A little sewing, some clever woodwork, and voilà, a better quarter berth. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Nurdle, my 1979 Bristol 35.5, has a quarter berth, a common feature on boats of this size and vintage...
Here’s how to give your old ropes a new life. Issue 140: Sept/Oct 2021 Every sailor has gazed longingly upon the rack of shiny new ropes at the local chandlery, admiring the smooth finishes and ...
A new pair of pedestals and cockpit winches improves trimming ergonomics. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 When I purchased my 1965 Alberg 35, Tomfoolery, a little over two decades ago, she came with a tiller....
Extensions make older-style cockpit coamings far more comfy to lean against. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Kicking back and relaxing in the cockpit of one’s sailboat, especially if it is well-designed, cons...
Great modifications make all the difference on three good old boats. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Spend any meaningful amount of time aboard a boat, and its shortcomings quickly become apparent. That wet l...
Adding a second engine switch in the cockpit made singlehanding safer and easier. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Reading Robb Lovell’s review of the Beneteau First 345 (September/ October 2019), I realized f...
Try these tricks to stay toasty warm while cold-weather cruising. Issue 141: Nov/Dec 2021 Summer sailing can be lovely, but there are downsides; the season is short in much of the country, the waters ...
A clever design for storable mast supports makes for easy traveling between lakes. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 I have the great fortune to live next to an inland lake that is fully navigable, which means ...
Installing a new motor in a dead solar vent was far more satisfying than the alternative. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 Shortly after buying my 1975 Tanzer 26 in 2011, I installed two 4-inch Nicro solar ven...
From a spare parts drawer and a galley, you can make a quick and easy anchor light. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 A functioning anchor light is a basic piece of vital equipment on board. And while you might...
A dreamy cruise is interrupted when the head calls it quits. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 A number of years ago, my family and I sailed Dreamer, the first of two Islander Bahama 30s we’ve owned, from the V...
Careful use of KiwiGrip provides a solution to some slippery problems. Issue 142: Jan/Feb 2022 Having lived aboard Cetus, our Fantasia 35, for nearly 30 years, my wife, Heidi, and I are well aware of ...
Issue 143: March/April 2022 What to do with rotted wood on a boat? Whether it’s a supporting internal structure or a wood-cored fiberglass sandwich exposed to the elements, either may be remedied with...
An externally mounted sensor takes the guesswork out of the holding tank status. Issue 143: March/April 2022 In 2014, I rebuilt the holding tank in our 1978 Bristol 29.9 using 3/8-inch polypropylene w...
Issue 143: March/April 2022 I am fortunate to sail my 1962, Carl Alberg-designed Pearson Electra, Sea Gypsy, out of Bluffton, in the heart of South Carolina’s low country. As a self-acknowledged natur...
A DIY diesel-to-electric repower required a lot of education but only a little engineering. Issue 143: March/April 2022 While motoring my 1968 Mason 40, NorthWind, out of the marina on a beautiful spr...
Restoring a nearly 50-year-old Pearson included repowering with electric. Issue 143: March/April 2022 I purchased my 1972 Pearson 30, hull #220, in March 2015 sight unseen by way of eBay. I was the on...
Precise patterns and plywood replace a complex, cracked floor. Issue 144: May/June 2022 Our 1980 Fantasia 35, Cetus, is a centercockpit design, and below deck on the port side beneath the cockpit is a...
A dinghy foot pump comes to the rescue to clear a clogged saildrive water intake. Issue 144: May/June 2022 It was another spectacular summer day, and once again my wife, Carey, and I escaped life asho...
A father and son find and restore the first Cal 25, then win the nationals with her. Issue 144: May/June 2022 In these days of glitzy grand prix yacht racing, it might be easy to believe that the trul...
Nobody likes damp gear. A DIY dryer solves the problem. Issue 144: May/June 2022 I sail year-round, and I can endure as much heat and cold as my passions demand. But whether it is summer or winter, I ...
After an exhaustive six-month refit, a forlorn Blue Jay flies again. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 When I first saw her, leaves swam in 6 inches of dirty water in her cockpit, and the trailer had a flat ti...
Installing GFCI outlets is an easy way to make your shorepower system safer. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 Ah, shorepower. Love it or hate it, it’s important, especially if you are a liveaboard. In a cold ...
A new headliner provides a big makeover for a 44-year-old racer/cruiser. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 When Doug Peterson designed the Peterson 34 based off his innovative one-tonner Ganbare, he reportedly...
An old, leaky hatch gets a makeover to stop the drips and add some special teak. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 The original forward hatch on Calypso, the 1976 Bristol Channel Cutter that my husband, Jeremy...
When the toilet pump handle broke, ideas began to flow. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 My father once offered me a sage piece of advice: Never get run over by the same trolley car twice. So, when the handle...
Repurposing a 12-volt car cooler transforms an icebox into an inexpensive DIY fridge. Issue 145: July/Aug 2022 Our boat Allamanda, a 1984 Alberg 29, has an icebox for keeping food. While this is a fai...
An extra shower compartment is repurposed into a four-tier storage space. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 One of the things we love most about our Moody 44 is her four cabins. It’s a fantastic layout for a f...
Hot-melt glue solves a sticky situation when rebedding deck hardware. Issue 146: Sept/Oct 2022 Recently, we wanted to replace the Dorades on our 1979 Gulfstar 37 with lower-profile solar vents....
