Having been plagued by barnacles and other intrusive organisms for generations, the sailing community has brought the full breadth of its considerable inventiveness to bear on this sticky problem.
When I bought my 1962 Alberg 35, Magic, in 2001, she was equipped with a pedestal-mounted wheel connected to the rudderstock with wire rope running over sheaves and a quadrant. The steering pedestal looked very yachty and provided a nice place for a cupholder, but I never really liked the arrangement.
Professional applicators know that the preparation and priming stages of any paint job (covered in last month’s issue) are the most important and will take 80 percent of the time spent on a paint job. But they also know that what they get paid for is the finish. Once you have completed the preparation and priming stages, the next step is the application of the paint itself. This is where all of your hard work pays off.
If the gelcoat is in good condition with no major cracking or crazing, the job is relatively straightforward—clean and prepare the surface, apply an epoxy primer, sand the primer, remove the sanding residue and then apply the topcoat.
While in the Bahamas, I tried, with no success, to pick up weather using the SSB function on my portable Grundig YB400 radio. Can this little radio effectively hear SSB bands like weather, ham radio, or international shortwave?
My boat is a 1974 C&C 30 with a gooseneck fitting that is set very low on the mast. What would you think of raising the gooseneck 12 inches? As it is, it isn’t possible to use a conventional boom vang, and fitting a dodger under the boom is out of the question
European builders caught on early to the anchoring needs of cruisers, but one issue with older U.S.-built sailboats is the lack of dedicated anchoring systems.
I would like to add some insulation to the cabin sidewalls, because we sail in Maine, where it often gets chilly. Is there a way to do this without developing a future mold problem?
When I bought my aft-cockpit ketch, Silverheels, she had no bimini top at all. While I attended to other upgrades in preparation for tropical cruising, I pondered how I might have full-time shade in the cockpit and still get at the mizzen sail to furl and reef it.
Do marine electronic plugs just go bad on their own? I have a GPS chartplotter that sometimes go off intermittently until I reach back and wiggle a certain multi-pin plug connection.
In addition to having the trophy for fastest circumnavigation named after him, what other Junes Verne reference might be found in the modern sailor’s vocabulary?A)
Managing Editor Lydia Mullan sits down with the winningest navigator in Transpac history for a breakdown of what this year’s fleet can expect.
By Tim Queeney (304pp, St. Martin’s Press, $27.00) In ancient times man responded to the urgent need for food, transportation, and trade by building all
The Marion-Bermuda Race wrapped up yesterday after a slow approach to the finish, but it certainly wasn’t a drifter for the whole way. The first
48 years after the first Marion-Bermuda race, 20 boats competed in this summer’s event, including the J42 Dianthus, on which SAIL Editor in Chief Wendy Mitman Clarke and crew won the Class A division.
Winning scores of races or cruising thousands of miles, their 34 years with a Cal 40 has always been about great sailing.
Four Seas has announced a new folding inflatable RIB, the Fore Runner, designed for convenience, durability, and a few adventures of its own.
Known for its racer-cruisers, Grand Soleil builds a sleek daysailer with sustainability driving its brief.
You see a boat raise the Z or zulu flag (four triangles of yellow, blue, red and black). What are they signaling?A) Going alongside for
Building the custom 40-footer was a master class in project management, hands-on skills, and New England sailing industry collaboration.
