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To preserve his docklines from chafe while Ganymede was tied to a dock over the long winter, Ben made selvagees out of old halyards and sheets.

An old-time rope trick saves the docklines Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Not until our family spent our third winter aboard while cruising on Ganymede — our home-finished Cape George 31 cutter — did we have...

David took a standard West Marine boathook and extended it with a 6-inch length of aluminum tubing, above. (The fasteners are under the rubber grip.) He epoxied a Forespar Lexan snap-on mast hook into the end of the tubing.

Adapting a boathook to do double duty Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 To make my own whisker pole, I developed an alternative approach to that described by Clarence Jones (“An Inexpensive Whisker Pole,” May 2...

Gary’s vent dryers, clipped to their backing board, are ready to be installed, facing page. Each end cap is made up of a PVC adapter, a screen, and a nylon barb fitting, at top. Gary trimmed the screens to fit inside the adapters, above.

Vent dryers bar moisture from fuel tanks Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Our marina has a regulation that prohibits us from refueling our boats from jerrycans while tied up in our slips. The trouble is, I lik...

When the fuel lift pump on his 30-year-old engine wore out, Art bypassed it with an electric one.

Electric substitute for a mechanical pump Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Our 46-year-old Allied Seabreeze, Secret Water, is a wonderful sailing boat. Nonetheless, reliable auxiliary power is a high priority....

Displacement/Length Ratio

What’s the D/L with the SA/D? Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 Good Old Boat receives frequent letters from readers asking for an explanation of the formulas used to compare sailboats. We generally refer peopl...

When he first saw her after Hurricane Sandy had passed, Alan Vieiro’s Watkins 27, Jolly Blue, at top, was wedged between others at the boatyard. He said, “She appears to be OK with her mast and rigging still in one piece, her rudder whole and not bent, and no significant hull damage. She is a sturdy, well-built boat and I am hopeful that, once back up on stands, she will be OK.” Vadym Telpis found only the keel and parts of the deck of his boat among the piles of boats and pieces at The Raritan Yacht Club, above.

After the storm, it’s decision time Issue 93 : Nov/Dec 2013 For some sailors, after a storm or hurricane comes relief. The mooring held. The neighboring steel boat didn’t break loose during the night ...