Home Boat Maintenance DIY Projects

DIY Projects

Resins and hardeners ready for testing.

DIY Fairing and Filling

Epoxy deserves its wonder resin status as a highly adhesive, water-resistant laminating resin. It is the secret sauce behind a shelf full of fillers,...
You can apply KiwiGrip in section-by-section stages, so you don't have to tiptoe around drying surfaces. (Photo/ Bert Vermeer)

Non-Skid Refinishing with KiwiGrip

Like most sailboats from the heyday of factory production in the 70s and 80s, our 1978 Islander Bahama came with a textured non-skid gelcoat...

Wheel Thimbles for Synthetic Line Terminals

This is not a completely new concept. Spool thimbles have long been used on multi-pulley block beckets to increase the pin diameter to better...
The author’s Tanzer 22 Ardmore sailing in light air on the Haverstraw Bay stretch of the Hudson River. The aged genoa’s wrinkling was due, in part, to a low-cost roller reefing system that was later replaced. (Photo/ Doug Henschen)

Restoring a Classic: How to Get into Sailboat Ownership on a Budget

Some sailboat buyers want (and can afford) to plunk down a boatload of money to get on the water right away. For others, restoring...

Making Your Own Workshop Filter

It all started when I needed to make a number of large cuts inside the house and outside of the confines of my shop....
A DIY wooden wheel shines on a sunny daysail. (Photo/ Bert Vermeer)

How I Made My Wooden Wheel

The reader will notice that the title is not “How to Build a Wooden Wheel”. I don’t pretend to be a carpenter or shipwright,...
With $1,500 and 250 hours over the course of two years, two DIYers refit a previously dismal, grey salon into a bright, functional space. (Photo/ Jaclyn Jeffrey)

DIY Salon Refit: 1979 Fast Passage 39

"Interesting, functional and downright ugly," were a few words people used when I mentioned the boat my husband and I had on Vancouver Island...
While you need to reduce the distance between the jaw flanges, the stripper ring must still be able to rotate freely. (Image/ Tom Egan)

Rescuing Older, Self-Tailing Winches

I love my winches. Like a trusted companion, they have been with me through thick and thin and have always performed for me when...
Lowering the Beta 20, the Kubota 722 block marinized by the British, to replace a Volvo MD7A two-cylinder. (Photo/ Bert Vermeer)

Engine Replacement on Islander Bahama 30

There may come a time when repowering your cherished sailboat needs to be addressed. I suspected that not all 13 horses of the venerable...

Simple Lithium for Outboard-Powered Tenders, Daysailers, and Sport Boats

Lithium is cool. Your cell phone uses it. Cameras, laptops, flashlights … everything. But “cool” is not a reason. Fire is not a big...

HIDDEN Costs of a BRAND NEW Hallberg Rassy 44

Are you buying a brand new sailboat and worried about the real cost with all the options? The name Hallberg Rassy is synonymous with...

Latest Sailboat Review

Island Packet 440

For nearly 30 years under the direction of designer and CEO Bob Johnson, Island Packet accomplished what few modern boatbuilders have been able to...