Systems & Propulsion

Many used cruising sailboats on the market will have a couple of solar panels, a wind turbine, or possibly both. But are they working?...

Our 2004 Privilege 435 Confianza (Connie for short) came equipped with traditional lead-acid batteries—5 100ah for the house bank and 2 starter batteries. We...

Your dock neighbor just switched out her old 12-volt lead-acid batteries for lithium-ion batteries. Should you? The lithium solution will be more expensive, but...

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.

If you want to know more about the little Yanmar chugging away in your sailboat, it helps to learn about this iconic engine maker’s...

Over the decades, marine equipment has gone through a dramatic transformation as plastics have steadily crept into our onboard lives. In this first in...

A sailing auxiliary engine should never be fully relied upon to bash into a storm; they are not sized for that. In many boats,...

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...

Volt meters, ammeters, and bank monitors can all give you part of the story, but only a draw-down test, performed over 6-24 hours will...

Batteries and solar panels can be a black box. We can’t see or hear or feel what is going on inside. They’re not complicated...