Boat Maintenance

The cockpit of Tosca, the 32-foot Atkin ketch that my wife and I cruised on for 11 years, was dominated by a trapezoidal chasm in the flush teak deck, euphemistically referred to as a cockpit well.

Letters to Practical Sailor, September 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Bottom Paint Woes, Measuring Epoxy Success, Fleet Tracking Apps, and more!

If you purchased a Standard Horizon GX1700 VHF with GPS (PS Best Choice, June 2012) before mid-July 2012, it likely is in need of a firmware update. A bug in the original programming made it nearly impossible to save a waypoint using the Mark Position function.

Letters to Practical Sailor, September 2012. This month's letters cover topics such as: Marina in westBrook, Polyform, Questus Marine, and more!

In April 2012, we launched a long-term test of SmartAntifouling’s M20, an electronic antifouling solution that the maker claims uses ultrasonic waves to prevent algae and barnacle growth on boat hulls. The M20 transducer emits a high-frequency vibration that creates a thin layer of moving water around the hull, making it difficult for organisms to attach to the hull. The evaluation was set to run for a few seasons. However, after just three months of testing, disappointing results prompted testers to put the experiment on hold until the test boat’s bottom is re-painted later this year.

Letters to Practical Sailor, August 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Anchor Rhodes, Ultrasonic Antifouling, Inflatable PFDs, and more

I want to varnish my companionway hatch boards, but I need to remove the old finish. Is there a varnish remover that works well and doesn’t ruin the wood?

Letters to Practical Sailor, July 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Dinghy Launcher, iPad Glare, Racor, and more!

Letters to Practical Sailor, July 2012. This month's letters cover topics such as: BEP Marine, Sparcraft /Tylaska, and more!

I did some research on gluing plastics and came away more confused than when I started. My research revealed that some plastics cannot be glued, while others can be, as long as the right glue is utilized. I don't even know what the smoke-colored, half-inch-thick hatch cover material is: acrylic, poly-carbonate, Lexan? Any suggestions would be appreciated.