Simple Tips to Improve Boat Ventilation
As ventilation experts explore ways to make indoor spaces safer during the COVID-19 pandemic, we became curious about ventilation in our boats. As it turns out, where we install our exhaust or intake vents (portlight, hatch, or cowl) is just as important as what type of vent we use. Just as we can use the suction on the leeward side of a sail to pull the boat forward, we can use pressure differentials in the air surrounding the cabin to maximize the ventilation. Understanding the pressure differentials created by the flow of air over our boat’s deck is vital to the success of any passive ventilation scheme.
International Sailing During COVID-19
The Valiant 40 on the cover of the September issue is named Brick House and belongs to longtime contributor the late Patrick Childress and...
Detecting and Dealing with Stainless-steel Corrosion
Our upcoming report on lifelines, stanchions, and stanchion bases brought to mind several past articles we've run on stainless steel failures. Although high-quality stainless can provide years of reliable service, sailors need to be aware of its limitations. Owners of used boats with hardware of an unknown age should be particularly scrupulous when carrying out routine inspection of stainless-steel rigging and hardware.
Quick and Easy Gelcoat Repair
When making gelcoat repairs, the Preval Sprayer combines the best of the Badger 250 and the paint brush. It's quick to set up and clean, and provides adequate coverage in a single application. Best of all, it's available in auto supply and hardware stores for just $7, so when you are done with it, you can just throw it away.
Small-boat Dreams and Carl Alberg’s Classic Daysailers
Taste is as fickle as doldrum winds, and taste in sailboats are no exception. Ten years ago we explored the world of luxury daysailors,...
Sailing as an Essential Activity
Let’s take away all the boats. Not the ships engaged in essential commerce, not the barges hauling goods, not the net boats catching fish....
Improvised First Aid Afloat
It's nearly impossible to anticipate and prepare for every possible on-board medical emergency, but with a little bit of creative thinking, these everyday objects commonly found on most boats can be used to stop bleeding, sterilize wounds, or stabilize fractures.
Boat Bottom Blues
While spring usually heralds the start of boating season for most of us, for others it means facing up to long-postponed projects. If you own an older boat, that project probably might be removing the years of antifouling paint that have built up on the bottom. In this blog post you'll find links to a number of useful articles to help guide you through this process.
Need A COVID-19 Toilet Quick? Try This Small-boat Sailor Trick
COVID-19 has made it harder to find a clean toilet these days. This is a tiny inconvenience compared to virus's terrible impacts in the...
Need A COVID-19 Toilet Quick? Try This Trailer Sailor...
COVID-19 has made it harder to find a clean toilet these days. If only you could bring a sanitary bathroom with you.
Maybe you have...
This “Bulletproof” Cruiser Has a Serious Weak Spot Caliber 40 LRC...
If you’re shopping for a serious cruising sailboat, the Caliber 40 LRC is often described as “bulletproof.” Heavy displacement, huge tankage, conservative construction, and...
Latest Sailboat Review
Union 36 Used Boat Review
While not the best boat for light-air sailing, the Union 36 is a good sailboat for the bluewater cruiser. It wont get you there fast, but it will get you there comfortably and in one piece. The boats teak decks and lavish use of interior wood is attractive but requires much upkeep and maintenance. A product of the Taiwan-U.S. boatbuilding industry, the Union 36 is a heavy-displacement, full-keel, cutter-rigged double-ender designed for ocean sailing. The Union 36 is nearly identical to several other boats built during the same period: the Hans Christian 36, Mariner Polaris 36, and the EO36. According to well-known naval architect Bob Perry, the Union 36 and its cousins are all based on the design of a 34-footer that Perry was commissioned to create back in the early 70s.