An inexpensive electrical system to keep your lights on Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 For sailboat owners rethinking their vessel’s electrical system, the broad and expensive range of equipment and technolo...
Getting comfy starts with hard work Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 It was a cold march day on the Chesapeake when my wife, Marty, and I found the boat that was exactly right for us. We enjoyed sailing Take F...
Make sure they stretch and absorb shocks Issue 57 : Nov/Dec 2007 The majority of sailboats see more time at the docks than actively sailing. This makes the selection of docklines especially important....
Turn table placemats into portlight curtains Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 The curtains that came with our “new” old boat had a kitchen-curtain look: two panels of faded cotton strung on a plastic cord scre...
Oh, do you know the muffin fan? Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 It gets so hot in the tropics that we had to come up with some method of getting the stove’s heat out of the cabin. I took a 4-inch inspection p...
Here’s how to mix those small batches Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 Many good old boaters use epoxy for a variety of small repairs. Small repairs require small epoxy batches. In my life, whether I’m repairi...
Who could have guessed his was half-submerged? Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 My ignition key had to be wiggled to get the engine instruments to become active and, since the same “wiggle” could happen on the...
When the going gets cold, the cold insulate Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 How quickly we forget. Winter is much like childbirth to me: you must forget just how bad it really is or you would never put yourse...
An old IOR-influenced design becomes a liveaboard cruiser Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 For 50 years, the name Pearson has been synonymous with sailing. Along the way, Pearson built three very different 28-...
Bonding teak veneer to plastic cabin sides Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 Lovers of classic sailboats would agree that a teak coach house is a beautiful sight. However, as time has progressed and cookie-cutt...
Electronic devices designed to save your life at sea Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 EPIRB is an acronym for emergency position-indicating radio beacon, a device designed to save your life in an emergency by ...
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...
New “razor” safely removes lettering Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Recently, while ordering new vinyl lettering for my Hunter 34, Pleiades, I discovered a truly must-have item for every boater. As I was sel...
Avoid a trip aloft Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Every spring I go to the top of the two masts of my schooner, Delphinus, spraying the sailtracks with lubricant along the way. Although many people never do ...
Try staining with the help of Scotch-Brite pads Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Two years ago, I officially became a good old boatowner by purchasing a 1970 Hallberg-Rassy Mistral 33 with the intention of giv...
Using 16th-century trees for 21st-century boats Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Bob Bethea is devoted to his Nonsuch 30, but he calls its clinker-built tender his “heart and soul.” The attachment seems almost...
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...
Learn how best to combat marine fouling Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 The year was 1625 when William Beale registered the first patent for a toxic underwater paint. It was a mixture of iron powder, cement, ...
A new cockpit locker provides stowage galore Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Have you ever seen a sailboat with too much cockpit locker stowage space? Neither have I. Unfortunately, the reverse is more typica...
Simple steps to keep your mast standing Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 A strong, seaworthy rig is an integral part of any cruising boat, but inspection and maintenance of the rig is often overlooked. This is...
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...
Follow this comprehensive checklist Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Do you find yourself adding coolant to your engine more often than the engine manufacturer suggests? Are you having difficulty figuring out ...
Keep those old primaries clicking nicely Issue 59 : Mar/Apr 2008 Back in the 1960s and ’70s when many of the good old boats we love were built, Barient winches were considered the gold standard for pr...
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...
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...
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...
Braided tail improves hold on rode Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 A simple running (or rolling) hitch, used to attach a snubber to an anchor rode, may have difficulty in maintaining a good grip on the rode, ...
Cure “old boat smell” with aromatic wood Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Each old boat has a comforting, mildly intoxicating, and unique smell: an indescribable combination of wood, salt air, and perhaps a bi...
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...
Be cautious about adding new components Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 A boat’s electrical system gets attention pretty early in a restoration or refit. Most of us who are fixing up older sailboats figure we...
