How to (and not to) install hardware to cored laminates Issue 126: May/June 2019 Installing hardware on boats, a seemingly straightforward procedure, is fraught with pitfalls: failure to reinforce the...
Too wide for a container’s door? Turn the problem on its side. Issue 126: May/June 2019 My best friend, Ante, and I have been small-boat owners all our lives. Growing up in Croatia, on the Adriatic Se...
They put a check on electronic noise from RFI and EMI Issue 126: May/June 2019 Have you ever tried to listen to someone transmitting on their VHF whose voice was almost drowned out by an annoying buzz...
An old design puts cheap wheels under a long-loved tender Issue 126: May/June 2019 When I moved from New Jersey in the spring of 2018, I sold, gave away, or abandoned a lot of my stuff, including the ...
A couple of days’ work extends into an odyssey Issue 126: May/June 2019 Way in the back of the long-term storage lot where old boats go to die, I looked at my Catalina 34, Ukiyo, and thought of an ins...
Whether for babies or boats, it’s the human condition Issue 126: May/June 2019 When my first daughter was a newborn, I’d have jumped in front of a car to save her life, not because she was my daughter...
A hand-powered pump, glass jars, and ingenuity are the recipe Issue 126: May/June 2019 About 30 years ago, at the Houston Boat Show, I saw a product called Pump-N-Seal, a device that restores a vacuum...
Where wind and tide play tag beyond Seal Rocks Issue 126: May/June 2019 The sail hangs limp. The tiller swings free. I let the mainsheet slither out of my fingers to the deck. My wife, Ellen, yawns an...
Add-ons made a luggage cart multi-purpose Issue 126: May/June 2019 A handcart is handy to have aboard a boat. We wanted one that could adapt to carrying a variety of items, support a considerable payl...
A fresh-air solution for a boat that lacks a locker Issue 125: March/April 2019 In the 1970s and ’80s, a lot of production sailboats were equipped with alcohol-fueled galley stoves. Accordingly, there...
Boat projects and pastimes relieve the symptoms of winter withdrawal Issue 125: March/April 2019 For the sailors among us who live in the northern latitudes, the sailing season is woefully short — bar...
If at first you don’t have speed, trim, trim, and trim again Issue 125: March/April 2019 In “Testing the Waters in PHRF Part 1,” November 2018, Robb Lovell introduced us to the world of PHRF sailboat ...
. . . and two true centerboarders Issue 125: March/April 2019 It is often said that all boats are compromises, but that is especially true with regard to cruising center-boarders when it comes to deci...
A simple system will keep a frugal sailor’s battery topped off Issue 125: March/April 2019 When I first mentioned adding solar power to our Corsair F 24 trimaran, my boating partners choked. They envi...
Simple or sophisticated, each type has its merits Issue 125: March/April 2019 When we bought our 45-foot Liberty cutter, Nine of Cups, in 2000, she needed a number of upgrades to convert her from a co...
They tame stranded wire and make connections secure Issue 125: March/April 2019 A ferrule slips easily over a stranded wire and ensures that the connection is as secure as it can be in devices that ar...
Prototyping bug-proofing possibilities for opening portlights My friend’s Westsail 32 has 10 opening portlights. That’s a lot of ventilation. Without screens, it’s also a lot of entrances for bugs. Th...
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...
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 ...
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 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 ...
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...
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, ...
