Full metal jacket replaces aged-out on-deck woodwork Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 My Cal 9.2, Jade, was in a distressed state when I bought her. She’d experienced a chainplate failure and had a large numbe...
Worldwide connections give a 50-year-old sailboat a new lease on life Issue 123: Nov/Dec 2018 It’s midafternoon in late August 2015, and the wind is howling at a near gale. We’d put two deep reefs in ...
Adding a gate in the stern pulpit makes for easy in, easy out. Issue 130: Jan/Feb 2020 We love our 40-year-old Catalina 27, but it has the old-style stern pulpit with no easy access to the swim ladder...
Fabricating a spray hood changes the companionway game. Issue 139: July/Aug 2021 Our 1965 Alberg 35 has been a wonderful boat to us, but there are a few places where she could stand to be a little mor...
Nobody likes a leaky hatch. Here’s how to re-bed one. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 My husband, Robin, and I met fellow cruiser Adva Reshef in a boatyard, and we became fast friends making repairs to...
Extensions make older-style cockpit coamings far more comfy to lean against. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Kicking back and relaxing in the cockpit of one’s sailboat, especially if it is well-designed, cons...
Great modifications make all the difference on three good old boats. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Spend any meaningful amount of time aboard a boat, and its shortcomings quickly become apparent. That wet l...
Issue 143: March/April 2022 What to do with rotted wood on a boat? Whether it’s a supporting internal structure or a wood-cored fiberglass sandwich exposed to the elements, either may be remedied with...
Hot-melt glue solves a sticky situation when rebedding deck hardware. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 Recently, we wanted to replace the Dorades on our 1979 Gulfstar 37 with lower-profile solar vents....
For certain applications, glued-on studs are an alternative to through-bolts. Issue 147: Nov/Dec 2022 Through-bolts are the gold standard for strength and security when it comes to attaching stuff to ...
How safe are your chainplates? Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 “What’s this? It looks like you have a crack in this chainplate!” my friend John said while dropping into his dinghy. It was our final afternoon ...
Custom treads made from composite decking take the pain out of a boat ladder. Issue 148: Jan/Feb 2023 In the sailing world, misery for feet abounds—from scorched decks to stubbed toes to Slocum’s tack...
Helping a classic Alberg come to life as a racer-cruiser Issue 149: March/April 2023 Sailing — moving a craft through the water using the wind’s energy — is a magical experience. Witness the var...
Regulating copper-leaching rates of antifouling paints may be better than banning them Issue 149: March/April 2023 Copper is lethal to many marine organisms. That’s why it works. Antifouling paints re...
Determined to reduce his environmental impact, a sailor seeks an alternative to ablative-based antifouling paint Issue 149: March/April 2023 Several years ago, my wife and I were cruising the Bahamas ...
When the surprise of a bad rudder comes to light, there’s only one direction to go — forward Issue 149: March/April 2023 I have to start this story with a few warnings. Your rudder matters. Don’t take...
The emotional roller coaster is an inevitable part of the boatyard journey Issue 149: March/April 2023 I have complicated feelings about boatyards. Strolling among the jack stands, with the boats and ...
New through-hulls and lessons learned during a marathon haulout Issue 149: March/April 2023 I first stepped on a sailboat in 2015 and met my now-husband, Scott, at the helm. A friend brought me along ...
A timely prompt leads a DIYer to create new chainplates Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 It all started because of a sailor named Ed, which is somewhat odd since I don’t even know Ed. But maybe I should...
The late Gordon Lightfoot’s ’70s-era Ericson gets a proper rig and hull refit Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 The calls, emails, and texts started coming in to my wife, Lisa, and me on the evening of Ma...
Rebedding a cabin top eyebrow to solve a pesky leak Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 Winter covers come off boats late up here in Maine, leaving a short, often cold window to get ready for launch. Last year, b...
An inexpensive cure for a crowded cockpit Issue 155: March/April 2024 We are seasonal sailors on the Great Lakes, and summer is a time for having fun with our family and friends. We love having guests...
When the right boat proves elusive, a sailor tackles a major overhaul. Issue 155: March/April 2025 My search for the ideal beach cruiser started several years ago, when I decided to compete in the Eve...
A Montgomery 12 becomes a family project that perpetuates the love of sailing. Issue 155: March/April 2024 Restoring a 1974 Montgomery 12 sailing dinghy with my identical twin boys, Jackson and Connor...
Bringing an old boat back to life provides relief in trying times. Issue 155: March/April 2024 My husband lifted the shabby dinghy off the bed of the truck, slid the decrepit 8-foot hull onto a rollin...
On an ill-fated voyage home, a young family learns lessons in seamanship and community spirit Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 All sailors start somewhere. As a teenager, I was infatuated with stories in Natio...
What started as a joke between sailing partners became a transformational DIY bow thruster project Issue 149: March/April 2023 David Jolly and I are partners on Kindred Spirit, a 1985 Bayfield 32C tha...
After a winterlong refit, a 51-year-old daysailer looks sharp and sails like a dream. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 My partner, Nancy, and I are in our mid-70s and have enjoyed ocruising in New England abo...
A sailing buddy asked for my help solving a problem on the hard dodger aboard his Taswell 45. Over the years, a series of small cracks had appeared in the top surface that was composed of some kind of...
Replacing leaky toerails with beautiful bulwarks was an intensive but rewarding job. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 Despite her many attributes, our 1979 Cheoy Lee 41, Avocet, for a time was living up to the...
