Experience the joyful Zen of boat restoration Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 It’s a good idea to begin a major fiberglass boat restoration project by starting each morning in front of the mirror repeating, “...
An uplifting way to cure pesky deck leaks Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 All the water that comes aboard our boat, whether from sea or sky, is supposed to drain off through scuppers in the sidedecks. Unfortu...
Four fateful words that spelled six years of work Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 Something must have blinded me to the first words in the Findings and Recommendations section of our boat’s pre-purchase surve...
Lines and words that define the cruising sailboat’s hull Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 About 10 years ago, I wrote an extensive article for another yachting magazine on how to understand hull lines. I work...
A boat’s bow says a lot about its behavior Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 In my first column (September 2009), I established the terminology I will use. In this issue and the next, I will apply those terms t...
A venerable Triton gets a valuable upgrade Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 One of the enjoyable aspects of owning a good old boat is exercising your creativity to make it it your own. My boat, a 1960 Pearson ...
How one owner designed and built a sturdy sea hood Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 Magnolia, my 1970 Cheoy Lee Offshore 27, came from the builder without a sea hood, either as an oversight or a budget decisio...
A boat’s back end speaks volumes about its character Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 In the previous issue (November 2009), I discussed how the shape of a sailboat’s bow affects performance and handling. Now ...
Valuable tips for upgrading deck hardware Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 I have not spent a lot of time crawling around the hidden spaces of high-end luxury yachts, but the vast majority of the fiberglass pr...
Protecting cored laminates from failure around fittings Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Though most older fiberglass boats have hulls of solid laminate, their decks normally are built of two thin skins of fib...
Rolling and tipping their way to glory Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Next time you’re down at the marina, take a close look at the hulls of your neighbors’ boats. You don’t have to look very far to see rub ...
Gearing up to build a catamaran at home Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 In the last issue, Dave Martin wrote about the chain of decisions that led to his building a catamaran in his garage. In this, the secon...
A novel construction method for amateurs Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Few parts of a boat are more vital than the rudder. If you lose the use of your rudder, you have no easy means of steering . . . always...
How they shape up to perform their many roles Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 When people discuss yacht design you often hear the phrase, “Well, it’s all a compromise.” That sounds defeatist to me. But if the...
Of foils, fins, ballast, and bulbs Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 In the previous issue, in “All About Keels; Part 1,” Bob Perry discussed the terminology and the compromises inherent in keel design. In this...
How the holes in your hull can take your boat down Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Although fiberglass, steel, and aluminum are not naturally buoyant, they can be fabricated into a shape like a boat hull that...
Examining what lies beneath and behind Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 If you go through the various texts on yacht design, you will find the section on rudders to be relatively anemic. Rudder design is trick...
Persistence’s owner thanks his lucky stars Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Call it “boat tattooing” if you like. With a razor knife, a few ounces of epoxy, and some homemade wood filler, or maybe even your l...
Rolling out a mirror finish is all about preparation Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 Few upgrades can change the looks of your boat as dramatically as a gleaming new coat of paint on her topsides. Modern two-...
Stave off rust with diligence, coatings, and care Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 Steel is probably the most misunderstood boatbuilding material — especially in the USA. Many people (so-called experts include...
Procrastination pays off in mahogany and bronze Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 The restoration of the Vera May, the 33-foot Hallberg-Rassy Mistral that I belong to, began about four years ago. After moving h...
Fearless cruisers defy the prophets of doom Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Reading Karen Larson’s editorial on overcoming fear in the May 2010 issue brought back memories of some of the fear-inspiring projec...
It takes fortune, fortitude, and a well-stocked pickup truck Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 My friend Tony, who owns a nice Ranger 23, called one day last spring to say he had a problem with his boat. He as...
Under its dull, chalky finish lies a shiny boat Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Believe it or not, it is possible to bring the shine back to a good old boat. Most of the thousands of aging fiberglass boats ou...
Rubber roofing out of a can does the trick Issue 90: May/June 2013 Over the years I have tried several methods to create a watertight mast boot. As a temporary fix, I once used duct tape. It was inexp...
Centerboards, daggerboards, bilgeboards, and leeboards Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Sailboats need draft if they are to sail to windward efficiently, but deep draft limits boats to sailing in deep waters a...
Movable appendages went almost full circle Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 In the early history of yachting there were two distinct types of sailing craft, keelboats and centerboarders, and at the time, as th...
Doing a brutal job without the heavy lifting Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 If you own a good old boat you’ve no doubt had the dubious joy of working on its bottom. Perhaps multiple coats of bottom paint ha...
Rolling Awlgrip for a mirror shine Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 In this first of two parts, Anne and Chris make the decision to apply Awlgrip to the topsides of their Bruce Roberts 45, Mr. Mac. While they ...
Rolling Awlgrip topcoat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In part one, in our November 2013 issue, Anne and Chris explained the research that went into selecting Awlgrip for painting the topsides of their Bruce...
