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...
A new cockpit locker provides stowage galore Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Have you ever seen a sailboat with too much cockpit locker stowage space? Neither have I. Unfortunately, the reverse is more typica...
Cure “old boat smell” with aromatic wood Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Each old boat has a comforting, mildly intoxicating, and unique smell: an indescribable combination of wood, salt air, and perhaps a bi...
Add to your sailing comfort this way Issue 62 : Sept/Oct 2008 “You’ve got too much time on your hands” was my son’s verdict when I said I was thinking about building stern-rail seats for my 1987 Freed...
Nav table, galley counter, and spray shield Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 Just above the starboard quarter berth and just under the sidedeck, we have a slide-out shelf. This shelf is adjacent to the compani...
Use an upside-down blade to cut without tears Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 For anyone fitting out a boat’s interior, the jigsaw is a very versatile tool. Unless you are familiar with a few simple technique...
Creating a bug-free zone down below Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 When you’re anchored in a marshy cove, it’s important to keep the bugs from invading the confined space belowdecks. Even if they aren’t the ...
Economical recycling of throwaway mahogany Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 My partner, Magali, and I have attempted to carry out the improvements and modifications to Sigfrid, our 34-foot 6-inch steel ketch, ...
Creating stowage for volumes and tools Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 The only thing I can compare to spending a rainy night reading while rocking at anchor in some distant, seal-haunted cove, is stretching ...
A hatch trick restores the view ahead Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 On some boats, the field of view from the helm is quite poor. We faced this problem on our Sisu 26. It was built in 1985 and some of the ...
A wood-burning cabin heater beats the chill Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 We sure do love a warm fire in the cabin when it gets chilly in the evening and early morning, so when we take our good old Pearson...
A handy extra work surface stows in a jiffy Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 Our 34-foot Creekmore, Eurisko, has a fixed dinette that’s always in use. When we’re not eating at it, our sons do their schoolwork ...
A hide-all that doubles as a handy holder Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 The previous owner of our 1973 Albin Ballad had installed an array of brand-new electronic instruments ranging from a fishfinder to a ...
An early riser solves the problem of clattering dropboards Issue 74 : Sept/Oct 2010 Gary Stoop built new teak companionway dropboards to replace the damaged ones that came with his well-used Ericson C...
Simple covers provide closure and containment Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 For a while, Ken and I each owned a 1986 Pearson 28-2. When these sisterships originally left their Portsmouth, Rhode Island, birt...
Eat at it, work at it, or park it . . . Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 On many good old boats, the saloon table is mounted on a post bolted to the cabin sole. The post-mounted Formica table on my Bristol 30 ...
Sailboat interiors have come a long way from being purely practical Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 When I was 15 years old, I would walk from our house on Mercer Island, Washington, to Lake Union, about 10 m...
Using the décor for storage Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 When we became the proud owners of our 34-foot Creekmore, we were impressed by her storage space. But when five of us moved our “essentials” aboard,...
An elegant accessory from an unlikely source Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 When we lived in Miami, my wife and I enjoyed nothing more than having dinner in the cockpit of Makani, our Ranger 29. We had a nic...
NuTeak brightens a once dim prospect Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 In 2008, at age 66, I fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing my first cruising sloop, a 1979 Hunter 30. Like many good old boats, Time-Ou...
Boxing in the space more than doubles its usefulness Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 The Pacific Seacraft Dana is a fabulous, well-designed boat. Two of us live aboard Doolittle with ease despite her small si...
A simple airflow control Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Dorade vents are great. They supply water-free air belowdecks even in a pouring rain or when spray is soaking the deck on a beat to windward.We have tw...
Thinking outside the lockers and drawers Issue 78: July/Aug 2011 Any of us who have lived or considered living aboard a boat understand the problem of finding enough space to stow all of our possessio...
Double doors do more than double duty Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 Living aboard a boat changes one’s priorities. What works for the occasional trip can become downright annoying on a daily basis. Take the...
Acrylic goes behind bars for its own protection Issue 78 : May/Jun 2011 One interesting aspect of socializing with other cruising sailors is discovering how they go about fitting out, maintaining, and...
A drop-in alcohol stove is an easy, functional fit Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Like most older boats, ours came with a worn-out and obsolete stove. Sarmiento, our Bristol 35.5, had a pressurized-alcohol f...
Making canny use of nooks and crannies Issue 80 : Sept/Oct 2011 My 37-year-old Cape Dory 28, Nikki, has been my home for five years. We swing on a mooring in Boca Ciega Bay near Gulfport on the midwes...
