Your guide to making a tricky job simpler and easier Issue 37 : Jul/Aug 2004 When you peer into the companionway of an unfamiliar boat, the first thing you notice is the cabin sole. It may be a textur...
Smart addition to a venerable Cape Dory 27 Issue 44: Sept/Oct 2005 LAST JANUARY I SET OUT TO REFINISH the interior woodwork of Linda Jean, our 1981 Cape Dory 27. Most of the interior woodwork was easy...
It’s easy to make some versatile sink covers Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 If your boat is anything like ours, the galley sink seems to get a lot of stuff stowed in it just as you are leaving the dock. It s...
Lightweight upgrade — their new cabin “carpet” came in cans Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 “What a stupid thing to have in a boat!” thundered my brother-in-law, as the loose carpet skidded out from under his...
A welcome use for scrap mahogany Issue 41 : Mar/Apr 2005 Our 1982 Hunter 27 had plywood hatchboards that were in desperate need of replacement. St. Angelo Hardwoods in Bristol, Rhode Island, had some ...
A beneficial alteration that keeps those feet out of the passageway Issue 41 : Mar/Apr 2005 My friend, Jack Higgins, never stops smiling. He has owned a Cheoy Lee Offshore 31 for better than 20 years....
Step-by-step replacement of a damaged cabin headliner Issue 42 : May/Jun 2005 When the surveyor was going through our 1978 Nor’West 33, Sailor’s Joy, during the pre-purchase survey, he remarked that i...
Bulkhead shelves you can take or leave Issue 43 : Jul/Aug 2005 I wanted to hang pre-fab accessory shelves (available in teakwood) in the galley area and main saloon of my Allied Seawind. I was loath t...
Simple improvement provides perfect engine access Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 After purchasing a Sovereign 24, the first trip to the water revealed the need to repack the stuffing box. Since the Sovereign...
Solving a cruiser’s chronic head-bashing problem Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 I awoke one morning a couple of years ago and felt my usual backache, so I lifted myself to change position and wham! bashed my...
Converting an awkward quarter berth into a handy cockpit locker Issue 46 : Jan/Feb 2006 Our Bristol 29.9, Quintessence, was built in 1978 when most builders’ brochures made much of how many people a b...
A cruiser’s improvements for sitting and sleeping Issue 49 : Jul/Aug 2006 Berths need to serve different functions depending on who’s in them and whether the boat’s in port or at sea. The traditional ...
Extra guest? No problem with this jumpseat Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 When we have guests sailing with us, there never seems to be enough room around the cabin table. To add another seat quickly, I inst...
Extend your time cruising … in comfort Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 Heating your boat in the off-season make sailing more enjoyable and extends your time on the water. For any planned heater installation,...
A wee dram and a little ingenuity create twice the storage space Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 IT STARTED INNOCENTLY ENOUGH LAST year. Bert MacKay, a sprightly Scot of indeterminable age, had found his way a...
Custom “elbows” mean more footroom, easier handling Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 It’s very common for older boats with dinettes to have a pedestal post for the tabletop. This allows the tabletop to serve d...
Rolling pin doubles as paper-towel dispenser Issue 53 : Mar/Apr 2007 Few onboard items are more likely to spread microbes around than that good old bug farm, the towel. Thus it came to be that we now ...
This grating bends to the contour of any floor Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 Marine gratings have one thing in common: they are rigid and fit only in perfectly flat areas. A curve in the sole means getting ...
A simple portlight maintains airflow Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 I’ve built a simple portlight vent into the companionway hatches of several of my boats and wouldn’t cruise without one. They help maintain...
A simple swing-up counter extension Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 The U-shaped galley in our Pearson 28-2 seemed more than adequate to me, especially when compared to that of our O’Day 222 trailersailer. Ho...
Here’s a simple catch-all for all your plotting needs Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 Oour 28-foot Pearson isn’t big enough for a dedicated navigation station with a chart table and drawers, so we need...
How to keep the library where it belongs Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 I’m a strong advocate of “a place for everything in its place.” This is especially true when stowing things aboard our boat, whe...
Carving a stern nameboard is easier than you think Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 For saltiness and elegance, few things beat a hand-carved nameboard gracing the stern of a proper yacht. Having one made is ...
A simple way to mute that midnight noise Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 Nothing spoils a good night’s sleep more than the occasional rattling of cabinet sliding doors — usually in the galley or head en...
Getting comfy starts with hard work Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 It was a cold march day on the Chesapeake when my wife, Marty, and I found the boat that was exactly right for us. We enjoyed sailing Take F...
Turn table placemats into portlight curtains Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 The curtains that came with our “new” old boat had a kitchen-curtain look: two panels of faded cotton strung on a plastic cord scre...
Oh, do you know the muffin fan? Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 It gets so hot in the tropics that we had to come up with some method of getting the stove’s heat out of the cabin. I took a 4-inch inspection p...
When the going gets cold, the cold insulate Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 How quickly we forget. Winter is much like childbirth to me: you must forget just how bad it really is or you would never put yourse...
Try staining with the help of Scotch-Brite pads Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Two years ago, I officially became a good old boatowner by purchasing a 1970 Hallberg-Rassy Mistral 33 with the intention of giv...
