Bottom Scrub Tips to Live By
This month’s report on alternative bottom paints called to mind Drew Frye’s report (see Bottom Cleaning PS April 2018) on bottom cleaning, a practice...
Workbenches for Cruising Sailors
So you’ve got a locker full of tools and materials and the skills to take on anything. But what do you work on? Spill...
The Unsung Hero of Canvas Work
You can cut cloth, carpet, and rope with scissors or a knife, but the result is a frayed mess, as soon as the item...
Cleaning Up Spring Cleaning
Spring is boat prep season, which is followed closely by the first cruise of the season. As the author of many articles on marine...
4 Years Later Sail Repairs Hold Well
After four long years in the sun, we’re finally taking our polyester (Dacron) sail repair samples out of the elements for good. Even glued...
Bent Rudder Remedy
A few years ago while sailing my PDQ catamaran, we struck something hard and bent the rudder so badly that the top of the...
Are You Ready to Kludge Your Way Home?
The first use of the word kludge is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm in 1962, describing an ugly programming solution that was “an ill-assorted...
Tough, Versatile Coosa Board Suited for Various Projects
Cosa board is a closed cell panel that is reinforced with glass fiber, giving it both shear strength and compression strength. Compared to the...
The Multipurpose Core
Solid fiberglass is strong and durable, but it weighs a ton. Even boats with solid hulls generally have cored decks, cabins, stringers, and bulkheads....
Foam Filters Make Little Sense for Air Intake
Probably the biggest takeaway from our report is the surprising prevalence of deteriorating foam oil filters on sailboats. More than one-third of the sailors we...
Doing ‘The Ditch’ Capt. Frank’s Way
Be aware that a less-experienced sailors report of a great anchorage with plenty of depth, or statements like We ran aground here! don't do you much good if they fail to include basic info such as their boat's draft, state of the tide, etc. Other sailors' facility reviews should also be taken with a grain of salt. For example: The dockmaster hates Algerian Snaggle-tooth Poodles (like our Fluffy), so were never coming back, and you shouldnt either!