2005 Back Issues (Download or CD)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005
The January issue is full of boats from a review of the Canadian Sailcraft 36 by Bill Sandifer to a feature boat article on the Cheoy Lee 32 by Don Casey. There are two refit articles: on a MacGregor Venture 222 and a Cheoy Lee Pedrick 41. While we were at it, we threw in a profile of the Com-Pac Yacht company. More seriously, we came up with articles about splicing and whipping, with a focus on double-braid and three-stranded line. Dave Martin tells what he did to make his Cal 25 a world cruiser, and Michael Batham discusses the work involved in re-rigging his 47-foot steel ketch. While we were at it, Steven Alexander tells about repairing corrosion damage on a painted aluminum mast, Don Launer gives us Shaft Log 101 as part of his ongoing series, and we take a look at alternative dinghies. Ken Textor suggests that there are other woods in the marine world besides teak (and he was not struck down on the spot!), and John Butler tells about the benefits of having a signal mirror aboard. Just for fun we added a couple of Cruising Memories pieces about saving an injured tern and enjoying the strong winds of Buzzards Bay in a Cape Dory 27, Karen Larson tells how to get women involved in sailing (and enjoying it!), and Fritz Seegers will delight anyone’s eye with his whimsical center spread illustrations.

MARCH/APRIL 2005
The March issue is another winner! Boats include reviews of the C&C 33 and the American 23, a feature on the Truxalls who sail a Tayana 37, and a refit of a Marshall Sanderling catboat. We’ve also got a profile of designer/builder Charlie Morgan. Getting serious, we have possibly more than you want to know about the removal of a teak deck, thoughts on sail plans by Ted Brewer, and Don Casey adds a deck wash to his boat. Bill Sandifer conducts a memorable test of heat-shrink hose clamps, Tom Young creates more useable space with the addition of a dinette where a settee/bunk was, and Don Launer\’s 101 series comes up with Chart Plotters 101. Just for fun is the addition of a comfortable recliner which fits in any size boat, solar cooking aboard, pitfalls in paradise, and a center spread showing our feathered (shoreside) friends. Reflections promises that spring will come: Soon, real soon! Simple Solutions features sound-proofing for the engine, a knot you can’t be without (the toggle hitch), and adding a gate and ladder in the stern pulpit. The Quick and Easy section focuses on a hatch bug screen and a great idea for a shower aboard.

MAY/JUNE 2005
The May issue cover blows us away. We think this kid is so cool! No halyard wraps for him! He’s taking his job seriously and thinking critically. The rest of the issue’s not bad either. In fact, we’re rather proud of it. The boats this time include a review of the Aloha 32 by ,b>Gregg Nestor and a review of the Rhodes 22 by Don Launer along with the refit of a Morgan 34 by Fred Seisseger. The serious content includes a sailor’s brightwork system by Tom Young, replacing ports by Chuck Fort and Kim Efishoff, everything you need to know about cordage (ropes for the rest of us, perhaps?) by Gregg Nestor, how to select a surveyor by Susan Peterson Gateley, replacing a damaged headliner by Gerry McGowan, Binoculars 101 by Don Launer, blister repair by Larry Zeitlin, and Ted Brewer on head design. (Think head arrangement doesn’t matter? Think again!) Just for fun we offer a profile of Hal and Margaret Roth by Marianne Scott, Jill Knight on cruising with pets, and a couple of fun Cruising Memory articles by Chad Lawie and Geoffrey Toye. Mary Jane Hayes is the best of the boat photographers with photos of Boat Kids in the center spread. In the Reflections column, B. J. Armstrong says the daysail is every bit as important as a world cruise (cruising for the rest of us . . . ?). Simple Solutions is busy with a mast step refit and finding a boat in the digital marketplace. Quick and Easy tells how to build a traditional boathook and how to make a “special needs” boat card.

JULY/AUGUST 2005
The July 2005 issue’s a big hit. Boats include a review of the Drascombe Lugger and a feature about a family with a Bristol 29.9. We tell the history of the Island Packet Company also. Seriously speaking, Ted Brewer discusses surviving capsize, Durkee Richards tells what biodiesel can do for your boat and to your boat, Dave Martin reminisces about his world wanderings, John Butler puts a boom gallows on his catboat, Larry Zeitlin presents a contrarian opinion about binoculars, and Don Launer writes Radar 101. We’ve added these just for fun: memories inspired by an old chart, a profile of the Bingham Boat Works company, a center spread on tall ships, a profile of Lin and Larry Pardey, and what happens when you decide to get a trawler. Reflections include ruminations on why a boat is not an “it.” What’s more? Quick and Easy includes creating extra storage, building a knife block, drilling concentric holes, a double fendering system that works in tides, and adding a pushpit rail to hold a motor mount. Simple Solutions includes quick quillows and adding a compression brace.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005
The September issue is always a hard reminder for us that fall is coming. Why (we wonder) does it continue to be such a surprise each year? (But there it is: it’s fall again.) The boats in this issue include the Whitby 42, the Yankee Dolphin (and her close relatives), the Cabot 36, the Pearson 28-2, and a refit of a Nicholson 31. For the serious at heart, there’s fixing a mast which is corroded at the mast step, by Phillip Reid; low-cost outfitting, by Gerry McGowan; a new mahogany-and-holly sole, by Mark Abramski; LED projects, by Cade Johnson; and marine corrosion, by Gregg Nestor. For the light at heart, we include prayers over a Princess stove (got alcohol?), by Joseph O’Connor; living and working aboard while fixing your boat, by Niki Perryman; and a look at the Swiftsure Classics race, by Eric Manchester. There’s the center spread of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior, Lin and Larry Pardey talk about actions you can take when your engine quits (at the worst possible times, of course), and a piece about how to help the Coast Guard watch for terrorists. Our Reflections column talks about the peace of mind which comes just outside the breakwater. And furthermore there are fixes for the cigarette connector we all love to hate, a way to give your trailerable boat an extra oomp when hauling it out, how to cure the rattle in your mast, and a plan for storing spare towels and blankets in sight but out of mind.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005
Happy holidays from Good Old Boat! The boats in this issue include the Cape Dory 25 as a feature boat, and reviews of the Tartan 30 and Seaward 22. We\’ve also got Part 2 of the Nicholson 31 refit by James Baldwin. For the serious among us, we\’re telling how to repair a hole in a fiberglass boat, how to build a full-sized bed in the main cabin (none of this pointy V-berth stuff!), everything you want to know about reading weather charts, and what boat details you should keep on a master list. There\’s also Nautical Compass 101, Part 2 of our marine corrosion article, and a look at Captain John Voss: his boat, the Tilikum, and his sea anchor. Lighter reading includes a profile of Murray Davis, the founder of Cruising World, by Marianne Scott; setting priorities for living a cruising lifestyle, by Dave Martin; a profile of Torresen Marine; a lovely center spread with photos by John Ellsworth; and memories by John Butler about sailing in the Tasman Sea and Catherine Connolly about buying her first boat. Reflections by Craig Carter center on the boating skills and interests passed from father to son. What\’s more? Creating a cockpit hatch for engine access and a unique way to get around (bow-sculling) are the Simple Solutions pieces. Relocating auxiliary controls in the cockpit is our Quick and Easy article.