Defy both chafe and corrosion Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Like many sailors, I spend much of my free time “dock walking.” I enjoy marine design in all its aesthetic variety and my “technical eye” is alway...
Big-box carabiners are the ultimate clip-ons Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 I’ve tried a number of arrangements for connecting the fenders to Wind-Borne, my 1985 Hunter 28.5, but none have been all that sat...
Fitting an Autohelm without harming the teak wheel Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 I searched high and low for my factory original all-teak wheel, the top of the line of about five wheels and a tiller that E...
Inside/outside viewing when navigating by tablet Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 About 30 years ago, I fabricated a teak swing-out arm for my navigation aids, a Loran and depth finder (it’s pictured in Mail ...
Care in the fall ensures a carefree spring Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Outboard motors on small sailboats should last a long time because they’re lightly used. Most are run only to get the boat into and ...
Clean new bases for turning blocks Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 I’m slowly replacing the teak on my boat with materials that don’t need refinishing. There wasn’t a lot to begin with, so whether I choose to...
Plumbing parts ensure it’s waterproof Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 When I unpacked my bright shiny new anchor windlass 30 years ago, I was impressed by the very capable-looking foot switch. Because I could...
A museum examines Canada’s modern boatbuilding history Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 This past spring saw the opening at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, of a unique and ongoing ex...
Shelter for a cockpit that’s active in winter Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Blue plastic hardware-store tarps appear in our marina about the time mushrooms sprout in the nearby woods. Slung over booms and ...
New life for a good old boat’s wheels Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 Three times we went to look at the Catalina 22. Under the grime and moss she seemed to be in overall good shape, if just a little neglecte...
. . . and an International Folkboat feels the love Issue 98: Sept/Oct 2014 It’s my belief that an obscure gene compels some of us to complicate our lives with elderly boats. In my case, it first appea...
Doing a brutal job without the heavy lifting Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 If you own a good old boat you’ve no doubt had the dubious joy of working on its bottom. Perhaps multiple coats of bottom paint ha...
A well-earned renovation for a well-used boat Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 When Ken and Ginny Reinink decided to buy a good old boat, they had a list of criteria. The boat had to be the right size for two...
Vinyl restores the look and the footing Issue 92 : Sept/Oct 2013 Back in the early days of Good Old Boat (March 2000), I wrote an article detailing my efforts to bring new life to the interior of our ...
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...
