Issue 25 : Jul/Aug 2002 We’ve known for a long time that dark colored plastic water jugs far outlast clear or white ones. Seems the color gives UV protection. We noted colored dacron sails seem to out...
Issue 26 : Sept/Oct 2002 Being able to get the sail cover on quickly means we don’t have to resent the time it takes to protect our sails. Just as important, if a halyard starts slapping the mast just...
Start by sewing a pair of custom-fitted handrail covers Issue 31 : Jul/Aug 2003 I recently installed a pair of brand new teak handrails on my old MacGregor Venture 222. With about four coats of varnis...
A jib downhaul clears the foredeck of sails and sailors Issue 35 : Mar/Apr 2004 I learned long ago that having three dozen or so brightly colored lines with three dozen or so purposes not only did not...
Careful fall layup gives you a head start in spring Issue 38 : Sept/Oct 2004 October on the north coast (Great Lakes) or, for that matter, anywhere north of the 38th parallel, means taking the boat ou...
The best way to join fabric to hard surfaces Issue 38 : Sept/Oct 2004 There occasionally comes the time when you need to fasten fabric to wood, fiberglass, or some other hard object. Sometimes eyes an...
Sloops and cutters — here’s a good look at the family tree Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 Most of today’s sailors think of cutters as having a rig much better suited for offshore voyaging than that of ...
Before the snow comes, build yourself a simple, economical boat shelter Issue 39 : Nov/Dec 2004 Covering our boat marks the end of a season here on the coast of Maine. Warm colors have given way to th...
A famous designer makes the case for fractional rigs Issue 41 : Mar/Apr 2005 In the November 2004 issue I touched on the history of the sloops and cutters of two centuries ago and discussed the change...
Make your own sacrificial strip for the genoa Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 It was time to replace the sacrificial sun cover on our 150-percent genoa. It wasn’t worn out or damaged, but I was getting tired ...
Dress them up and domesticate them Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 Rubber tires are used everywhere in the world as fenders — but on workboats, not on yachts. They’re big, ugly, awkward to stow, and when they...
Eliminate heavy hardware on that flogging headsail Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 Different skippers, different long-splices, they say. Bending on jibsheets is a task that allows for considerable variety fro...
Turn your cockpit into a porch Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 It’s annoying to have to stay in the cabin during all-day rains. Some days it’s also annoying to have to be out in the cockpit, regardless of ho...
A new concept for “sail training” Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006 Our 20-foot Flying Scot had a longer boom than does our C&C 30. With such a short boom, our high-aspect mainsail can’t get into very much ...
Once again you can see the way ahead Issue 53 : Mar/Apr 2007 If your dodger is a few years old, it may be looking pretty shabby. While the fabric is in good shape and has lots of service life left, th...
A functional new cockpit enclosure Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 We wanted our new dodger enclosure to be functional for all seasons. After some consideration, we had two sets of side curtains constructed....
Here’s how to reinforce those grommets Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 Many a respected sailor reinforces the grommets on his mainsail (see, for example, Larry and Lin Pardey, The Self-Sufficient Sailor). I ...
A reusable all-weather cover for a Bristol 30 Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 I never like the wooden frames for sailboat winter storage. To me, they look kind of sloppy and seem to chafe the tarp. It also s...
Build yourself a comfortable place for boatwork Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 I needed a work canopy that would provide a dry, comfortable place to work on a 50-foot restoration project and I did not want ...
Help that plastic cover breathe this winter Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Those of us who defend our boats against Ol’ Man Winter with that distinctive blue or white shrink-wrap cover are aware of the impor...
Tame your mainsail with strategic bungee cords Issue 63 : Nov/Dec 2008 Unfurling your sail may be a great joy of anticipated sailing. Or it may just be one more tedious chore when getting under way. F...
How to get the most out of your halyard Issue 64 : Jan/Feb 2009 The method of attaching a halyard or outhaul to a sail sometimes limits the distance to which a sail can be stretched. With double-braid...
An extra hand for short-handed cruising sailors Issue 68 : Sept/Oct 2009 Lazy-jacks provide a simple way to control a sail when you lower it. By holding the sail above the boom and preventing it from ...
A light-air sail simplifies cruising choices Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Code Zero — the term sounds like the title of a spy thriller or a military operation, but it’s not. It’s the name of a sail designe...
A determined amateur builds a suit of sails for his ketch Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 I spent about three years, from 2003 to 2006, getting my Whitby 42 ketch, Blue Stocking, ready for extended voyaging. ...
A radical but simple cure for the rock-and-roll blues Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 “The sails flapped and banged — about the ugliest sound a sailor can hear. Apart from nearly driving me crazy, the conditi...
Trimming your sails to the wind gradient Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010 You can have a very happy life and never understand sail twist. You can even be a reasonably good sail trimmer without understanding al...
Integrating lazy-jacks with a sailcover Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 I love my mainsail when it’s doing what it’s supposed to do: powering my boat. But since I am often a singlehanded sailor, there are tim...
Dedicated downwind headsails offer better control Issue 73 : Jul/Aug 2010 The twin-headsail rig, once commonly seen on boats running in the trade winds, has become a dinosaur in today’s fleet of rolle...
Fly and douse a standard spinnaker like a gennaker Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 People are selling their little-used symmetrical spinnakers and replacing them with expensive cruising gennakers that can be ...
