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...
Decorative work occupies a quiet sea passage Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 On a passage from French Polynesia to the Cook Islands a couple of years ago, nothing major had broken, the weather was benign, and...
Take the helm while taking in the view Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 My Catalina 28 has elevated catbird seats in the aft corners of the cockpit that are wonderful places to sit when we’re under sail. I oft...
Wood is practical and attractive Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 In 2002, Magali and I totally redesigned and rebuilt the cockpit of Sigfrid, our 34-foot 6-inch ketch. Where before we had nothing more than a ...
Low-stretch Dyneema has advantages over wire Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Our Liberty 458, Nine of Cups, just celebrated her 25th birthday. We replaced the lifelines the first year we owned her, using viny...
A boat search takes an unexpected turn Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 As I write this, Christine and François Ferbos have returned home to Bordeaux, France. They were in the U.S. to visit their son and his w...
Centerboards, daggerboards, bilgeboards, and leeboards Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 Sailboats need draft if they are to sail to windward efficiently, but deep draft limits boats to sailing in deep waters a...
The evolution of the three-cornered mainsail Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013 The three boats in our comparison this issue have almost identical sail plans. Each is a masthead sloop with a Marconi mainsail. Th...
Tame slippery laces with push-button ease Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 They say necessity is the mother of invention. If that’s so, then Spinnaker, my cocker spaniel puppy, is the father. I’d been getting ...
A vented loop keeps the boat afloat Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Having heard horror stories of boats sinking due to a marine toilet overflowing, I have resolved to never let that happen on our 1979 Ericso...
Give slime and scum the brush-off on the cheap Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Doesn’t every sailor yearn for another tenth of a knot? Especially when racing? I do. Lucky are those who trailer their boats and...
Years of tender care revived a wilting Watkins Issue 90: May/June 2013 Her name is Sundew. She’s a 1978 Watkins 27 shoal-draft cruising sloop. She was named after an award-winning tulip in Holland. Sa...
A simple way to power up or down the mainsail Issue 90: May/June 2013 Many mainsails have a cringle at the luff of the sail a few inches above the tack. It’s known as the Cunningham and is named after...
Be prepared for visiting foreign ports Issue 91 : Jul/Aug 2013 Flags have been flying for more than 5,000 years. One of their first uses was for identification at sea. It has long been customary for v...
