Keep that mainsail attached to the mast Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 It is very likely that a sail loft seized the slugs or slides to the luff of your mainsail, mizzen, or trysail. Since that time, those s...
A cheap boat and cheaper labor add up to sailing riches Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 I had put our O’Day 22 on the local Craigslist and was hoping to find her a new captain by the end of May. We had sailed...
Clean, reliable diesel for the DIY cruiser Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 In our early years of cruising, we learned the hard way about how important clean fuel is. I didn’t worry about the fuel as long as t...
A hydronic system extends the sailing (and showering) season Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 Our C&C 35, Secret Plans, was previously used as a racing boat, so the hot-water system was stripped out at som...
A diesel fireplace warms boat, body, and soul Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 On the Chesapeake in October you find cruisers migrating south toward warmer climes. My wife and I must have taken a wrong turn, a...
Many things — coastal enforcer to racing machine Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 The term “cutter” has a long history in the sport of yachting. In the 1870s and ’80s it figured in a hotly debated controversy ...
Antique technology that still finds favor Issue 86: Sept/Oct 2012 The gaff rig was the rig of choice for more than 250 years until the Marconi rig (also called the Bermudan rig) came along. The gaff-r...
It’s a versatile and invaluable tool Issue 87 : Nov/Dec 2012 The hand-bearing compass, or sighting compass, is a portable compass used to take a bearing or azimuth. This type of compass has been in us...
A little elevation keeps the toilet base dry Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 I have seen quite a few marine toilet installations where the presence of even a little amount of salt water has caused green stain...
A nifty way to persuade hose onto a barb Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 After I replaced my boat engine’s water-pump impeller, the supply hose refused to slip back onto the fitting. Even though I had lubrica...
A fold-away extension is a seat and a workspace Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 In 2003, a couple of years before retirement, my wife and I fell in love with and purchased a handsome trailerable 25-foot 1995 ...
Simplifying the water supply led to galley efficiencies Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 Our 1976 Tanzer 26 served us very well for several years as a cruising boat on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, but on such a ...
They block out heat, light, and prying eyes Issue 90: May/June 2013 When searching for our current boat, we developed a list of “must haves.” In addition to opening ports, we wanted more than one or t...
New sailors freshen up an Irwin 32 Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 I learned to sail when I was 5 or 6 years old on Curaçao in the Caribbean. While I was in my early teens, my family moved to the Netherlands ...
It prevents stray currents and preserves precious metals Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 In Trinidad, a few years ago, we had just finished our annual haulout. Our zincs were shiny and the bottom paint was fr...
Satellite radio delivers data and images to the cockpit Issue 90: May/June 2013 It seemed almost magical. I was in the cockpit of our J/32 on Sequim Bay in western Washington state, yet displayed on t...
Creative solutions for hard-to-use spaces Issue 90: May/June 2013 In a smallish galley it’s hard to justify the space taken up by an oven. I removed the oven in my 31-foot ketch, Talisman, replaced it...
Simple original construction means a simple repair Issue 90: May/June 2013 I should have paid more attention to my loose rudder bearing when I put the boat in the water, but it didn’t seem any worse t...
Varnished teak goes under wraps Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 Our 1983 Tayana 37 cutter, Cetacean, has a profusion of glorious teak brightwork on deck. The gleaming varnish is a pleasure to look at but a ma...
Damp skivvies provoke an impromtu pit stop Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 We put up with many inconveniences when sailing because we like to go where cell phones don’t ring. But wet underwear? That forced ou...
Rubber roofing out of a can does the trick Issue 90: May/June 2013 Over the years I have tried several methods to create a watertight mast boot. As a temporary fix, I once used duct tape. It was inexp...
Adding a tee adds versatility Issue 90: May/June 2013 My Columbia 10.7 was suffering from hardening of the arteries. More specifically, it was hardening of the seacock. The Groco SV Series seacocks we...
Interior ventilation as an art form Issue 90: May/June 2013 Among the rituals we held during our many family sailing adventures, one was airing out the boat. For a family of six crowded in a small sai...
They hold up the shrouds that hold up the mast Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013 Spreaders are struts attached to the sides of a mast to hold the shrouds away from the mast and increase the angle at which they ...
Parts boxes no longer slip, slide, or spill Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Over the years, I’ve tried all types of containers for storing my tools, fasteners, spare parts, and so on. I finally settled on cle...
Getting a horseshoe buoy to accept a boat’s name Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 It was time to replace the ratty, decades-old yellow (now almost white) throwable horseshoe buoy on Wind-Borne, my 1985 Hunter ...
Rail pads add a little plush to the catbird seats Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 After I made an extension rod for my boat’s wheel so I could steer from the cockpit catbird seats (see “Steering Wheel Extensi...
Seeing and feeling full-size is believing Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 What would you do if you had the chance to start all over and rebuild the interior of your sailboat? I would encourage you to do it. B...
Cruise with an iPad instead of paper Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 My wife and I were loading our Flicka for a five-week cruise on the Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay, and the North Channel of Lake Huro...
