Low-wattage lighting at low cost Issue 107 : Mar/Apr 2016 One of the best things that has come along for boaters (and homeowners) lately has been LEDs for lighting. They’re cooler in operation, seemin...
Put an anchor light on automatic Issue 109 : Jul/Aug 2016 After receiving a citation for not having an illuminated anchor light while moored in Miami’s Biscayne Bay, I did some research on how to buil...
Generating electricity via the prop shaft Issue 108: May/June 2016 When we are anchored for any period of time, our solar panels and wind generator pretty much keep up with our power needs. On a passa...
Making two wires do the work of three Issue 110 : Sept/Oct 2016 While I have never seen it in a physics textbook, I think there is an electrical law particular to good old boats. I call it Churchill’s...
Don’t be shocked by aging insulation Issue 110 : Sept/Oct 2016 When we were in Patagonia a few years back, we tied up at a marina in Puerto Montt for several weeks. We dug out our power cables a...
GOB’s troubadour tests conductors with an electric baton Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 As part of a major refit of our Tartan 37, Higher Porpoise, we decided to replace all the in-mast conductors whil...
Clip-on solar lights illuminate and identify Issue 114: May/June 2017 For about $5 each, I made wireless lights that I can install anyplace on the boat we have a 1-inch rail to clip them on to. They b...
A tour of the marina was illuminating Issue 114: May/June 2017 My good fortune to live on a small barrier island in Florida is offset by the misfortune of full-time employment that requires me to comm...
A new alternator delivers on the promise of faster charging Issue 116: Sept/Oct 2017 Electrical systems aboard cruising sailboats hang by two threads: the capacity and reliability of the batteries and...
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...
