Diesel envy? Take another look at the gasoline engine that came with your good old boat Issue 1 : June 1998 If you own a sailboat, there is a good chance that you recognize the Atomic 4 engine by name...
Issue 2 : Sept/Oct 1998 Wet exhaust systems with waterlift mufflers are the common choice for sailboats being built today. They are quiet and, for the most part, reliable. As the good old boat fleet a...
Guidelines for evaluating and installing wet exhausts Issue 2 : Sept/Oct 1998 The most popular sailboat exhaust system today is a wet exhaust system which includes a waterlift muffler. This system off...
Issue 4 : Jan/Feb 1999 There it was: covered in rust and grime, cowering in the engine compartment of the 1961 Pearson Ariel in which I was interested. I asked the yacht broker if it ran, and he said,...
What you need to know before removing the old engine Issue 9 : Nov/Dec 1999 This is first of a two-part series by well-known boating author Don Casey. Here he tells exactly how he extracted an Albin d...
Part 2: Getting it to fit Issue 10 : Jan/Feb 2000 In the November 1999 issue, well-known marine author Don Casey described how to remove the old engine from your good old boat. Now it’s time for the f...
Stories abound, but what’s the truth? Should you leave the engine in gear or not when sailing? Issue 12 : May/Jun 2000 Do you sail with the engine in gear, or out of gear? The experts say the issues a...
Issue 13 : Jul/Aug 2000 Shortly after purchasing my 1979 Ericson Independence in 1995, I began to think that I didn’t want my Yanmar diesel to sit idle full of salt water. The boat had spent its life ...
A poor sailor is someone who just can’t afford New Stuff. Here’s one man’s $3,500 solution Issue 16 : Jan/Feb 2001 My boat, Seaker, a 1971 Ranger 29, had been donated to the Boy Scouts. From what litt...
How to lift your engine with a spherical air bladder Issue 27: Nov/Dec 2002 AS I WAS GROWING UP, I SUSPECT SEVERAL COACHES SAID, OUT of earshot, “Now there’s a boy who doesn’t know what to do with a b...
Issue 21 : Nov/Dec 2001 At a friendly seaside town in Wales — the last place you’d expect to have problems — one of our oars disappeared from the dinghy while we were enjoying a walk ashore. It was a ...
A 27-year-old outboard starts a newer, deeper life Issue 21 : Nov/Dec 2001 I bought Brushfire, my 1975 San Juan 24, from the Sea Scouts. Before I agreed to the deal, the Sea Scouts offered to throw in...
Installing an outboard motor well on a 28-foot cruiser Issue 27: Nov/Dec 2002 WHEN OUR BOATS WERE HAULED for routine maintenance at a Trinidad boatyard recently, my friend, Theo, asked me for suggesti...
Tips on how to extract the old one and install the new one Issue 27: Nov/Dec 2002 IN THE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER ISSUE OF Good Old Boat, we discussed the decisions to be made when the inevitable day comes t...
New engine or rebuild? And should you install it yourself? Issue 26 : Sept/Oct 2002 Chances are your boat is like a member of the family. You could no more dispose of it than sell your only child. But...
A little tender loving care brings longer trouble-free life Issue 34: Jan/Feb 2004 DIESEL ENGINES ARE NOW THE ENGINES OF CHOICE FOR auxiliary sailboats, and with good reason. They have a superior reco...
How to stop a diesel that’s running amok Issue 31 : Jul/Aug 2003 A runaway diesel engine can be a destructive, dangerous, and terrifying experience for people nearby. Although it happens infrequently,...
Acid can cure those temperature-rise blues Issue 31 : Jul/Aug 2003 I guess I’m not much of a sailor. After racing in doldrums for a large part of my life, I find irresistible joy in turning to m...
How a mysterious mechanical malady was finally cured Issue 32 : Sept/Oct 2003 The other day we were out sailing and headed home when the wind died. We turned on the engine and motored back to the harb...
Generating electricity — how the alternator and regulator produce their magic Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003 Although sailboats are usually small and compact, they have the infrastructure of a large city: th...
All thumbs? The Speedseal will see you right Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 If your auxilary pump uses a water pump with an impeller, inspecting it regularly can prevent serious problems. In 1999, when we pu...
A woman singlehander loses her heart to that old lump of iron down below Issue 36 : May/Jun 2004 Most sailors don’t miss the motor after they part with their first auxiliary-powered sailboat. Bu...
Eight ways to steer a boat Issue 36 : May/Jun 2004 When it comes to steering a sailboat, even die-hard wheel enthusiasts agree there is no steering system that is simpler, more affordable, or offers b...
Too big an engine for an auxiliary can be a mistake, warns Ted Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 Owners planning to repower their yachts almost always decide to put in bigger engines, reasoning that they will a...
The debate over outboard engines continues Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 So you’ve finally decided to retire that old 7.5 Merc you have hanging off the transom of your beloved sailboat. The smoke and ...
How one cruiser swapped power for ease of handling Issue 49 : Jul/Aug 2006 Our 8-hp Honda, all 98 pounds of it, is for sale. When we bought the engine back in 1995 it was intended to help our 1976 Nor...
Installing an inboard engine in a boat that never had one Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 Some sailors are hypocrites. I’m a hypocrite. We profess to believe in the power of the wind, yet few of us go ...
Avoiding engine failures in rough seas Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 IT USUALLY TAKES A COMBINATION OF failures, poor decisions, and bad luck to narrow down your options. We had been learning that our new cr...
The basics on auxiliary propulsion systems Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 Unless you are exceptional sailors and purists, like Lin and Larry Pardey, you probably have a mechanical propulsion system on board ...
Custom waterlift muffler calls for creative approach Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 My friend, Ken Simmons, and I ran into a common problem when we replaced the aging Atomic 4 in his 1968 Pearson Vanguard wi...
