A tired saloon table gets a facelift Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 The tabletop and countertops on Jammin, my 1981 Stevens 47, are a lovely almond Formica that was the must-have material before Corian came...
When it’s time to replace them, think swageless Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Most good old boats were delivered from the factory with swaged terminal fittings on their standing rigging — the shrouds and s...
An old-time rope trick saves the docklines Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Not until our family spent our third winter aboard while cruising on Ganymede — our home-finished Cape George 31 cutter — did we have...
Adapting a boathook to do double duty Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 To make my own whisker pole, I developed an alternative approach to that described by Clarence Jones (“An Inexpensive Whisker Pole,” May 2...
Comfort and convenience — watchwords for the off watch Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Those of us who sail boats that heel or roll sometimes need help staying in our bunks. Traditionally, a leecloth is faste...
Vent dryers bar moisture from fuel tanks Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Our marina has a regulation that prohibits us from refueling our boats from jerrycans while tied up in our slips. The trouble is, I lik...
Electric substitute for a mechanical pump Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Our 46-year-old Allied Seabreeze, Secret Water, is a wonderful sailing boat. Nonetheless, reliable auxiliary power is a high priority....
Rolling Awlgrip for a mirror shine Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 In this first of two parts, Anne and Chris make the decision to apply Awlgrip to the topsides of their Bruce Roberts 45, Mr. Mac. While they ...
Bridge the gap twixt dock and deck Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 My wife and I have been the proud owners of Anastasis, an Islander 28, for seven years. She was very well equipped when we bought her, truly ...
Extracting an engine with grace and ease Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Under normal circumstances, I would not even think about removing the engine from Hornblower, my 1976 Pearson 35. However, during a sum...
Channeling old masters through metal tubing Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 When Jennifer and I bought Phoenix, a Hans Christian 33, we had the luxury of being able to install some systems from scratch and th...
A good old classified helps a Chris-Craft Capitan Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 It took two men and 16 years to complete an international effort to save Sophie. She was a little blue sloop, just like the bo...
Wire leashes tame hardware wanderlust Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 The tack of the mainsail on Ternabout, our 20-foot Matilda sloop, was clipped to the gooseneck with a big cotter pin. It did its job well,...
A bolt replaces a faulty valve Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Though I have never seen any of this described, I have been having terrible problems with the self-venting drain valve on 500 series Racor filter...
Limiting wear from beach landings Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The cruising life is a hard one for dinghies, especially in tidal areas where they often have to be dragged 100 feet and more up pebble beache...
Wheels take the weight off a paddler’s shoulders Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 It’s not easy for a sailor to stay occupied with boat-oriented projects when snow covers the ground. Building a cart that simpl...
After buying back his boat, he brought her back again Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 The legendary singlehanded sailor looked me in the eye, paused for dramatic effect, and said, “Ray, buy this boat. You wil...
A drop leaf makes and saves space Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Owners of sailboats of a certain vintage face a dearth of counter space during food preparation and galley cleanup. The boat is, after all, a ...
Conduct ocean passages from the Maestro seat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In the mid-1960s, Bernard Moitessier was in Tahiti preparing his 40-foot steel ketch, Joshua, for a “fast return to France” by way ...
A new panel and gauges to keep tabs on the motor Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 My good old boat, Nurdle, is a 1979 Bristol 35.5 centerboard model, a Ted Hood design with fairly heavy displacement but a mode...
Hand-crimped terminals make for easy DIY Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Rust-colored stains in the cracked vinyl-coated lifelines on Galilean, our 1984 Islander 30, signaled corrosion at work. Vinyl-coated l...
Rolling Awlgrip topcoat Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 In part one, in our November 2013 issue, Anne and Chris explained the research that went into selecting Awlgrip for painting the topsides of their Bruce...
Designing by eye gives way to numbers Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 We have discussed at length in recent issues the design formulas used to compare boats of different designs and reach conclusions regardin...
Wireless systems depend on this wire Issue 94 : Jan/Feb 2014 Coaxial cable, or coax, is used for transferring radio-frequency energy from one place to another. It was invented by English engineer Oliv...
Fire hose looks the part and takes the wear Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 It would be about three hours before the morning tide would turn and take me on a fast-moving flood through Rich Passage on the way ...
A friendly deterrent to feathered friends Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 We recently took a marina vacation — a break from worrying about shifting winds and cold fronts while anchoring out. Since we rarely s...
Hush those tapping halyards Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 A halyard slapping on an aluminum mast is probably the most annoying noise on the water. It’s bad enough if it’s on someone else’s boat, but if your...
Modifying an anchor-locker lid Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 Our C&C 35, Secret Plans, came with a navel pipe on the anchor-locker lid for the anchor rode to pass through. It was also excellent for smas...
Contact cement is the key to speed Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 My bottom was in trouble, and I don’t mean my boat’s bottom. The daggerboard trunk on our 8-foot El Toro dinghy was doing its best to work it...
Safer egress from dinghy and water Issue 95 : Mar/Apr 2014 A few years ago, we had friends out on our O’Day 32 Center Cockpit for a lovely warm summer daysail off San Diego’s Point Loma. The Pacific w...
