A loop of Amsteel cordage attached to a chain hook is slipped over a mooring cleat. This simple arrangement takes the strain off the windlass on Bob Steadman’s Cascade 36, Bettie.

Taking up the mooring strain Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 To take the strain off our windlass, I needed a chain stopper. I found some nice ones on the market, but they were expensive and I had to come up w...

Facing page: We use webbing straps for all of our boom attachments. Made by Grip-Sure Manufacturing in Richmond, B.C., they have a working load of 3,200 pounds, accommodate shifting directions of load, and are easy to inspect and replace. The red lines, led through holes in the boom, keep the straps from sliding back and forth. This page at left: running under triple-reefed main alone off Cape Mendocino, California.

Keep things under control with off-center vangs Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 When we reconfigured MOMO, our Mason 43, for bluewater sailing, we searched for a way to replace our 4:1-purchase vang with some...

The sailboat Finisterre

A famous designer tells how yachts have changed Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 In honor of Good Old Boat’s 10th anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to look back over the changes in small-boat desi...

Possible CO locations

Dealing with potentially lethal gases Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Aboard sailboats there are several toxic or explosive fumes that are potentially lethal and must be detected for the safety of the crew an...

Picture of fender clips

Make your own from leftover wire Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 After i completed some house re-wiring, i had some leftover #6 bare copper wire. I hacksawed a half-dozen pieces, then bent them up using a ben...

Steps to tying a stopper knot

This one really won’t jam in a block Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Having been a racing sailor for many years, i know firsthand the extra pounding a boat takes while you’re out there rounding the buoys. Ove...

Assemble your materials: a length of rope for the grommet, a spool of small cotton line, and either instructions for making a grommet or waxed whipping twine (if you choose to join the two rope ends instead).

When weather lets you goof off without a guilty conscience Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 Some days dawn gray, wet, and windy and promise only scud, thump, and splash. But if you are safely anchored and gene...

The WaterTender 9.4 has a tri-hull configuration, facing page, and can be stowed below the boom. It can plane at 15 knots with just one person, at left, and serves as the family washing machine after a rainfall, at right.

Singing the praises of a hard, non-inflatable dinghy Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Over the last 20 years i have worn out two inflatable dinghies. As the kids grew, we put lots of happy miles on both of the...

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