A big trailerable boat with a lifting keel Issue 1...
May 6, 2026
How to transform that lukewarm solar shower into heated comfort Issue 149: March/April 2023 Like many sailors, I have a sun shower solar hot water heater. Over the years, I’ve found that it work...
A small, handsome double-ender with offshore potential Issue 149: March/April 2023 The 1970s was a transitional period in sailboat design, as CCA (Cruising Club of America) rules that had guided desig...
Issue 149: March/April 2023 With the mainsail hoisted and our 6-hp Mercury pushing us toward Lake Michigan, we scooted out of Pentwater Lake Inlet with high hopes. My 15-year-old brother, Matt, hanked...
The sailing stories we tell can be a map to a meaningful life Issue 150: May/June 2023 My first sailboat sank in 6 feet of water. In retrospect, minor maintenance could’ve saved the little dinghy. But...
How to craft a DIY electrical panel Issue 150: May/June 2023 After our family’s C&C 35-3 Secret Plans was stolen (Good Old Boat September/October 2022), we purchased a new-to-us old boat and named...
A drift down the fairway provides a lesson in boat handling and hubris Issue 150: May/June 2023 I spent the first six years of my sailing life sailing my fin-keeled 1980 Hunter 36, Gudgeon, and for mo...
Crafting a traditional interior look and feel with a little ingenuity Issue 150: May/June 2023 Calypso is the 1976 Bristol Channel Cutter we’ve owned since 1992. As you might expect, we’ve put her thr...
A sailor flouts an age-old superstition and pays the price Issue 150: May/June 2023 After what seemed like a short, mild winter, I was ready to splash for the summer season. The boatyard didn’t launch...
Replacing a boat’s halogen lights with LED ones is a satisfying, power-saving upgrade at a minimal cost Issue 150: May/June 2023 During long Quebec winters, while my small sailboat is covered on the h...
A cherished daily ritual helps a passagemaking sailor transition to cruising Issue 150: May/June 2023 Waking up in the V-berth of mySabre 30, Ora Kali, I can tell by the sun shining through the compan...
DIY rope hooks to keep your coils organized Issue 150: May/June 2023 Hooks are designed to snag. But that is the polar opposite of what I need in a rope locker. Installed in a sail locker, for example...
A little nip and tuck on a used spinnaker makes for an inexpensive upgrade Issue 150: May/June 2023 One of my most memorable sailing days was crossing the broad mouth of the Chesapeake Bay’s Potomac R...
A DIY teak box built onto a compression post enables movie-watching in style Issue 150: May/June 2023 When we bought Avocet in 2018, we knew we were in for a world of projects. From doing a total exte...
A quick racer/cruiser from Canada Issue 150: May/June 2023 When Jack and Marilyn Williams moved west from their home province of Ontario in 1977, settling near Victoria on Vancouver Island, one of the...
Issue 150: May/June 2023 It wasn’t two-foot-itis, but bluewater-itis, that sent us on a search for a new boat more than a decade ago. The desire for a seaworthy cruiser launched a quest that would tak...
Amid tumultuous times, a beloved Morgan 30 is a haven for a family of six Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 Clear skies, 12- to 15-knot winds, and a following sea made for smooth sailing from our mooring ball ...
Ruminations on sailing in years past drive home a fundamental truth Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 I’m climbing down the ladder from the stern of Affinity and pulling the tarp zipper as I descend, perhaps f...
Lessons learned while sailing down the East Coast to warmer weather Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 You’re ready. You have the boat of your dreams and you’ve spent enough time sailing your home waters to be ...
When a PLB is accidentally activated in a remote area, the Canadian Coast Guard responds Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 This past summer, my wife, Terri, and I set out to circumnavigate Vancouver Island on ...
An unpleasant surprise necessitates the replacement of a sole and stringer Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 I have a long list of projects on my boat that I want to complete. But replacing the cabin sole was ...
A coastal sailor jumps at the chance to cross an ocean Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 A lifetime of sailing the protected waters of Vancouver Island on British Columbia’s west coast had given me a wealth of...
Rings made from sections of pipe provide an easy way to hang gear Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 On most of our good old boats, storage in the forepeak and cockpit lockers is less than perfect. There is not...
A longtime sailor ponders the seemingly human qualities of an obdurate outboard Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 Over a long sailing life, I have found that there are times when, for no apparent reason, an ou...
Restoring a Dyer Dink 10 for dreamy daysailing Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 We hauled out our 1983 Sabre 30, Ora Kali, on a blustery day last November. In retrospect, we should have done it sooner. Winter...
The magazine’s co-founder reflects on the early days and what boaters and farmers have in common Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 Like many Good Old Boat readers, Jerry and I have been accumulating boats for ...
The right products and technique are key to separating those stubbornly cemented parts Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 I’ve tried solvents for removing sealants, but unless they are aggressive enough to melt...
What the numbers can tell you about boat performance, comfort, and stability Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 Yacht designers make many calculations in their work that help define the final shape and performa...
A modern racer-cruiser with two helms Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 This 2013 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 379 was less than 10 years old at the time of my review, providing a great opportunity to look at some of ...
Issue 151: July/Aug 2023 This issue of Good Old Boat, #151, marks 25 years since the magazine was first published in the summer of 1998. Great Lakes sailors Karen Larson and Jerry Powlas, who met thro...
A mariner grapples with an unfamiliar reluctance — and finds the cure Issue 152: Sept/Oct 2023 The grayer I get, the more of a serenity-seeking sailor I become. Or is “serenity-seeking” another way of...
