Rescue your nose from those shipboard odors Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 It’s that first waft of air that rushes up after a long winter — a heady mix of diesel, mildew, deodorizing chemicals, and stale bre...
One sailor’s method of maintaining an iron keel Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 A few years back, my friend Roland purchased a used 31-foot sailboat with a fin keel made of cast iron. After his first sailing ...
A better way to mount deck hardware Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 No doubt the builders who installed the original deck hardware on your boat took the easy way, and later owners who added further hardware p...
Two good old boaters take the A-frame to the tabernacle Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 Over the past several years, our cruises on Whippoorwill, our Cape Dory 27, have taken us to several places where we hav...
Fixing the mast step without pulling the mast Issue 65 : Mar/Apr 2009 No matter how you looked at it, we had a serious problem. Our boat’s mast step was compromised and would have to be repaired. In D...
Light and air stream belowdecks once the dam of procrastination is breached Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 Sometimes, the simple solution to a problem is not easy to contemplate. Although Sea Trek, our Marin...
Clean cuts in fiberglass cloth Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 Working with fiberglass cloth presents a number of challenges. One of them is making a straight cut across the width of the material. To draw a ...
Putting golf balls to a higher purpose Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 At haulout time in northern climates, sailors perform an annual ritual of cleaning, packing, winterizing, and covering their boats to pr...
A flexible joint accommodates different expansion rates Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 Leaks and cracks are all too common when Plexiglas is fastened to a wooden hatch frame with screws. They are largely a ...
Urethane finish generates the Wow! factor Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 From my perspective, nothing is more pleasing to the eye than the gleaming finish of a sailboat’s brightwork. It makes no difference ...
New non-skid restores good looks and safe footing Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Anyone who owns an older boat, or is considering the purchase of one that’s in need of some renovations, has wrestled with the...
Making good old hardware gleam like new Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 Bringing the luster back to old metal boat parts is a lot like doing brightwork. It can be very tedious and time-consuming. The end res...
A bound-up bilge pump yields to friendly persuasion Issue 69 : Nov/Dec 2009 The thing about a 30-year-old boat is that some of its gear is apt to be 30 years old and, unlike that good old hull, not al...
Plastic glazing materials have clearly different properties Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 For decades, most recreational boats have been built with hatches, windscreens, and ports made of rigid transparent ...
For peace of mind, check what’s out of sight Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Some of the mechanical components on your sailboat are so reliable you probably don’t give them a thought. But don’t assume they’ll...
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 ...
