Plywood-and-epoxy kits add up to easier boatbuilding Issue 26 : Sept/Oct 2002 People have been building small wooden boats for eons in a process often shrouded in mystery. Steam boxes and molds for la...
What type of rudder’s on your boat? Advantages and disadvantages of each Issue 26 : Sept/Oct 2002 The main purpose of the rudder is to steer the boat, of course, but far too many sailors do not realiz...
Step-by-step instructions for making your own hard dodger Issue 27: Nov/Dec 2002 IN MY DREAMS I OWN A SLEEK high-performance sloop that goes to weather like a rocket. This dreamboat has a sexy little ...
A professional yacht designer says you might be happier with one Issue 28 : Jan/Feb 2003 The summer winds are fickle and light in many of the waters of North America. I’ve sailed in a number of them: ...
A resourceful Colorado sailor does a professional job in the wilds Issue 28 : Jan/Feb 2003 Last summer I had to replace the stern tube on my Pacific Seacraft Orion 27, Allegra. It was a stressful and ...
This unique paint-stripping material won’t rip off your gelcoat Issue 29 : Mar/Apr 2003 Chances are your boat has many years’ worth of paint on the bottom. Removing the paint buildup without rui...
Twins are good, says noted yacht designer. Just don’t call them keels Issue 29 : Mar/Apr 2003 First, I’d like to clear up the terms I use. Every dictionary I’ve seen agrees that the maritime “keel” is...
An eminent naval architect looks at variations on a theme Issue 31 : Jul/Aug 2003 In the good old days of wooden yachts and iron men, it was widely accepted that no sailing yacht under 30 feet could h...
All you ever wanted to know — and much more Issue 32 : Sept/Oct 2003 Webster’s dictionary: Scend (send), n. [<send, assumed to be a contr. of ascend], the upward heaving of a ship: correlativ...
Faux teak deck is a winner after three years in service Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003 In the January 2001 issue of Good Old Boat, I published an article about the new deck I made for my Pearson Triton, All ...
Here’s how to get that professional finish Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003 My Sunbrella dodger is a wonderful asset, and I can’t imagine why I sailed so many years without one. I keep mine in place nine month...
Designer Ted Brewer ruminates about the development of these popular designs Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003 The first center cockpit yacht that intrigued me was the British-built 26-foot Atlanta, a laminated...
The solution for simple boats and limited budgets Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 I had known about my delaminated foredeck for a very long time. The surveyor had missed it when I bought the boat, but I disco...
Don’t blame the cook if the galley’s no good Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 Napoleon once said that an army marches on its stomach. If that is true, a ship floats on its stomach. A well-fed crew is always a ...
Finer dining afloat calls for special table design Issue 36 : May/Jun 2004 Only the very largest yachts actually have a separate dining room. I’ve been on more than one that did, complete with linens ...
The magic combination of plastic and glass that changed boatbuilding Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 Composite construction in the United States began in the 1940s — during World War II — when a southern Cali...
You can do it yourself — if you have time and courage Issue 42 : May/Jun 2005 I’m going to stay out of the argument about why boats blister. I’ve heard too many conflicting “scientific explanations” o...
Providing extra support for an outboard mount Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 When coastal cruising, I like to tow the dinghy but with its small outboard mounted on the stern rail of the mother ship. This is ...
It’s not traditional on a catboat but it sure looks salty Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 Wannabe world cruisers dote on their alter egos, looking for ways to make them ever more perfect, capable of mee...
Here’s how to repair a hole in your boat’s hull Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 A few years ago, a fellow boater abandoned his boat on Lake Michigan as it was sinking in 450 feet of water. Several days later,...
An inspired solution to an intimidating problem Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 BELOW THE WATERLINE OF VESPERA, THE 51-FOOT CUTTER I had chosen as a refit project, the entire gelcoat surface was star-cracked. ...
A better way to keep the crew on board Issue 47 : Mar/Apr 2006 Commercial vessels have a lot to teach their recreational cousins, yet many of their lessons go unheeded. A prime example is cabintop han...
Extend your cruising season with this added protection Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 After many years of dreaming, sketching, and reading about other similar projects, a hard dodger became a reality for Whi...
How a world voyager improved light-air performance Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 If you wonder how much drag and hinderance a 2-, 3-, or 4-bladed propeller puts on a sailboat, I suggest you toss a large met...
One man’s response to an emergency haulout Issue 49 : Jul/Aug 2006 When my wife and I were trapped by fog in Burgeo, Newfoundland, we met Dave and Fran Dickenson, who were trapped there as well becaus...
Upgrading the ceiling of a Pearson 365 Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 As she came from the factory several decades ago, the starboard side of Maruska, my 1976 Pearson 365, had fiberglass panels trimmed with...
Using 16th-century trees for 21st-century boats Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Bob Bethea is devoted to his Nonsuch 30, but he calls its clinker-built tender his “heart and soul.” The attachment seems almost...
Learn how best to combat marine fouling Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 The year was 1625 when William Beale registered the first patent for a toxic underwater paint. It was a mixture of iron powder, cement, ...
Experiencing the value and beauty of simplicity Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 In the early 1960s i tooK a JoB in California. My wife, Dori, and I bought a house in Belmont, a small town in the hills overloo...
Custom-made davits for less than $200 Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 A dinghy is a darned nuisance! well, Perhaps not when the beach beckons, your neighbors in the anchorage have the cocktail pennant flying,...
