It takes more thought but saves time (and face) Issue 83: March/April 2012 “Do it right the first time?” I tend to learn more from not doing it right the first time. Then again, in boatbuilding there ...
A plan for the future and a project for today Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 When I was in high school, a friend of mine and his father were working to restore a Jaguar Roadster. Anytime I asked when they we...
Raid the hardware store, not your wallet Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 When I went shopping for a telescoping whisker pole, I came away with sticker shock. Like a lot of other small cruising sailboats, my 2...
Cast resin is a clear alternative to glass Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 We have a love/hate relationship with deck prisms. We love the warm, diffused light they provide but they are downright annoying when...
An autopilot gets an inexpensive pod Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 My recently acquired Pacific Seacraft 31, Ann West, has a very long “to do” list, which is probably why I could afford her. (She’d been a l...
Marine adhesive caulks are put to the test Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 After experiencing poor adhesion results when replacing an acrylic port on my 1985 Hunter 28.5 sailboat, I decided to test a number o...
They protect brightwork and give paws a grip Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 Getting to know the neighbors on my pier was certainly easier than getting to know the neighbors at my new home. For one thing, we ...
Minor modifications add up to a major improvement Issue 83: March/April 2012 In 2004, we sold the 31-foot Bombay Clipper we’d purchased specifically for an extended summer cruise. We intended to leave...
The lowdown on your boom’s hold-down Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 What we today call the boom vang was once called a martingale. It is also referred to as a kicking-strap, kicker, or boom-jack. The princip...
How rating-rule number crunchers shaped sailboats Issue 83: March/April 2012 I have been looking forward to writing this. If your boat was designed between 1970 and 1985 it probably shows the effect o...
A home-store commodity fit the bill Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Turnbuckle boots last a long time, but not forever. Cracked and broken, mine were showing their age. I needed six boots 1 1/2 inches in diam...
Make them the right length for any job Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Bungees of the “loop and ball” type are very handy around sailboats. I needed some larger than those commercially available for tying up ...
C-clamps earn an A for ingenuity Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Aboard my various boats in the past I have had gimbaled and non-gimbaled galley ranges, as well as fixed countertop stoves, so I have encounter...
Impermanent illumination for impromptu parties Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Every once in a while, although the Vera May is really not a party boat, her cockpit is the venue for a small evening gathering. ...
Under its dull, chalky finish lies a shiny boat Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Believe it or not, it is possible to bring the shine back to a good old boat. Most of the thousands of aging fiberglass boats ou...
A confirmed tinkerer adds muscle to his foredeck Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 After a difficult anchor retrieval, the first mate and I decided it was time to bring another deckhand aboard Prime Time, our 2...
A spiffy new look for regulation flotation Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 They’re bright yellow, anonymous, and everywhere. New ones are expensive but they become faded eyesores after a few years in the sun....
The answer is to baffle it Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Everyone else on the shopping bus was bleary-eyed and commiserating about how many times during the night they had gotten up to close hatches. It had...
An internal transducer eliminates a through-hull Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Signals from a depth sounder will pass through a fiberglass hull that is not too thick and has no delamination problems. The ow...
Bet on it before you bet on luck Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Many boat projects require a reasonable amount of skill, but for the most part it’s your determination and vision that become the most importan...
A little lumber and a little labor is all it took Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 The hatch on my new good old boat, a 1972 Balboa 20, was not in the best of shape. The wooden pieces that enclosed the edges o...
The bottom line in mainsail trim Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Outhauls have been in use since the days of the square rigger. An outhaul is part of the running rigging, specifically a line fastened to the c...
Years of devotion and labor lifted Spirit Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Coincidence, destiny, serendipity — call it what you will, chance must play a strong hand in matching aging boats with their rightful ...
Nail polish helps an anode stay attached Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Without trying to revisit political skirmishes involving lipstick and pigs, what good old boat wouldn’t benefit from a little nail poli...
A Stimson shed is the ideal cover-up for a project boat Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 Just about everyone who has ever owned an old boat for any length of time has had to face a frightening word: refit. Thi...
Unsuspected chafe could have sunk him Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Sailors are well aware of the danger of chafe to sails, halyards, mooring lines, anchor rode, and various and sundry other pieces of equip...
Artful modifications relieve trailersailor angst Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Several years before retirement, my wife, Johanna, and I purchased Someday Lady, a trailerable 1995 Catalina 25. It’s the water...
It was curtains for the drapes when the blinds went up Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 Faded and threadbare, the pleated curtains in the main saloon of our Bristol 35 begged for replacement, but with another ...
They gnaw on metal and at your peace of mind Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 When I was a child my cousin told me not to look under the bed because “there could be monsters under there.” It would be terribly ...
