot steel ketch, Joshua, for a “fast return to France” by way ...
A new panel and gauges to keep tabs on the motor Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 My good old boat, Nurdle, is a 1979 Bristol 35.5 centerboard model, a Ted Hood design with fairly heavy displacement but a mode...
Hand-crimped terminals make for easy DIY Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Rust-colored stains in the cracked vinyl-coated lifelines on Galilean, our 1984 Islander 30, signaled corrosion at work. Vinyl-coated l...
Let how you cruise be how you choose Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Cruising in trailerable sailboats has its advantages. In the winter, you can get your boat from the frozen north to Florida at 60 mph in a ...
Rolling Awlgrip topcoat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In part one, in our November 2013 issue, Anne and Chris explained the research that went into selecting Awlgrip for painting the topsides of their Bruce...
Designing by eye gives way to numbers Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 We have discussed at length in recent issues the design formulas used to compare boats of different designs and reach conclusions regardin...
Wireless systems depend on this wire Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Coaxial cable, or coax, is used for transferring radio-frequency energy from one place to another. It was invented by English engineer Oliv...
A well-built sloop with an unstayed mast Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Frustrated with the sailboat offerings of the time, Garry Hoyt decided to do something about it. The former advertising executive and c...
Little Mystic’s crew is in awe of their grace Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 That old saying about how “the sea is so great and my boat is so small” never seemed truer than this past summer when Mystic’s 30 ...
A breathtaking show for an audience of one Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It’s just past 2 a.m. The only sound is the velvet swish of water sliding along the hull. We’re about 50 miles offshore with no sign ...
