Issue 97

Cruising on shoe leather

Parallels between the Blue Ridge and the deep blue Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I used to dream about sailing around the world in our beloved 32-foot double-headsail Cheoy Lee ketch, Experiment. You know t...

Gary Miller

May 15, 2026

The outboard clamps to a 2 x 4 that’s notched so the motor’s bracket clears the truck’s crossbar. David fastened the board with a lag bolt at each end through the truck frame. The metal plate extends the truck’s foot to prevent the rig from tipping.

Outboard on wheels

A mobile stand takes the weight Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I live just a couple of houses from the beach where I keep my dinghy, but now that I have a heavier 4-stroke outboard it’s a chore lugging it do...

David Sharp

May 15, 2026

A few minutes with a saw, a mold for a fiberglass coaming, and a trim ring are all it took to enlighten an opaque hatch with a pie plate.

Forehatch skylight

A pie plate lets in great helpings of sky Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 While preparing Ganymede, our Cape George 31 cutter, for a summer cruise in northern waters, we thought it would be nice to get more l...

Ben Zartman

May 15, 2026

Lanyard step by step Start with a length of line 12 times the finished length of the lanyard and cut it in half. To begin the knot, pass the two lines through the ring in opposite directions (PHOTO 1). The most difficult part of the lanyard is tying the first knot (PHOTOS 2 and 3). Tie it as shown and pull it tight (PHOTO 4). Once this knot is done, repeat the process until the lanyard is complete. Note that one of the lines always passes over the top of the two center lines while the other always passes beneath them. (Normally, the lines won’t be different colors as in the photos, and it is not always easy to keep track of which line passes on top. I tie a small knot at the end of the top line to keep them straight.) Work the knots tight and stop knotting when the lanyard is the right length (PHOTO 5). To finish, cut the ends off each of the lines, leaving about 1⁄8 inch, and use a cigarette lighter to melt the remaining ends (PHOTO 6). (While they are still hot, I press the ends flush with my finger. Alternatively, I sometimes put a drop of clear glue on each end and trim them once the glue has dried.)

Lanyards: the sailor’s keepsafes

Use them for handles, tethers, and tie-downs Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 We have dozens of lanyards aboard Nine of Cups. We use them on pelican hooks, zippers, key rings, flashlights, and even USB flashdr...

David Lynn

May 14, 2026

Dad, Boo Boo, and I pose with the dinghy he built in the living room.

My dad, the boatbuilder

Not every child is raised alongside a yawl Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 My brother, Boo Boo, materialized in a crib in the dining room in 1964 about the time Dad birthed a boat in the living room. Dad had ...

Ann Lee Miller

May 14, 2026

Beneteau First 32s5

Performance in Starck-ly beautiful French style Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 A problem many inland sailors face is that they eventually get tired of sailing the same water. Two years ago, that is what poss...

Allen Penticoff

May 14, 2026

Sextant Reflections

Celestial bodies have lost their star appeal Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I was in my early twenties when I first learned about celestial navigation. I had an interest in astronomy as a kid, was a fairly k...

Henry Cordova

May 14, 2026

After Stephen stripped the paint off the rudder, he discovered extensive delamination, at left. He laid out the dimensions for the new rudder stock on the old rudder, center, and scribed templates to check the rudder’s shape, at right. The new rudder eventually took its place, at top.

Levity’s new rudder

A lack of options pointed to DIY Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I met my rudder on March 30, 1998. It was attached to a Nicholson 35 that my wife, Mary Broderick, and I were about to buy. Our surveyor had ju...

Stephen Perry

May 14, 2026

Natasha takes the wheel of her grandpa’s Islander Bahama 30, at top. After all, it does have her name on it! Before starting work, Bert gathered the tools and the wood, at left. He drew the inside and outside curves on the wood using wires with eyes at each end, at right.

