Keeping out the heat Issue 81 : Nov/Dec 2011 Whether your icebox holds ice or houses a refrigeration evaporator, to be efficient it must be very well insulated. To achieve this, the box should have a ...
Have your boat text you when it’s in trouble Issue 83: March/April 2012 Recreational boats can lead a lonely life. On the weekends, it’s party time with lots of guests and action. During the weekdays,...
How we see in the dark, or not Issue 83: March/April 2012 We live in a world of constant bright light: sunlight during the day and artificial light at night. As a result, we may not realize that there...
Running rigging comes clean without tangles Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 October heralds the end of the sailing season for northern latitude sailors. Once my boat has been hauled from the water and safely ...
A new faceplate accommodates new gadgets Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 After more than 25 years sailing, I decided it was time to get an autopilot for Unicorn, our Catalina 30. When it came to installing th...
Silent and stowable, they are easy to love Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 Shakespeare said it best: “A hatchboard by any other name would still be a nuisance.” Anyway, I think that’s what he said. It’s late ...
Lightning induces a review of current lighting Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 When a nearby lightning strike zapped my sailboat’s electronics and lights, I learned a lot more about the implications of conver...
Its irregular shape dictated DIY Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 My 1986 Pearson 28-2 had a rubber-bladder waste tank that had seen its day. After being filled and emptied many times since it was installed, i...
How a piece of flotsam became an asset Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 One side effect of continually making improvements and upgrades to Sigfrid, our 34-foot 6-inch steel ketch, is that my partner, Magali, a...
Leftover home flooring brightens up a boat Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 When I bought my Eastward Ho 31, her cabin sole was delaminated teak-and-holly plywood. The first project I took on was to remove tha...
Expanding storage and improving their function Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 One of the rewards of owning good old boats is overcoming the challenges they inevitably present. It helps to prioritize and pick...
A novice learns some tricks from the pros Issue 83: March/April 2012 Stew must have had a good reason to schedule his knee surgery while our 47-foot Cheoy Lee was in the yard for two weeks, but for th...
Systems that make stuff cool Issue 82 : Jan/Feb 2012 When considering refrigeration for your boat, it’s imperative that you match the type of refrigeration system to the boat’s potential sources for e...
. . . and take a dent out of your bottom cleaning Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 I sail a 1969 Columbia 28 out of Cedar Island Yacht Club in Kingsville, Ontario. Without something firm to hold on to, thoroug...
Varnishing grabrails the easy way Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 It was time to give the four teak grabrails on the coach-roof of my 1985 Hunter 28.5 the full treatment. I must confess that, for several year...
They let you see what you seek Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 Sailors waste a lot of time looking for things. Here’s something that, once you make it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without. Let’s say yo...
New wires bring a Yanmar diesel back to life Issue 84 : May/Jun 2012 For the last few years of its 14-year life, our normally faithful Yanmar diesel engine occasionally refused to obey the turn of the...
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 ...
