Belowdecks & Amenities

Writer, raconteur, polymath, and Olympian, very few have touched the sport of sailing in all its facets as thoroughly as Bruce Kirby. Yes, he...

Standard power on cruising sailboats is 12 volts, and since the beginning of time, the standard low-voltage outlet, as a consequence, was a 12V...

There are really three reasons we ventilate; in summer to beat the heat, in the off-season to fight moisture build up from cooking and...

This month’s article on ventilation got me thinking about how the current situation will impact living aboard in marinas. During 10 years of living aboard,...

It seems anomalous, but whether at home or on the boat, when we bring X volume of goods in, they expand to X+20 percent...

With winter upon us, and boats sitting on the hard in many places, its a good time to troubleshoot or update systems, and to make a to-do list for the off-season and pre-season.

Generally, a deep locker will have a recessed lid. Some modification may be needed to fit locker bags.

Storage is a challenge on small boats, and my new-to-me Corsair Marine F-24 trimaran was particularly Spartan this regard. The skinny hulls provided minimum volume and the race-focused designer intentionally omitted proper lockers. A performance-oriented boat such as this must be kept light if she is to sail to her potential. But even day sailers and racers attract a certain amount of necessary clutter, sure as honey attracts flies. Something had to be done, and yet, as a new owner its tough to know what will best suit your needs and what the boat needs. Its even harder to cut the first hole. This project was 100 percent non-invasive.

With regards to your recent marine oil filter tests (see PS July 2019, Marine Oil Filter Comparison Test), having spent my career in the aeronautical engine technical field specializing in maintenance I must state my allegiance to non-encapsulated filters and independent housings. This trend towards spin-on filter assemblies prevents in my opinion the most important aspect of filter maintenance which is particle inspection. Filters are not removed so you can inspect or replace them, they are removed so you can ascertain your engines condition. This practice seems to have been set aside to make way to quick and easy maintenance using spin-on filters. Oil analysis is fine but it should start with a simple sediment inspection after a low cost electro- sonic cleaning in a 60 Hz bath (jewelry cleaner bath).

Hook and loop fasteners are familiar from jacket cuffs and companionway bug screens, but during our many years of fiddling around boats, weve come up with a few applications that even a Velcro-lover havent yet tried. Lets look at some new tricks.