Made with a teak substitute, they’ll never need varnishing Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 When it comes to teak, there are three simple truths: new teak is gorgeous; old teak needs regular maintenance; negle...
Year-round sailing leads to year-round upkeep Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 When we decided to expand our sailing horizons from northern freshwater “summer boating” to full-time cruising, we didn’t fully re...
Old decks get new non-skid out of a can Issue 76 : Jan/Feb 2011 As our Pearson 28, Indecision, approached her 30th birthday, my wife, Mary, and I began to think about refreshing her non-skid. Because ...
Boat projects seem to wait for the heat Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Fate has proclaimed that I should perform hard labor on the boat in the heat of July in the South. It was July when I had to drop the ru...
Not all trim needs to be bright Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Some boats have large amounts of varnished trim while others have little or no brightwork at all. Most good old boats fall somewhere in between;...
An old-world technique avoided a budget-busting haulout Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Throwing money at a problem may bring the quickest and easiest resolution, but the less expensive alternatives often pro...
Running rigging comes clean without tangles Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 October heralds the end of the sailing season for northern latitude sailors. Once my boat has been hauled from the water and safely ...
A novice learns some tricks from the pros Issue 83: March/April 2012 Stew must have had a good reason to schedule his knee surgery while our 47-foot Cheoy Lee was in the yard for two weeks, but for th...
. . . and take a dent out of your bottom cleaning Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 I sail a 1969 Columbia 28 out of Cedar Island Yacht Club in Kingsville, Ontario. Without something firm to hold on to, thoroug...
It takes more thought but saves time (and face) Issue 83: March/April 2012 “Do it right the first time?” I tend to learn more from not doing it right the first time. Then again, in boatbuilding there ...
Bet on it before you bet on luck Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Many boat projects require a reasonable amount of skill, but for the most part it’s your determination and vision that become the most importan...
A little lumber and a little labor is all it took Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 The hatch on my new good old boat, a 1972 Balboa 20, was not in the best of shape. The wooden pieces that enclosed the edges o...
Nail polish helps an anode stay attached Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Without trying to revisit political skirmishes involving lipstick and pigs, what good old boat wouldn’t benefit from a little nail poli...
A Stimson shed is the ideal cover-up for a project boat Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 Just about everyone who has ever owned an old boat for any length of time has had to face a frightening word: refit. Thi...
They gnaw on metal and at your peace of mind Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 When I was a child my cousin told me not to look under the bed because “there could be monsters under there.” It would be terribly ...
Clean, reliable diesel for the DIY cruiser Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 In our early years of cruising, we learned the hard way about how important clean fuel is. I didn’t worry about the fuel as long as t...
They block out heat, light, and prying eyes Issue 90: May/June 2013 When searching for our current boat, we developed a list of “must haves.” In addition to opening ports, we wanted more than one or t...
It prevents stray currents and preserves precious metals Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 In Trinidad, a few years ago, we had just finished our annual haulout. Our zincs were shiny and the bottom paint was fr...
Simple original construction means a simple repair Issue 90: May/June 2013 I should have paid more attention to my loose rudder bearing when I put the boat in the water, but it didn’t seem any worse t...
Damp skivvies provoke an impromtu pit stop Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 We put up with many inconveniences when sailing because we like to go where cell phones don’t ring. But wet underwear? That forced ou...
Low-stretch Dyneema has advantages over wire Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Our Liberty 458, Nine of Cups, just celebrated her 25th birthday. We replaced the lifelines the first year we owned her, using viny...
Give slime and scum the brush-off on the cheap Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Doesn’t every sailor yearn for another tenth of a knot? Especially when racing? I do. Lucky are those who trailer their boats and...
For taking in air with grace, nothing beats them Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 The best way to keep the inside of a boat fresh and free from mildew is to ensure that it’s adequately ventilated. Dorade boxes...
Clean new bases for turning blocks Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 I’m slowly replacing the teak on my boat with materials that don’t need refinishing. There wasn’t a lot to begin with, so whether I choose to...
A bolt replaces a faulty valve Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Though I have never seen any of this described, I have been having terrible problems with the self-venting drain valve on 500 series Racor filter...
Limiting wear from beach landings Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The cruising life is a hard one for dinghies, especially in tidal areas where they often have to be dragged 100 feet and more up pebble beache...
Hand-crimped terminals make for easy DIY Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Rust-colored stains in the cracked vinyl-coated lifelines on Galilean, our 1984 Islander 30, signaled corrosion at work. Vinyl-coated l...
Fire hose looks the part and takes the wear Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It would be about three hours before the morning tide would turn and take me on a fast-moving flood through Rich Passage on the way ...
A friendly deterrent to feathered friends Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 We recently took a marina vacation — a break from worrying about shifting winds and cold fronts while anchoring out. Since we rarely s...
A long-term problem cured Issue 96 : May/Jun 2014 Secret Water is an aging and much-loved 1965 Allied Seabreeze 35. During my stint as owner (1996 until present), she has had her share of annoying dec...
