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...
How to Do an Engine Compression Test
An engine compression test is an important diagnostic test that any boat owner can do with equipment that costs about $50. You can also...
Diesel Performance Additives
We think of ourselves as sailors, but we all depend on reliable power to propel us in and out of harbor, through calms and...
What Oil Analysis Reveals About Your Engine
We've all heard that if you give a diesel good clean fuel, keep it cool, and stay on top of the oil changes, its...
What Your Boat and the Baltimore Super Container Ship May Have in Common
When the mega container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at 1:28 am on Tuesday, March 26, the world saw a remote...
Reducing Engine Room Noise
Noise impacts individuals differently. If your sailing partner complains about a noise that doesn't really bother you, it might not necessarily something that they can simply get used to. You will have to address it through active sound reduction measures. There are three basic approaches to making your boat quieter. The first step is to use flexible mounts to isolate the vibrating machinery from the hull. These help prevent the transmission of vibration through the solid structure of the boat, and the consequent reverberation of hull sections that can act like amplifiers. Correcting any engine-shaft misalignment will certainly help. The next step is to surround the noise-producing machinery in a tight, insulated enclosure to reduce air-transmitted noise. The final step is to line enclosed living quarters, such as cabins, with sound-absorbent materials.
Marine Diesel Repower Part 3: Sea Trial
This is the last of a three-part series describing the planning and installation of an inboard diesel engine in my previously engine-free Cape Dory...
Diesel Repower From Scratch Part II
This is Part II of a three-part series detailing the installation of a complete inboard engine system into our highly modified Cape Dory 36...
Diesel Repower From Scratch Pt. 1
This is a multi-part article detailing the installation of an inboard diesel engine into my modified Cape Dory 36 Far Reach. I rebuilt the Far Reach from...
Rhumb Lines: The Diesel Engine Dilemma
As the threat of global warming is forcing policy makers around the world to explore ways to wean their economies off carbon based energy...
O’Day 40 – A Budget Cruiser for the Bahamas
The O’Day 40 (1986) is one of those cruising sailboats that somehow slipped through the cracks of sailing history. Built during the final years...
Latest Sailboat Review
Island Packet Estero Used Boat Review
Florida-based Island Packet targets a relatively narrow niche, so the toughest competitors to its new boats are often older Island Packets. Introduced in 2010, the 36-foot, shoal-draft Estero is the company’s latest attempt to introduce a distinctive model that doesn’t stray too far from the company’s proven formula for success: moderate displacement, full-keel cruisers designed to be lived on, sailed far and in comfort, and endure the bumps, scrapes, and storms that cruising boats inevitably encounter. After sailing the Estero on Florida’s Sarasota Bay and inspecting its interior, construction, and systems, Practical Sailor testers noted that the shoal-water cruiser will appeal strongest to Island Packet fans who’ve been waiting for a shoal-draft, easy-to-sail boat that compares to the IP37 in terms of interior space. These strengths will be most apparent on intracoastal or riverine adventures like the Great Loop.