Replace your depth sounder and get a GPS for free Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Sometimes sailing can seem like it was intended for those few folks with high standards and even higher budgets. Since that so...
Practical and economical professional advice Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Having spent 35 years in the fire service, with more than half of that time as a Medical First Responder, when it came time to outf...
The Compleat (sailing) Angler Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 For more than 25 years, I’ve been doing practical research on the best method for fishing from a sailboat. The result of my accumulated research c...
Stowing oars and more in a plastic tender’s slick interior Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Back in the days of wooden dinghies, or at least wooden seats in plastic dinghies, a person always had a place to las...
An automatic bailer for deck puddles Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 This is not an original idea. We copied it from fellow sailor and Good Old Boat publisher Michael Facius. After all, we figured, if it work...
A new way to get a grip on deck clutter Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 “OK, Sam, slap the cuffs on her.” This line from an old B-rated cops-and-robbers movie could have a new life as good advice on how to ke...
Custom woodwork at a price you can’t beat Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 Having never given the subject much thought, I assumed that all overhead hatches were fitted with some sort of locking or adjustable s...
Pick up a mooring with grace and élan Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 A mooring-and-buoy system consists of an anchor, a length of chain, and a mooring buoy that both holds up the chain and marks the location...
Getting a grip on a slippery problem Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Just as Imelda Marcos was addicted to footwear, I confess I’m addicted to tools. And not just any tools, either. I’m addicted to pliers. At...
A modern adaptation of an old tradition Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 On sailing ships, an opened cask, or butt, of water was often placed near the galley scuttle. This “scuttlebutt” was where the crew coul...
Color-coded coils take stress out of docking Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 When cruising, it helps to have aboard an assortment of docklines of various lengths so you can secure your boat in a variety of tr...
Turn, turn, turn on the lights Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Do you remember the Green Lantern, the DC Comics superhero of the 1950s? This article isn’t about him; it’s about my multi-function, crank-powere...
Security without using pliers or rigging tape Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 I was in a fabric store buying sticky-back Velcro tape for use on insect screens when I saw a Velcro product named One-Wrap. This ...
Make your own handy-billy Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Most good old boats have all the mechanical muscle a person could want in the form of powerful winches. Boats at the smaller end of the scale, however...
Basic insights into how they work Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Much complicated mathematics lies behind the deceptively simple appearance of a boat’s propeller, but it can be described and specified with a...
Crucial dials and controls go under cover Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Scrambling around my boat’s cockpit, or watching someone else (especially kids) doing the same, has usually left me wondering when, no...
Meticulous planning ensures a perfect anchor platform Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When Bruce King designed the Ericson Cruising 31, he gave it a sharp entry. As a result, the deck at the stemhead is rathe...
A weatherproof housing for cockpit electronics Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 I recently swapped out my 22-year-old, obsolete Autohelm 3000 wheel pilot. Neither original nor aftermarket parts were available ...
Ensure your first line of safety really is safe Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Lifelines are designed to reduce the chances of your going overboard. On many boats, however, these systems are poorly designed ...
Creating confidence through a safe boarding experience Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Few things complement the pleasure of boating like a proper boarding ladder. For children, parents, and grandparents alik...
A seagoing ketch gets a brand-new steering system Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Over the past nine years, my partner, Magali, and I have been steadily modifying our ketch, Sigfrid, to turn her into a practi...
An inflatable dinghy gets a homemade upgrade Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Before my partner, Magali, and I left England on Joass, our 32-foot wooden gaff cutter, in the spring of 1998, we bought ourselves...
Protect your investment from weather and covetous knaves Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 Many GPS chart plotters are designed for bulkhead mounting but, if they’re visible, thieves love them. With that in min...
An in-line valve eliminates the on-dock sprint Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 Upon coming into a marina, our first priority is what we like to call “watering the boat.” The procedure begins with filling her ...
Habitual tinkering comes up trumps Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 Self-steering is the elusive silent partner of every singlehander. Dozens of commercial products have been devised to deliver this blessed gr...
Flat, yes; horizontal, no Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Finding charts we’d stored on board our 34-foot Creekmore, Eurisko, used to be a constant game of hide and seek. When we put charts on the navigation ...
A hard dinghy becomes a rigid inflatable Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 Twenty years, two kids, and a dog later, I finally had to face facts — the family dinghy no longer fit the family. My wife and I had ac...
A little pram dinghy is a workhorse and a comfort Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 We wouldn’t cast off without our 8-foot pram in tow. It’s convenient to have her in the water and ready to go when we finally ...
Recycle shrinkwrap and save time and money Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 It was the worst of times: I didn’t know if I would launch our beloved 33-foot Cape Dory, Femme du Nord, in spring. I didn’t know if ...
Two-axis mounts make solar panels adjustable for greater gain Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Having cruised through the South Pacific twice, we knew the value of solar panels for keeping our batteries charge...
