Systems & Propulsion

In the series of articles "Lithium Batteries for Small Boats," "Lithium Batteries for Small Boats: Install Guide" and "Lithium Batteries for Small Boats: Troubleshooting"...

A sailboat’s steering system also plays a vital role in safety at sea. The failure of any key component can jeopardize boat handling and...

Winter temperatures are challenging for year-round sailors. Appropriate clothing is vital, including waterproof socks, layering for the legs and midsection, finishing off with a...

Here's a combination that will give you a decided advantage the next time you need to change a waterpump impeller. In difficult circumstances, the time saved could mean a lot.

Only boats with inboard engines have stuffing boxes. To locate yours, trace the propeller shaft from the transmission to the point where it exits the hull. Thats where your stuffing box will be (unless you have a newer, dripless style shaft seal installed instead).

Sailors obsess over the health of their engine; it is the heart of the boat (other than the rig, sails, and through-hulls). Failure is inconvenient, expensive, and even dangerous. And sailors love their maintenance, or so it seems. Anything that promises to ease the mind for a few dollars merits investigation.

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed how to size your new lithium battery system, choose a battery, and assess the components and...

The Morgan 41 sloop is arguably one of the best looking of many lovely dual-purpose sailboats that the Cruising Club of America handicap rating system engendered. One owner described his boat as a Bermuda 40 for a regular Joe, only prettier. Designer Charley Morgan traces the cruiser-racers heritage, particularly below the waterline, back to Olin Stephens famous Finisterre, and Comanche, a 40-foot centerboarder built by Wirth Munroe, son of famed sharpie designer and South Florida pioneer Commodore Ralph Munroe.

I once heard of a sailor who prided himself on sailing “pure”—no motor, no electrical, just wood and canvas. How he could dock and...

A tour of the 2025 Annapolis Sailboat Show showed signs of progress on the electrification of auxiliary power. Particularly notable was the emergence of...