Ask Sail

I was raised sailing mainly on fiberglass boats. I am now preparing to purchase a bluewater boat that I can live aboard while doing some extensive cruising.

Last season I repowered my Catalina 30 with a new M3-20B Universal diesel engine. Its power curve was substantially different from the original engine, so I also changed the propeller. I ordered a new shaft, a new coupling half (fitted at the supplier) and a new prop.

I am going to install a satellite TV aboard my boat for a long cruise from Seattle down to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Will Direct TV work all the way from here to there?

The shrouds and backstay on my 17-foot Montgomery trailer-sailer are maybe an inch or so too long, even with their turnbuckles screwed down as short as possible.

I have a 1977 Pearson 28 and have replaced the old Atomic 4 gas engine with a three-cylinder Universal 20hp diesel engine. Do I need to change the original propeller that was driven by the Atomic 4?

In your October 2013 Ask SAIL section (“Bigger is Better”), Don Casey states that doubling a boat’s windage increases the load on an anchor approximately fourfold.

I just purchased an ocean-going sailboat at a foreclosure sale and will soon install an SSB radio and an AIS transponder. The existing VHF radio is tied into the GPS receiver, and there is an existing maritime mobile ship identity (MMSI) number that comes up on the VHF display when I turn it on.

I recently bought a share of an older boat, a Cape Dory Intrepid 9-meter, and put new 12-volt AGM batteries in her. Something, however, is draining the batteries.

I recently purchased a Beneteau Oceanis 41 and keep it on a lake just outside Dallas that has mainly a mud bottom.

Rig tuning is a subject worthy of many pages. Rather than trying to answer your specific questions, I will offer some general principles to guide you.