A wooden wheel

Easy on the eyes and warm to the touch Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The stainless-steel steering wheel on our 1978 Islander Bahama 30 was always cold on the hands and the eyes. I wasn’t a fan of expensive ...

Bert Vermeer

May 14, 2026

“Simpy elegant” describes the Oxford Dinghy, on facing page, and it’s not hard to understand how even non-sailors would be drawn to it, especially upon seeing the richly varnished woodwork, at right. With its trailer, it’s ready to sail on any inviting patch of water, below.

Roadside seduction

The Oxford Dinghy lured a family into sailing Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The last thing on my mind that Friday evening 34 years ago was buying a boat. With Peg beside me and our son Chris in the back sea...

L. Alan Keene

May 14, 2026

A bent toggle bolt, at top, will prevent the lifeline from being tightened and is a potential point of failure. Any damaged hardware item, such as this broken stanchion mounting bolt, at left, should be replaced immediately. Stern rails are often burdened with solar panels, outboard engines, wind generators, davits, barbecues, and man-overboard poles that make inspecting them difficult and add stress to the lifeline system, at right.

Lifeline security

Make inspection and maintenance your watchwords Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 During the golden age of sail, old salts greeted new crewmembers with the advice, “One hand for the ship and one hand for yourse...

Frank Lanier

May 13, 2026

Moonshadow, a Bill Garden-designed Husdon Force 50, cuts an impressive figure under sail, at top of page. At 30 tons, she was close to the limit on the boatyard’s 35-ton travel lift, at left. After a pressure wash, a close inspection of her hull revealed extensive blistering. Although the surveyor considered it largely a cosmetic problem, Dale chose to treat the blisters to prevent them from getting worse over time.

Tackling blisters one by one

A plan and hard labor win the day Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I had known for a couple of years that Moonshadow, our 1983 Hudson Force 50, needed to have the gelcoat blisters on the bottom repaired. Blist...

Dale Bagnell

May 13, 2026

The boat was a 1979 Morgan 461 sloop that had spent nearly her entire life immersed in tropical waters. While sanding the thick buildup of bottom paint, the crew discovered many hundreds of tiny blisters. They first tried opening each one with a Dremel tool and waiting for the laminate to dry (PHOTO 1). The original plan was to “spot fill” these blisters using epoxy filler. However, when moisture levels failed to come down significantly after several weeks, an exploratory removal of the gelcoat was in order. That revealed a bigger problem (PHOTO 2).

The blister question

To peel or not to peel? Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The photos on these pages illustrate a complete six-layer laminate peel and replacement using biaxial cloth and vinylester resins followed by an epoxy b...

Todd Duff

May 13, 2026

Nathan was first attracted to the O’Day Mariner as a teenager. Later in life he acquired one to sail, at top, and restore, above.

Restoring an O’Day Mariner

Essentials first, then the fun parts Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 I first laid eyes on an O’Day Mariner as a teenager while working at my family’s marina in Niantic, Connecticut. It was a derelict, but the...

Nathan Bayreuther

May 13, 2026

Diagrams of Rhodes Reliant, Whitby 42, Landfall 43, and Niagara 42

Seakindliness

The elusive measure of comfort at sea Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 The subject of seakindliness comes up any time the conversation turns to long-range cruising. Someone who asks about a particular boat, “H...

Rob Mazza

May 13, 2026

Marine Electrical Wire 101

Use the proper wire for safety and reliability Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 Household electrical wire, automotive wire, and marine-grade electrical wire are all very different. When subjected to the vibrat...

Don Launer

May 13, 2026

Freedom 28

A rare cat ketch and uncommonly good coastal cruiser Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 Tom Curley pulled into the marina parking lot on his Victory motorcycle. We stood there admiring this eccentric machine, it...

Richard Smith

May 13, 2026

Defensive sailing

Being prepared for the “what ifs” Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014 Decades ago — when I took driver’s education in anticipation of my 16th birthday and in the hope of earning a much-valued driver’s license — t...

Karen Larson

May 13, 2026