Install a Standalone Sounder Without Drilling
Are you one of those sailors who believes there are too many holes in the hull of your boat? Have you ever wondered if...
Installing a Solid Wood Cabin Sole
During the 1970s and early 80s frenzy of fiberglass production boat building, many cabin soles were pretty basic—a textured fiberglass pan or bare plywood....
DIY Soundproofing for the Engine Compartment
As sailors, once we’ve cleared the outer markers of our club, marina or harbor, we look forward to raising our sails and we enjoy...
Fair Through Hull Fittings: Essential to a Smooth Bottom
In light air, a major portion of the total resistance of a sailboat derives from skin friction. To oversimplify, the smoother the boat's "skin" — the submerged part of the vessel — the less power is required to drive it to a given speed. Put another way, given two boats identical in every way, including sail area, the boat with the smoother bottom will be slightly faster than a boat with a rough bottom in light air. Most racing sailors have learned the value of a smooth bottom. Ironically, cruising sailors can benefit at least as much from the creation of a low-resistance bottom as racing sailors, although you rarely see a cruising or daysailing boat with a bottom to match that of a good racing boat.
How to Replace Moldy Fabric with Wood Strips
Many of the fiberglass boats manufactured in the 70s and 80s, sail or power, were built on production assembly lines where speed and expense...
Spiffy Teak Tips for the Penny Pincher
Most teak cleaners don't just clean; they also remove weathered woods surface fibers and expose new wood. As much as 0.010 inches of surface teak can be removed in a single cleaning when using some common teak-cleaning products. Regularly cleaning with these products will shorten a teak decks life. Some also contain strong alkalis that can harm paint, caulk, and aluminum.
Descaling Solutions for Boats
In addition to all of that lovely salt, seawater is very hard, nearly saturated with calcium. All it needs is something to react with (uric acid in the head) or localized overheating (engine) to create concrete-like incrustations. Sometimes mechanical removal is possible; a favorite cruiser ritual involves hauling out the sanitation hoses and beating them on concrete to remove internal scale build-up. Heat exchangers can be reamed out with a rod, but most engine and plumbing systems are inaccessible without considerable disassembly.
Repairing Molded Plastics
Before looking for the right glue, understand why the part broke. Did it succumb to a combination of UV damage, creep (distortion), fatigue, and...
SNADs: Snaps Without Screws
No one likes drilling holes in their boat, and to drill holes for a simple snap seems like overkill. I love snaps for window...
How to Repair a Water-Damaged Teak and Holly Sole
A sailing buddy came to me looking for advice. He had inadvertently left a portlight open and a combination of rain and snow had...
Tartan Yachts and the Catalina Fallout: How One Brand Survived
Tartan Yachts is one of the most respected names in American sailboat building — but in recent years, the brand found itself caught in...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!