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Here is a question that has puzzled me for a long time. Many financial institutions offer financing on mature vessels but have a boat age limit of 15 to 20 years. But, if a 1978 classic-plastic boat underwent a major refit in, say 1999, does that make the boat a 1999 in the eyes of the financiers? Id like to hear tales on how others may have gotten around this rule.

Three years ago, I bought a 1968 Hinterhoeller HR28 from a local junkyard that had paid $250 for it with plans to salvage the lead keel and Sawzall the rest. Ive spent almost three years on an amateurs refit. Now, I need new lifelines. I know that plastic-coated wire is out-of-favor and that race-sanctioning bodies now approve of high-tech (and high-priced) ropes. What risks am I taking if I just use a cheaper and thicker rope-something like Samson LS 3/8-inch with a tensile strength of 3,700 pounds? Stainless-steel 3/16 lifeline wire is rated at 3,700-pounds breaking strength. Are tensile and breaking strength the same?

To keep your Biminis, dodgers, and sail covers clean and in service for the long haul, regular maintenance is a must. Here are some best practices and care tips weve picked up over the years.

The Catalina 30 is a remarkable success story. We suspect that more Catalina 30s have been built than any other boat of that size anywhere in the world. While the basic boat has remained unchanged since it was introduced in 1975, there have been dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of minor developments in the boat in the course of a production run that is approaching 4,000 hulls. The advantage of a boat in production for so long is a high degree of product refinement over the years. The challenge for the owner of an early version of the boat is to upgrade his boat to the standards of models currently in production.

We Americans sometimes think that we have all the best answers, but it ain’t necessarily so. New Zealand and Australia both have dynamic marine...

Polyester sailcloth is amazingly strong and durable stuff, often completing trips around the world or decades of weekend sailing. Its Achilles heel is the sun. After just 2-3 years in the sun, depending on the latitude, it becomes so rotted by UV that its little stronger than a cotton bed sheet. Mainsails are safely bundled under a Sunbrella cover. Nylon Spinnakers are bagged and stored below. Genoas, on the other hand, remain furled on the headstay, often year round, with the last 12 inches of the leach and foot continuously exposed.

I can endure anything if my feet are warm, and dry is even better. I like winter sailing; not just the shoulder seasons, but...