DIY: Cruiser’s Navigation Lights
July 14, 2016
Unlike the owners of many new production boats, we planned to use our brand-new 44-foot sloop, Red Thread, as our family home for five years.
Unlike the owners of many new production boats, we planned to use our brand-new 44-foot sloop, Red Thread, as our family home for five years.
Wiring a boat for shore power is a by-the-numbers project requiring more care than skill. Alternating current (AC) can be as dangerous as a cornered
Exclamation marks, curse words…honestly I had trouble holding myself back when Furuno and Garmin both announced new solid-state radars at the Miami Boat Show in
I often see poor electrical installations on boats, but here is a real classic. The owner of this boat wanted to install a switch for the air conditioning water pump, but there was no room for it on the shore power breaker panel.
It was easy to gather a slew of devices on board Gizmo that hunger for a USB power supply at least occasionally. Heck, when the Verizon Android Galaxy phone is providing an LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and also streaming Bluetooth audio to the Fusion IP700 stereo as it is now—
The frozen Raymarine aSeries MFD had almost finished a two-day low temperature test, but that was only the beginning of its suffering. Next it had to run another two days in a high-temperature cabinet with 85 percent relative humidity, followed by 19 more days of torture as part of Raymarine’s ERT (Early Reliability Test) Qualification Process.
The Vaavud wind meter (currently being distributed in North America by Ronstan) is both accurate and truly pocket-friendly, with a compact two-cup durable plastic rotor and low friction PTFE bearings.
In recent years it has become more feasible than ever to navigate using a smartphone or tablet. Apps have improved to the point where they rival paper charts and chartplotters. With so many good navigation apps available, the question is: which is best for you?
Having had so much fun upgrading the systems on our project Norlin 34, it came as something of a shock to realize that after installing a windlass, propane system, new winches, new portlights and new genoa sheet tracks in the space of three years, I had run out of things to do.
If your boat has a holding tank, chances are it doesn’t have a level gauge. This is odd, as you’d think they would be standard on all new boats, but in fact, just the opposite is true.
Aspiring distance voyagers will find this newest cat a perfect fit.
While checking in on my parent’s boat at the yard, I saw this unusual keel. What’s the purpose of it? — Maddie Doherty, via sailmail@sailmagazine.com
The 2026 Newport International Boatshow is underway now. Here’s what to look forward to.
A new documentary relives the 1995 America’s Cup, as told by the American teams vying to defend the Auld Mug.
My parents, who have been collecting SAIL since I started working here like they did with my childhood artwork, are running out of storage space.
Team United by the Ocean took first place in the inaugural transatlantic race, with American-flagged 11th Hour Racing in a close second.
The temperatures are starting to cool off, the days are getting shorter, and your October issue is on its way. Here’s what’s coming up.
Offshore and offline go hand in hand.
Small electric outboards are becoming increasingly popular for everything
from dinghies to small race boats. We put three new models to the test.
The first days of the inaugural Ocean Race Atlantic test the fleet with sporty conditions.
