In a sailors’ paradise, why do engines rule? Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Soon after slipping our mooring at The Baths, Virgin Gorda, with our shoddy outboard pushing just enough to weave our way out of th...
A home-store commodity fit the bill Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Turnbuckle boots last a long time, but not forever. Cracked and broken, mine were showing their age. I needed six boots 1 1/2 inches in diam...
Make them the right length for any job Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Bungees of the “loop and ball” type are very handy around sailboats. I needed some larger than those commercially available for tying up ...
C-clamps earn an A for ingenuity Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Aboard my various boats in the past I have had gimbaled and non-gimbaled galley ranges, as well as fixed countertop stoves, so I have encounter...
Impermanent illumination for impromptu parties Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Every once in a while, although the Vera May is really not a party boat, her cockpit is the venue for a small evening gathering. ...
Tragedy underscores propane’s dark side Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 A sailing friend called with stunning news: an explosion had just destroyed a boat moored in the marina where our good old boat, Sirius,...
An author prevails against life’s headwinds Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Before dawn each day, William C. Hammond makes his way to the writing studio of his rambling colonial house near downtown Minneapoli...
Under its dull, chalky finish lies a shiny boat Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Believe it or not, it is possible to bring the shine back to a good old boat. Most of the thousands of aging fiberglass boats ou...
Drawn to the irresistible rhythm of Polynesia Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 We pull into Hanavave Bay on Fatu Hiva after a long afternoon of sailing. The jagged mountains and deep valleys of the Marquesas I...
An inexpensive boat proves to be a treasure Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Many times in my life I have found more than I was looking for. That was the case with the boat my wife, Sharon, and I are now cruis...
A confirmed tinkerer adds muscle to his foredeck Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 After a difficult anchor retrieval, the first mate and I decided it was time to bring another deckhand aboard Prime Time, our 2...
The answer is to baffle it Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Everyone else on the shopping bus was bleary-eyed and commiserating about how many times during the night they had gotten up to close hatches. It had...
An internal transducer eliminates a through-hull Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Signals from a depth sounder will pass through a fiberglass hull that is not too thick and has no delamination problems. The ow...
Tips for taking photos that “pop” Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 The difference between a snap-shot and a beautiful photo is in the details, not in the cost of the camera it’s taken with or the advanced proc...
Bet on it before you bet on luck Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Many boat projects require a reasonable amount of skill, but for the most part it’s your determination and vision that become the most importan...
An innovative and popular design from the early 1980s Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Warren Luhrs founded Hunter Marine in 1972 and within a year introduced his first sailboat, the Hunter 25. For his initial...
The bottom line in mainsail trim Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Outhauls have been in use since the days of the square rigger. An outhaul is part of the running rigging, specifically a line fastened to the c...
Why American sailors stuck with a movable appendage Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 First, let me say it’s a humbling experience to take over the design comparisons in Good Old Boat from someone with the brea...
Good Old Boat welcomes aboard a new contributing editor Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 If you own a C&C yacht, Rob Mazza probably had a hand in its construction, design, or engineering. If you own a boat...
. . . and CCA centerboard contemporaries Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 First built in 1960, and rigged as either a yawl or a sloop, the Mercer 44 goes back to the dawn of fiberglass boat-building. That made...
Years of devotion and labor lifted Spirit Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 Coincidence, destiny, serendipity — call it what you will, chance must play a strong hand in matching aging boats with their rightful ...
A passel of pocket cruisers put on a show Issue 85 : Jul/Aug 2012 The C&C Mega 30 project boat in our backyard doesn’t fit the true definition of a pocket cruiser, but she will be trailerable once...
