Change that awkward throttle and gear placement Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 Some sailboat traditions deserve to die. Among them is the placement of the auxiliary engine controls down around the ankles of ...
It’s the simplest, most reliable instrument on your boat Issue 45 : Nov/Dec 2005 There are many types of compasses that help the mariner determine direction: the electronic flux-gate compass, an elect...
Is it right for your boat? Issue 47 : Mar/Apr 2006 Retrofitting your sailboat? Thinking about upgrading your electronics? Wondering whether you should install one of those expensive new chart-plotting...
The way we keep time at sea Issue 48 : May/Jun 2006 The concept of latitude and longitude have been known since the early days of sail, but without accurate timepieces longitude readings required long...
Portable refrigerator provides economical ice Issue 50 : Sept/Oct 2006 Older boats lack many of the amenities found in newer boats. Chartering a newer Beneteau in the British Virgin Islands brought th...
Four basic elements of yacht design Issue 52: Jan/Feb 2007 WE ALL HAVE TO FACE THE FACT that there is no such thing as the perfect sailing yacht, with the possible exception of the one you just bought...
A way to keep charts handy to the helm Issue 54 : May/Jun 2007 Beth and I sail our Ericson 31 in Puget Sound and north into the Canadian Gulf Islands and the shores of Vancouver Island. Even though we...
Here are the terms that define the wind Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 Knowledge of the wind is vital for sailors. So is knowledge of the vocabulary of the wind. To understand and talk about the wind, some i...
Understanding satellites and their benefits Issue 55 : Jul/Aug 2007 Today about 2,700 man-made satellites circle the Earth, but our satellite age had very humble beginnings. In October 1957, 12 years ...
It’s helpful — but there’s no absolute certainty Issue 56 : Sept/Oct 2007 We were following the channel behind the breakwater from Prince Arthur’s Landing Marina, heading toward the entrance to Thunde...
Electronic devices designed to save your life at sea Issue 58 : Jan/Feb 2008 EPIRB is an acronym for emergency position-indicating radio beacon, a device designed to save your life in an emergency by ...
A famous designer tells how yachts have changed Issue 61: July/Aug 2008 In honor of Good Old Boat’s 10th anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to look back over the changes in small-boat desi...
New alerts help prevent loss of life Issue 60 : May/Jun 2008 Every year the electronics aBoard the offshore sailboat become more exotic. Among the latest trends in marine safety are man-overboard (MOB...
Navigation catches up with science fiction Issue 66 : May/Jun 2009 A dream is coming true far faster than I ever would have imagined. It’s foggy, and I’m anchored in Gambier Island’s Halkett Bay on th...
To wash, or not to wash? Aye, there’s the rub Issue 67: July/Aug 2009 Awhile ago, I took a Saturday-morning rope-splicing class at a chandlery. As we were working away, someone asked about splicing ol...
Signals from space are subject to interference Issue 75 : Nov/Dec 2010 The satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) provides very accurate navigational information, but everyone who uses it sho...
Inside and outside viewpoints for a GPS Issue 77 : Mar/Apr 2011 When Jim Stedman updated the electronic equipment in his 1972 Cheoy Lee Luders 36, Song, he gave considerable thought to what he would l...
Obsessive design disorder became a career Issue 79: July/Aug 2011 Who can say when the first hint of the madness appeared? Was it on my first sail on a Lightning at age 12? I hadn’t been aboard for mo...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Boat evolution is a non-linear process Issue 90: May/June 2013 Any search for exactly the right words can be a frustrating experience. This is especially true if you’re trying to explain a fundamental...
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 ...
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...
