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...
Jeremy paused, “Six pulls, right?” I glanced back at the small print on the paint can, “Right. And then three of the reactor. That’ll give us just about the perfect amount.” He nodded, dropped the syr...
Sailing seemed over, till an old friend returned. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 “Sailboat for sale. $400.” The ad caught my attention: just what I was looking for, and the price was right. “It just ne...
Working alongside shipwrights shines a new light on hands-on. Issue 135: Nov/Dec 2020 Not long ago, as I was combing through the employment want ads, one job leaped from the page. A shop that speciali...
An old instrument’s housing provides a platform for its replacement. Issue 131: March/April 2020 When we bought Phantom, our 1981 Pearson 365 ketch, in 2001, she had old Signet Marine instrumen...
With Corian countertop material as a core, a new centerboard takes shape. Issue 131: March/April 2020 I’m one of the lucky few. Not only do I sail a boat with a centerboard, the centerboard on my Alli...
There’s more than one way to fasten the two biggest boat parts Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 It is the nature of boats that they be built as two primary pieces — hull and deck. Over the decades, boatbuilde...
Delaminated fiberglass may conjure up images of free-falling straight through to the bilge but it need not frighten the most resourceful among us. The word “delamination” causes instant vi...
Beefing up a retired racer with aluminum My mate, Karlene, and I looked long and hard for a sailboat suitable for world cruising that we could afford. I’ve become convinced that boat speed is an...
Bent stanchions and delaminated decks When we were unloading our boat following a recent week-long cruise, I noticed the midship stanchion on the port side was slightly bent toward the stern. It was a...
