A DIY cutting board that works in the marina, underway or at anchor Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 I love it when a piece of boat gear has multiple uses. One favorite example is an angled cutting board I spo...
How 3D printing can help create new or replacement parts aboard Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 As an engineer, I’ve been intently watching 3D printing technology develop over the last decade. At its inceptio...
A simple DIY pump system can keep your bilge dry Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 “Ask me about my E.L.D.,” my friend says. What, you are probably wondering, is an E.L.D.? Admittedly, it’s just an acronym I ca...
A solution for smaller boats and sensitive waters Issue 155: March/April 2024 Let’s be honest — toilets aboard small boats are tricky and can be icky. My first cruisable boat, a Stiletto 27, had a che...
Turning the interior of a bargain trailer-sailer into a comfortable pocket cruiser Issue 155: March/April 2024 When hunting for an old fiberglass sailboat to adopt in the spring of 2022, I found many ...
Installing a cabin heater for cool cruising adventures in a warm boat Issue 154: Jan/Feb 2024 Honcho, our 1998 Beneteau 36s7, needed cabin heat. Even though we had given up cruising in the coldest mon...
A DIY soda machine satisfies a couple’s bubbly water obsession Issue 153: Nov/Dec 2023 We had just pulled into Ketchikan, Alaska, and we were desperate people. It wasn’t the days on end of rainy weath...
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 bar magnet and simple woodwork create an elegant knife-storage solution. Everything on a boat must have its place—especially knives. The last thing you need in the cabin during rough weather is a fr...
One of the most painful things I’ve ever done aboard a boat occurred while sailing Shoal Survivor, my PDQ 32 catamaran, off the coast of Virginia with my wife and 15-year-old daughter. Permanent berth...
A simple system developed for RVs provides a versatile table for saloon and cockpit. Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 Fulmar, our 1982 Pacific Seacraft 37, came to us without a dining table—not in the saloon,...
With the ship’s wheel base, a clever design makes for finer dining. Issue 134: Sept/Oct 2020 Our good old Bristol 35 has a cozy dinette in the main saloon, but the weather here in Florida often ...
Clever surgery on a standard bed mattress improves a V-berth’s sleepability. Issue 131: March/April 2020 When we bought Phantom, our Pearson 365 ketch, in 2001, my wife, Barbara, and I slept on V-bert...
We’ve got some poorly lit areas aboard (as you can see above), and they’re where we most need bright light: our under-the-bridgedeck galley sink and our chart table. Early on, we’d use a flashlight to...
Replacing a traditional marine head with a composting system is clean and green. Issue 132: May/June 2020 I love my new-to-me 1999 Beneteau 311, but the boat came with a very pronounced smell in the h...
Replacing a fabric interior hull covering with oak-on-cedar strips transforms a V-berth. Issue 129: Nov/Dec 2019 Manufacturers of many good old boats of the ’70s and ’80s were looking for time and cos...
An old galley gets a new view Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 “Take a look at all these small cracks in the window, it looks like frost.” “I don’t think the Sea of Cortez gets frost, Hon,” was my wife’s dist...
Better than new after half a century Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 There are few experiences I enjoy more than dropping the hook in an empty anchorage, early or late in the Lake Superior sailing season, wh...
Safety and comfort increase with a companionway fix Issue 128: Sept/Oct 2019 Sailboat designers have good knees. I know this because I’ve owned three sailboats with companionway step heights twice as ...
You’ve found your dreamboat, had it surveyed, and signed up for a long and happy relationship. The broker said it holds 20 gallons of fuel and 40 gallons of water. He didn’t say where the ...
Build a one-off holding tank Like most good old boats, All Ways, my 28-foot Pearson Triton, was built with an overboard discharge marine head. Since my favorite cruising area was recently declared a N...
Rescue that rusting tank Tucked away under the cabin sole floorboards, the average fuel tank doesn’t get much attention from those of us who like to sail. In fact, it may be totally neglected un...
The epoxy “cure” One of the most annoying problems that can occur on a sailboat is a leak in the diesel fuel tank. If you don’t have the time, expertise, or courage to attempt to rep...
Spoil yourselves and get a really good night’s sleep while aboard Have you ever wondered what you have to do to get a boat with a decent-size bed? My wife, Cheryl, and I searched for six years f...
The ClampTite alternative is more effective and less injurious Issue 127: July/Aug 2019 When most sailors think of hose clamps they think of the ubiquitous worm-drive steel clamp. Worm-drive clamps ar...
Prototyping bug-proofing possibilities for opening portlights My friend’s Westsail 32 has 10 opening portlights. That’s a lot of ventilation. Without screens, it’s also a lot of entrances for bugs. Th...
Banish mildew on your boat with a simple chemical brew As near as I can tell, boating consists of one part blue lagoons and white sails and two parts painting the bottom, fixing engines, and scrubbing...
A dehumidifier keeps a cabin dry and free from mold Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 My friend Don Smith and I live and keep our boats in Alaska. To control moisture aboard, and its negative side effects, mild...
