We’ve come a long way, baby, but our boats may be wired for yesterday Issue 5 : Mar/Apr 1999 The shorepower hookup on my first sailboat was a mechanic’s droplight and an outdoor extension cord — uncom...
Protect those beeping circuits from voltage drop Issue 18: May/June 2001 One thing that we can all agree on when it comes to older boats is that they never have enough battery power for all the new el...
An electric auxiliary motor is smooth, quiet, and reliable, but . . . Issue 20 : Sept/Oct 2001 Boats often outlast some of their mechanical components, such as their auxiliary engines. If you own a 20...
Auxiliary motor borrowed from a fork-lift truck; batteries from golf carts Issue 20 : Sept/Oct 2001 It was the kind of day that couldn’t figure out if it wanted to rain, be foggy, or grow dark. Rainbo...
Why not a solar garden light? Issue 23 : Mar/Apr 2002 The sailing club we belong to has limited dock space. Therefore, the majority of us have our boats on moorings. This is not normally a problem, bu...
Issue 25 : Jul/Aug 2002 At our dock we have three shore cables: the 35-amp AC power cable, the telephone cable, and the cable-TV. To keep the shore-end plugs of these cables out of the weather when th...
How to build a low-tech, customized electrical panel Issue 25 : Jul/Aug 2002 On our boats we all have electrical panels of one sort or another. On the low-tech end, some of us have minimal panels with...
Create a removable taillight assembly for your boat trailer Issue 28 : Jan/Feb 2003 It’s early May. We’ve had a great launch and sail. Sally and I have enjoyed our first day on the water. Our Yankee S...
How to bring a kerosene anchor light into the 21st century Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 FIRST I FOUND A GREAT KEROSENE ANCHOR LIGHT AT A MARINE swapmeet. Then I brought it into the 21st century with an LED ...
Thinking of a rewiring job? Here’s what you need to know Issue 29 : Mar/Apr 2003 There re a few fundamental principles you need to understand before you do any boat wiring. They are derived from Ohm’s...
And there was light: from Alpenglow on high, in the Montana Rockies Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 You know how difficult it can be to reach Someone In Authority (SIA) on the phone. It typically requires neg...
Follow these instructions for some really inspiring wiring Issue 36 : May/Jun 2004 We were on the Intracoastal Waterway a few miles south of Fernandina Beach, Florida, when the distinct tang of an ele...
One sailor’s way to make a movable bracket for a cabin lamp Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 Shore power (or a good battery bank and electric lights) is convenient, but nothing beats the comfort of a cozy sail...
Try these simple temporary repairs in emergencies Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 In an era when electronic development is leaving most of us behind, there are still ways to make small repairs and additions t...
Observe the ground rules and drive the gremlins out Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 My friend called with obvious concern in his voice. “John, something very strange is going on; I need your help! My boat is ...
A quest for reliable electrical connectors Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 MY BOAT CAME EQUIPPED WITH A POWERFUL AND RELIABLE hand-held spotlight. I consider a spotlight to be an essential piece of safety equ...
Add light-emitting diodes to your existing cabin lights Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 Because my wife and I are outfitting our Nor’Sea 27 for extended cruising, we wanted to replace our cabin lights with so...
Modern lighting projects for cruising sailboats Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 WE BEGAN TINKERING WITH LED lighting in our boat several years ago. Since then we have completed numerous small lighting project...
Detecting that faulty bilge-pump switch Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 If you have never had a bilge level switch fail, sooner or later it’s bound to happen. For a few bucks you can buy a stand-alone, batter...
Keep your batteries topped up with a slow but steady charge Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 On a bright, sunny day, with the sun directly overhead, the sun supplies about 1,000 watts of energy per square mete...
Combine a graphic with LEDs for a stylish update Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 No matter how much we love our old boats, we have all suffered from at least the occasional little bit of new-boat envy. Usuall...
What you need under power, sail, and at anchor Issue 53 : Mar/Apr 2007 When it comes to lights for sailing at night, small and medium-sized sailboats have options since several light combinations are ...
Extra cockpit light that also stows away Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 We have a Davis Mega-Light, cockpit version, which is a seriously cool gizmo — ambient light for the cockpit in white, red, or yellow w...
An inexpensive electrical system to keep your lights on Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 For sailboat owners rethinking their vessel’s electrical system, the broad and expensive range of equipment and technolo...
Who could have guessed his was half-submerged? Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 My ignition key had to be wiggled to get the engine instruments to become active and, since the same “wiggle” could happen on the...
Be cautious about adding new components Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 A boat’s electrical system gets attention pretty early in a restoration or refit. Most of us who are fixing up older sailboats figure we...
Converting battery power to alternating current Issue 62 : Sept/Oct 2008 An inverter is an electronic device that converts direct-current (DC) power (the output of your boat’s battery) to alternating-...
Complying with regulations Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 It seems that recreational vessels anchored without anchor lights are more the rule than the exception. However, the International Regulations for Av...
Up to 50,000 of these stalwart gasoline engines were built between 1948 and 1980 Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 In 1948, the Universal Motor Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, introduced a new engine model that ...
A remote-control searchlight on a sailboat is a bright idea Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 While preparing my Caliber 28 for a recent solo sail up the East Coast, I was in search of an affordable searchlight...
