Projects

Smart Regulators and Happy Engines

by Sail Staff, Posted August 16, 2011

A smart regulator can boost your alternator’s charging performance, which means you don’t need to run your engine as long to keep your batteries happy. Sterling Marine Power’s ProRegD digital alternator regulator can be tailored to your battery type—flooded, gel, or AGM—to ensure the most efficient four-step charging schedule. It assesses battery bank size, state of charge and current output, and

Replacing Fixed Portlights

by Don Casey, Posted April 29, 2013

Let’s start with a tip. Kits sold in auto stores for polishing headlamps can also restore the clarity to portlights. If your plastic portlights are cloudy, not crazed, this is where you should start.

Varnishing Point

by Mark Corke, Posted April 13, 2013

Any brightwork on your boat, inside or out, needs regular maintenance to stay in top condition. Varnishes are expected to fulfill two important functions—they enhance the natural beauty of the wood and protect it from the elements.

Spring Commissioning: Don't Forget the Small Stuff

by Adam Cort, Posted April 17, 2013

Five industry professionals provide tips on ensuring your boat is ready for the season.

Ask Sail: Seeing Green

by Don Casey, Posted March 15, 2013

One of the stainless steel chainplates on my Olson 911S is tinted green both above and below deck. The fasteners that bolt the plate to the internal bulkhead do not show the same condition.

Boatyard Zen

by Don Casey, Posted February 28, 2013

Waiting for the spring as your boat sits on the hard may not seem the best time to improve your seamanship, but a boat truly at rest does provide an ideal environment for enlightenment through contemplation.

Keep Your Canvas in Tip-Top Condition

by Jan Irons, Posted February 27, 2013

After replacing our cadet-gray Sunbrella twice and replacing zippers and restitching countless times in our first six years cruising, we decided there had to be a better, more cost-effective way to maintain our cockpit canvas.

On the Level: Mark Your Waterline with Ease

by Mark Corke, Posted February 25, 2013

Whatever the reason, re-marking the waterline fills many sailors with dread. Get it right, and the resulting perfect boottop between contrasting bottom paint and the hull will be stunning. Get it wrong, and your shaky paint job will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Evolution of an Anchor Handling System

by Peter Nielsen, Posted February 20, 2013

Fifteen years of sailing around the English Channel, North Sea, Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean taught me many things, not the least of which was the importance of good ground tackle and a means to handle it.