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...
. . . replace irreplaceable windows Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 When it was time to replace the deadlights in the deckhouse on my 1978 Eastward Ho 31, I ran into a problem. Replace them with . . . what? T...
Why does cleaning it require taking a bath? Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Now that we have mapped the human genome, it’s time to tackle the real technological challenge of the 21st century — foul-proofing ...
Soft barriers keep out bugs and sunbeams Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 I’ve had it with mosquitoes and also with the sun shining in my eyes when I’m trying to sleep. Maybe it’s about my sense of privacy too...
A mast gets a new foot to stand on Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 I’ve always been in the habit of pulling my mast when I lay my boat up each fall. It adds to the annual cost, but it’s better in the long ru...
Trap dirt and sand before they get on the mother ship Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 My sailboat, Pelorus, sits on a mooring about a third of a mile offshore. I get to her by dinghy, a plywood Phil Bolger d...
Turn any flat surface into a workbench Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 What happens if you find yourself on a sailboat and need a vise for holding either wood or metal while you work on it? I have long admir...
Cleaning the mainsail track made easy Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Some time ago, Don Launer came up with a great device for lubricating the mainsail slot (see “Sailtrack Lubricator,” March 2008) but I ha...
Thoughts about the little boat that tends the big boat Issue 108: May/June 2016 Conditions at Fire Island Inlet on the south shore of Long Island were “a bit sporty,” as they say in New England, but n...
Better backing plates restore rigidity Issue 108: May/June 2016 When a concentrated load is applied to a structure, that load must be distributed widely enough that the surrounding structure is not ov...
Obscure tools the the gymnastics out of routine jobs Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 We have owned our Pearson 386, Lakota, for more than 20 years. She is a lovely and reliable good old boat that has served ...
A pillow block put its troubles to rest Issue 110: Sept/Oct 2016 A disadvantage of owning a semi-custom boat is that there is no manufacturer to call on for help in resolving matters that are specific...
Banish the hazing, crazing rays of summer Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 Under the relentless glare of UV, crisp sails turn to fragile rags, shiny paint dulls, and clear plastic windows become hazy and craze...
Hard labor and a little luck restore order Issue 111: Nov/Dec 2016 I was staring at the rivulet of diesel forming a pool near the fuel tank. “Well, we knew it was bound to happen sooner or later,” sai...
A stubborn small task is done at last Issue 112: Jan/Feb 2017 When we purchased our 1976 Ontario 32 sailboat a few years ago, we knew she needed a refit. Most of the tasks on our to-do list, from larg...
. . . and replaced with mixed results Issue 112: Jan/Feb 2017 I have lost rudders five times over the course of owning two different boats, each time for a different reason, each time requiring a diff...
A rudder head succumbs to its mixed-metal construction Issue 112: Jan/Feb 2017 As the proud new owner of a 1985 Gloucester 22, I’m taking time to go over her thoroughly and return her to near-pristine...
Protect bright-finished handrails with snap-on covers Issue 112: Jan/Feb 2017 Teak handrails are not just functional, they add a beautiful, classic aesthetic to a sailboat, especially when the teak is...
When less than perfect is bright enough Issue 114: May/June 2017 About an hour after I put what I hoped was the last layer of varnish on some of Nurdle’s brightwork, it started to rain. The rain was f...
Keep ahead of it and never look back Issue 115: July/Aug 2017 We’d neglected the bottom of our boat for a month and the warm Mexican waters had transformed our sleek hull into a furry ecosystem teemin...
