Trimming your sails to the wind gradient Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 You can have a very happy life and never understand sail twist. You can even be a reasonably good sail trimmer without understanding al...
A hide-all that doubles as a handy holder Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 The previous owner of our 1973 Albin Ballad had installed an array of brand-new electronic instruments ranging from a fishfinder to a ...
A boat’s back end speaks volumes about its character Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 In the previous issue (November 2009), I discussed how the shape of a sailboat’s bow affects performance and handling. Now ...
Turn, turn, turn on the lights Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Do you remember the Green Lantern, the DC Comics superhero of the 1950s? This article isn’t about him; it’s about my multi-function, crank-powere...
Security without using pliers or rigging tape Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 I was in a fabric store buying sticky-back Velcro tape for use on insect screens when I saw a Velcro product named One-Wrap. This ...
Make your own handy-billy Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Most good old boats have all the mechanical muscle a person could want in the form of powerful winches. Boats at the smaller end of the scale, however...
Biodiesel fuel is the chief suspect Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 After a six-year trial, discussed at some length in the July 2005 issue of Good Old Boat, I have decided to suspend using biodiesel blends i...
Valuable tips for upgrading deck hardware Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 I have not spent a lot of time crawling around the hidden spaces of high-end luxury yachts, but the vast majority of the fiberglass pr...
Protecting cored laminates from failure around fittings Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Though most older fiberglass boats have hulls of solid laminate, their decks normally are built of two thin skins of fib...
Rolling and tipping their way to glory Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Next time you’re down at the marina, take a close look at the hulls of your neighbors’ boats. You don’t have to look very far to see rub ...
Gearing up to build a catamaran at home Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 In the last issue, Dave Martin wrote about the chain of decisions that led to his building a catamaran in his garage. In this, the secon...
A novel construction method for amateurs Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Few parts of a boat are more vital than the rudder. If you lose the use of your rudder, you have no easy means of steering . . . always...
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 ...
Basic insights into how they work Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 Much complicated mathematics lies behind the deceptively simple appearance of a boat’s propeller, but it can be described and specified with a...
How they shape up to perform their many roles Issue 71 : Mar/Apr 2010 When people discuss yacht design you often hear the phrase, “Well, it’s all a compromise.” That sounds defeatist to me. But if the...
Unruly wires get herded onto a bus Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Recently, a failed torque damper required the removal of our good old boat’s good old engine. I made arrangements with the yard boss to have ...
One project serves dual roles in the dinghy Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 There are times when boaters face minor problems that appear unrelated but can be resolved together. After I purchased a used Avon d...
Crucial dials and controls go under cover Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Scrambling around my boat’s cockpit, or watching someone else (especially kids) doing the same, has usually left me wondering when, no...
Converting light fixtures to use LEDs Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 All the lighting on my sailboat now uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which consume only about one-tenth of the battery power the old inc...
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...
Meticulous planning ensures a perfect anchor platform Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When Bruce King designed the Ericson Cruising 31, he gave it a sharp entry. As a result, the deck at the stemhead is rathe...
The less costly route to water independence Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 When we decided to transit the Panama Canal and head across the Pacific, we knew we would face a problem that had cropped up occasio...
A weatherproof housing for cockpit electronics Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 I recently swapped out my 22-year-old, obsolete Autohelm 3000 wheel pilot. Neither original nor aftermarket parts were available ...
Ensure your first line of safety really is safe Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 Lifelines are designed to reduce the chances of your going overboard. On many boats, however, these systems are poorly designed ...
Here’s a rigging project you can do yourself Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 My best friend Adam’s new-to-him Tartan 37, Audentia, had never left the dock with him at the helm. He’d purchased her in February,...
Of foils, fins, ballast, and bulbs Issue 72 : May/Jun 2010 In the previous issue, in “All About Keels; Part 1,” Bob Perry discussed the terminology and the compromises inherent in keel design. In this...
Self-adhesive Velcro offers improvement Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 I was surprised to see the article about Velcro turnbuckle locks in the March 2010 issue. Perhaps, in the rough waters of Erie off Presq...
Vegetable oil fixed one, the other remains Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 My usual motto, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” has served me well in many life experiences but has never been the best strategy t...
Ascertain their state of charge the eBay way Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 I suspect most good old boats are used infrequently and, when they’re used, the engine is run just long enough to get to and from t...
Creating confidence through a safe boarding experience Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 Few things complement the pleasure of boating like a proper boarding ladder. For children, parents, and grandparents alik...
