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Repair, Tools & Materials

Using only what they had available onboard, the cruisers rebuilt a broken clue on their genoa which lasted for thousands of miles of sailing.

Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew

How do you manage major sail repairs in remote locations? By using whatever you have onboard to get you home—or beyond. After an easy three-day...
The engine mounts on my Perkins M20 diesel needed to be changed. Luckily, they are accessible so I was able to change them myself with a few basic tools and new parts. If your engine is less accessible, you'll need to ask a professional to change the mounts. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

How to Change Your Engine Mounts

It is always discomforting when you know, and actually feel, that something is not quite right. For a little while now, while navigating under...
With a few inexpensive materials and a bit of patience, you can redo the vinyl lettering on your boat yourself. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Vinyl Boat Lettering DIY Application and Repair

One of the pleasures of boating, at least for me, is reading boat names! I enjoy the many humorous names and those that are...

The Scraper-only Approach to Bottom Paint Removal

Spring is just around the corner. For many sailors, especially those with boats on the hard, it’s good time to consider the advantages of...

Gonytia Hot Knife Proves its Mettle

A hot knife is a luxury item, but nothing is better for cutting and sealing synthetic rope and fabric. We find ourselves reaching for...

Mildew-resistant Caulks for Boats

Choosing a marine caulk for use above the waterline comes down to which product offers the best resistance to weathering, dirt, mildew, and ability...

Random Orbit Sanders for Bottom Paint Prep

More than a century has passed since Art Emmons, a visionary young engineer at the 15-year-old Porter Cable Company, launched a technology race in...

Deep Cleaning the Supremely Dirty Boat

One reason for my aversion to scrubbing is that a Corsair F-24 trimaran is a folding trimaran, making it a nightmare to clean. Comprised...

Protecting Against Boatyard Fire

The 1666 London Fire. The 1871 Chicago Fire. The 1906 San Francisco Fire. Common factors shared by all of these disasters were inadequate spacing...

Dodging the Marine Chandlery Trap

The marine environment is demanding, so sacrificing quality is often a mistake. But marine supply stores, and even online “discount” marine retailers can feel...

Leopard Catamaran Delamination – Leopard 42 Boat Review

Are you interested in a cruising catamaran sailboat? Today we discuss the Leopard 42 and the Lagoon 42. One company is owned by Beneteau,...

Latest Sailboat Review

Hans Christian 34/36

The story of the Hans Christian 34 and 36, and their successors, is a microcosm of the history of the Taiwan/U.S. boatbuilding industry. That...