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Sailboat DIY And Repair Tips

Ask SAIL: Bad Plug?

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.

Sketchbook: Securing the Tender

Rowing a hard tender rather than motoring an inflatable means we don’t need to carry stealable items like a pump, repair kit, tools, motor and fuel tank.

Surveyor’s Notebook:Electrical Alert

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.

Ask SAIL: Repainting Fiberglass

 I have a 1972 Cal 2-29. The interior fiberglass was evidently painted at the factory. Now, however, large pieces of paint are peeling off everywhere. I have found a solution for removing the old paint by first scraping and then using a combination of peel-and-strip paper with some orange citrus Home Depot paint remover.

Ask SAIL: Thumb Trick Test Coax

I am doing a retrofit on my old CRT radar to a new Garmin LCD radar system. All my wiring is replaced, except for a spaghetti-sized coax cable that was original

Ask SAIL: Boom Pocket Configuration

I’m planning on replacing the mainsail on our 1994 Catalina 320 with a loose-footed cruising sail, using a two-line Dutchman rig. One loft is recommending that the Dutchman boom pockets be fitted with a bolt rope

Ask SAIL: Saildrive Conundrum

 My 35ft Cooper 353 sloop, Rhumb Line, has a Volvo MD2030 saildrive. The zinc between the saildrive and three-bladed folding Volvo-supplied propeller comes loose and rotates on the shaft.

What is the Best Method for Securing the Hull

By far the most prevalent type of hull-to-deck joint today is based on an inboard flange on the hull. This is at first a little surprising, as adding an inward-turning feature to the hull necessitates a split mold and some challenging laminating, but beyond the tooling and layup issues, the inboard flange has some distinct advantages.

Ask SAIL: Teak Deck Removal

We are removing the teak deck from a 1972 Swan 43. We will not be putting any teak back on and will be looking to apply nonskid and paint. I have taken all the fixtures off and removed all the old teak.

A Coneys launch heads out to the mooring field at the marina on Huntington Harbor. Photo courtesy of Coneys Marine

All in the Family

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Coneys Marine on Long Island has always counted on the power of family.

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Transpac Update

As the second fleet of starters get under way, a quick look at the tracker and the prep that goes into a race of over 2,000 open ocean miles.

PacBak Fish Combo

GEAR: Fillet Away Fish Mat

Catching and prepping your own dinner while underway is one of those one of a kind cruiser experiences. The process gets a whole lot better with the right gear.

Nancy attaching this year’s Marion-Bermuda Race plaque to the Navy 44 Integrity’s bulkhead. Courtesy of Nancy Rhodes

Marion-Bermuda Race: A Lesson in Tenacity

In her first Marion-Bermuda Race as skipper of a Navy 44, Nancy Rhodes and her team of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen aboard Integrity stuck to their strategy—even when things looked grim—and walked away with bragging rights and an armful of silver. 

Trivia

Today’s Trivia: Living Literature

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)

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