A big trailerable boat with a lifting keel Issue 1...
May 6, 2026
New lip seals cure a dripping engine-cooling pump Issue 125: March/April 2019 The raw-water pump is an integral part of the cooling system of any marine diesel engine. If it should fail, the engine wi...
Tips for sailing with a top-down furling spinnaker Issue 125: March/April 2019 In Part 1 of this article, in the January 2019 issue, Hugh introduced flying-sail furlers and described how he installed ...
A rally cruise for small sailboats could become habit-forming Issue 125: March/April 2019 The best way to start any voyage is by seeking advice, in my case from an old high school friend who was once ...
A true shoal-draft cruiser from the UK Issue 125: March/April 2019 When you are used to sailing a performance cruiser with a 7-foot draft, the prospect of spending winters in the shallow waters of Sou...
Trying to undo them exposes their stubborn side Issue 125: March/April 2019 The title of Henry James’ classic novel The Turn of the Screw is a metaphor for the stress felt by a governess in her strugg...
An old salt learns an old trick from a docking master Issue 125: March/April 2019 On day six of a challenging singlehanded adventure tackling the Delmarva loop aboard Base Camp, my 27-foot Pearson, I ...
Buying new often makes sense. But when you’re in the market for a boat part, take a minute to consider whether that part is likely to be found used at a consignment or surplus store. I remember each y...
IN PRAISE OF THE DIY BOATYARD Last month I put it to the readers about DIY boatyards. Do you prefer these yards? Are you willing to pay more in lay-day rates to use a DIY yard? Do you have a favorite ...
Jasna Tuta and her partner, Rick Page, are self-described sea gypsies, members of the water tribe who cruise the world’s oceans. Their first book, Get Real, Get Gone: How to Become a Modern Sea Gypsy ...
When I started reading this humorous take on boating and boaters, I expected more of the usual, but Dave Selby has a new and refreshing approach to the genre. The description on Amazon says a lot: “It...
Dogwatch (n): For sailors, either of the 2-hour watch periods between 1600 and 2000; For journalists, the period after going to press when staff stand by in case breaking news warrants a late e...
Give slime and scum the brush-off on the cheap Doesn’t every sailor yearn for another tenth of a knot? Especially when racing? I do. Lucky are those who trailer their boats and can clean them at any t...
Asked to officiate at the wedding of sailing friends in the Caribbean, Captain Gilmore also wrote their vows. . . CAPTAIN GILMORE: We are gathered here today before this beautiful sunset and in this ...
Could the 2018 Golden Globe Race have been fairer and safer? Issue 125: March/April 2019 As I write this column, four of the five sailors remaining in the 2018 Golden Globe Race have rounded Cape Horn...
“I feel my body gone glass, emptying and refilling with Arctic swell. Darkness and safety a trick of the mind, as distant as the long, light fields of home.” So writes Jenna Butler in Magnetic ...
Great Lakes sailor James Barry was inspired to write his first historical fiction novel by a true story he discovered while sailing among the islands of Lake Huron’s North Channel. The short ve...
DRONE LEGALITY You asked about reader experience with drones (“Put It to the Readers,” The Dogwatch, September 2018). I can say that launching a drone from a boat under sail is not easy, because of wi...
Are you familiar with the comprehensive boat review we feature at the start of each issue of Good Old Boat magazine? We have a small team of marine freelance writers who draft those for us, and we’re ...
On November 24th, 1995 the sturdy 47-foot Compass, Melinda Lee, sailed in 35-knot gusts and 8-foot seas at the end of a long passage and only 20-odd miles from her destination in New Zealand. Mike and...
This is a guide to everything you could possibly want to know about anchors and anchoring. Rigging Modern Anchors includes elegant illustrations and informative graphics and tables. Frye presents fact...
New sailors outfit an old boat for a future of adventures. My husband, David, and I have always loved the outdoors and water. We have been avid sea-kayakers and snorkelers. We have owned powerboats, b...
Novelty luggage tags help prevent embarrassing oversights Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 We all have a checklist, formal or not, that we consult before casting off. Depending on our boats and ambitions, to-d...
A high school sailor questions their value Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 My former high school sailing-team coach was always telling us “consistency is key.” What does that even mean? What if consistency fo...
Mark Sinclair’s choice for the solo nonstop race around the world Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 “This retro race could not have come at a better time,” says Mark Sinclair about the Golden Globe Race 2018. “...
Fulfilling dreams with boats once destined for landfills. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 In an age where the norm is to throw away the old and buy something new, I have learned that thrown-away sailboats can...
All-inclusive fleets welcome novice racers at the starting line. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 When I was a child, my family would spend every summer cruising and sailing out of our home port. Years later, ...
Learn to refine it by chasing good old boats around the buoys Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 I am not a very skilled sailor. I’ve sailed thousands of miles in all types of weather, from Glacier Bay to Panama...
A top-down furler takes the terror out of setting a spinnaker. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 Downwind sailing with only a jib or genoa can leave a sailor wanting more. I wanted to fly a spinnaker on Hagar, ...
Insulate and decorate cold stainless steel with French spiral hitching. Issue 124: Jan/Feb 2019 When a stainless steel steering wheel gets wet or, worse yet, wet and cold, it becomes difficult to grip...
Banish mildew on your boat with a simple chemical brew As near as I can tell, boating consists of one part blue lagoons and white sails and two parts painting the bottom, fixing engines, and scrubbing...
