Having capitulated, here’s how to raise the waterl...
September 25, 2026
Safety and comfort increase with a companionway fix Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Sailboat designers have good knees. I know this because I’ve owned three sailboats with companionway step heights twice as ...
Helping the next generation of sailors to find sailing Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 In 2016, my family and I were lucky to witness the dawn of the resurgence of youth sailing in American Samoa. I wish eve...
Chainplates Re-done When my wife and I bought our 1983 Endeavour 33, we renamed her Gemini. They say it’s bad luck to rename a boat. They might be right. Bringing her to her new home in Oyster Bay, Ne...
Me Too! Wow, so others have run into power lines too (“The Fourth of July Meltdown,” The Dogwatch, July 2019)! Around 1968, my brother and I set off across Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay from Bay City...
When my wife and I bought our 1983 Endeavour 33, we renamed her Gemini. They say it’s bad luck to rename a boat. They might be right. Bringing her to her new home in Oyster Bay, New York, we slammed i...
A Dollar and Some Words = a Morgan 32 Do you want to own Paul Koepf’s Bagheera, a turn-key 1981 Morgan 32? She can be yours for $1, and a winning essay. Read on, this is good. First, the essay. In at...
If you’ve ever found yourself aboard, beyond cell phone reception, with a pressing question, you’ll no doubt appreciate the value of having a good reference book aboard. As you wrack your brain to rem...
Why build more than you need? Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 We wanted two things to enhance our sailing lives aboard our Catalina 34: protection from the sun and rain while at the helm and a solar panel to...
Correct adjustment of your spreaders may save your rig Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Next time you’re at the marina, look up. If there are enough sailboats around, you’ll likely find a variety of rigs, wit...
Delaminated fiberglass may conjure up images of free-falling straight through to the bilge but it need not frighten the most resourceful among us. The word “delamination” causes instant vi...
Book Reviews From 1998 Crusing Rules, by Roland S. Barth Dragged Aboard, by Don Casey Cruising 101: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Paradise, by Amy Sullivan and Kevin Donnelly Illustrated Dictionary of Boat...
Solving the problem of icing up in winter For those of us who live in the higher latitudes, the approach of the fall season reminds us of an upcoming conflict between our boating agendas and the impen...
A small project that brings satisfaction and pride. An acquaintance raised the question concerning those little wedges that hold the mast in column on many boats. On a recent sail in blustery conditio...
Vang/preventer: a fast, effective safety device I was guilty of contempt. Never a good thing, in this case it turned out to be a serious error. I had held a thunderstorm cell in contempt all morning. ...
The Valiant 32 was designed by Bob Perry as a smaller version of the successful Valiant 40. In the 1970s, a 30- to 35-foot boat was considered the optimum-size boat for a cruising couple. In response ...
Ease that fear of falling: Techniques for making a trip up the stick safer. The only sure things in life are death, taxes, and that – sooner or later – you will have to go up your mast. Ma...
Beefing up a retired racer with aluminum My mate, Karlene, and I looked long and hard for a sailboat suitable for world cruising that we could afford. I’ve become convinced that boat speed is an...
Epoxy, fiberglass, and a little cunning fix an old problem Tillers in some boats are known to break with regularity. If you’ve ever taken part in a drill of this nature, I don’t need to ex...
People may be impressed by a millionaire’s rocketship, but “ooohs” and “aaahs” are saved for the classic. A British author once wrote, in effect, that you can go away for...
You’ve found your dreamboat, had it surveyed, and signed up for a long and happy relationship. The broker said it holds 20 gallons of fuel and 40 gallons of water. He didn’t say where the ...
Whether constructed of steel or aluminum, metal yachts deserve a second look In the 1960s and early 1970s we rarely saw metal yachts in North American waters. Steel yachts had been built in Holland an...
Bent stanchions and delaminated decks When we were unloading our boat following a recent week-long cruise, I noticed the midship stanchion on the port side was slightly bent toward the stern. It was a...
Top designer Ted Brewer explains stability and how it affects safety and speed The speed of a sailing yacht in any given wind is determined, to a large extent, by the amount of sail she can carry. In ...
Your job requires a sealant. You don’t have to be a chemist to choose the right one. In my experience, there are always two things trying to get into your boat that you don’t want there: w...
The rig Americans made their own is still “scooning” after 300 years It’s not discreet to say this, but I’ve been having an affair, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It...
Build a one-off holding tank Like most good old boats, All Ways, my 28-foot Pearson Triton, was built with an overboard discharge marine head. Since my favorite cruising area was recently declared a N...
Buying, selling, new and used: Sail brokers can stretch your sailing dollars Those of us who love good old boats do so out of aesthetic preferences, sailing abilities, and – let’s face it ...
Rescue that rusting tank Tucked away under the cabin sole floorboards, the average fuel tank doesn’t get much attention from those of us who like to sail. In fact, it may be totally neglected un...
Well-known marine author Don Casey described how to remove the old engine from your good old boat. Now it’s time for the final exciting step … Even though engine brochures generally provide all ...
What you need to know before removing the old engine. The engine and shaft must be in precise alignment. This is the only hard, fast rule for installing a new engine in an old boat. Everything else yo...
