Making it himself, he controlled both the design and the budget Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 While the electrical system aboard our Alberg 35, Tomfoolery, might have been state-of-the-art when she was buil...
An alternator puzzle leads down an illuminating electrical rabbit hole. Issue 130: Jan/Feb 2020 For several days while anchored off a remote Pacific island, wind and solar power took care of the batte...
Rethinking a battery lifting strap results in a longer-lived piece of essential boat gear. Issue 130: Jan/Feb 2020 Batteries are heavy. In a sailboat they are best positioned low, near the centerline,...
Need emergency running lights? Try soda caps, PVC, and a little ingenuity. Issue 132: May/June 2020 On a recent sail approaching our anchorage at dusk, I switched on the running lights and saw the sta...
Adding a second engine switch in the cockpit made singlehanding safer and easier. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Reading Robb Lovell’s review of the Beneteau First 345 (September/ October 2019), I realized f...
Installing a new motor in a dead solar vent was far more satisfying than the alternative. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 Shortly after buying my 1975 Tanzer 26 in 2011, I installed two 4-inch Nicro solar ven...
From a spare parts drawer and a galley, you can make a quick and easy anchor light. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 A functioning anchor light is a basic piece of vital equipment on board. And while you might...
An externally mounted sensor takes the guesswork out of the holding tank status. Issue 143: March/April 2022 In 2014, I rebuilt the holding tank in our 1978 Bristol 29.9 using 3/8-inch polypropylene w...
Installing GFCI outlets is an easy way to make your shorepower system safer. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 Ah, shorepower. Love it or hate it, it’s important, especially if you are a liveaboard. In a cold ...
Repurposing a 12-volt car cooler transforms an icebox into an inexpensive DIY fridge. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 Our boat Allamanda, a 1984 Alberg 29, has an icebox for keeping food. While this is a fai...
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...
How to craft a DIY electrical panel Issue 150: May/June 2023 After our family’s C&C 35-3 Secret Plans was stolen (Good Old Boat September/October 2022), we purchased a new-to-us old boat and named...
Replacing a boat’s halogen lights with LED ones is a satisfying, power-saving upgrade at a minimal cost Issue 150: May/June 2023 During long Quebec winters, while my small sailboat is covered on the h...
Installing a foot pump in the galley is a great way to save water Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 On many sailboats, the biggest use of fresh water is for washing dishes, which was the case on our 1993 Moody ...
A lack of insulation leads to a fridge overhaul and new stylish countertops Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 When my husband, Chris, and I were first looking at boats in 2018, we were young college students in...
A classic plastic gets a modern electric galley. Issue 155: March/April 2024 As I write this, I am about a day’s sail from American Samoa, bound for Fiji. Triteia, my 1965 Alberg 30, is running wing a...
An easily assembled base and two Bluetooth speakers provide a rockin’ sound system. Issue 137: March/April 2021 I spend a lot of time aboard my boat just tinkering. Other times, I sail her alone...
Furniture protectors make a quick, easy fix for sharp solar panel corners. Issue 137: March/April 2021 It wasn’t long after I installed the solar panel on the stern pulpit that I discovered the proble...
A simple elevator system enables top efficiency for depth sounder transducer. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 If you haven’t run aground, you haven’t sailed the Chesapeake,” is a common refrain among those wh...
Thanks to a little help from her friends, a good old boat finds a new paramour. Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 I didn’t really know Nat. Nothing beyond a friendly smile and hello as we passed each ot...
A backup battery system for a fixed-mount VHF ensures communications in an emergency. Issue 133: July/Aug 2020 Despite the introduction of satellite communications and cell phones over the past couple...
The LED revolution has seen a million rechargeable lights hit market—many for the marine market. I had one question on my mind when I received this Mantus Snap-On Light for review: Is there anything s...
Last year, as hurricane Dorian headed for Florida, I was forced to evacuate, leaving my schooner Britannia to fend for herself in a Cape Canaveral marina. For two days I worried about how she was fari...
Equalizing batteries can improve performance and extend their lifespan. Issue 131: March/April 2020 Lead acid house batteries aboard boats that spend most of their time in a slip and connected to shor...
Knowing battery basics and technologies empowers battery choices. Issue 131: March/April 2020 Aboard any boat with an electrical system there exists a need to store electricity. Enter the batte...
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...
When they were new, the four Rayovac 6-volt golf-cart (GC2) batteries on Phantom, our Pearson 365 ketch, had plenty of electrical capacity to provide all the power we needed to go three or more days b...
They put a check on electronic noise from RFI and EMI Issue 126: May/June 2019 Have you ever tried to listen to someone transmitting on their VHF whose voice was almost drowned out by an annoying buzz...
Simple or sophisticated, each type has its merits Issue 125: March/April 2019 When we bought our 45-foot Liberty cutter, Nine of Cups, in 2000, she needed a number of upgrades to convert her from a co...
A simple system will keep a frugal sailor’s battery topped off Issue 125: March/April 2019 When I first mentioned adding solar power to our Corsair F 24 trimaran, my boating partners choked. They envi...
