Whether you’ve bought your bluewater catamaran or are still in the planning stages, one of the most important considerations for long-term cruising is your power system. Marine technical expert Duncan Kent looks into a successful onboard electrical system
Splicing three-strand rope is a fairly straightforward process and a useful skill. Splicing joins together two ropes of equal diameter and does not weaken the rope to the same extent that tying a knot does.
I just installed an Aquatic AV AM/FM/MP3 receiver and was careful to keep the stereo speakers from affecting my steering compass. The stereo system works great when we play the FM radio or when the kids play their devices through it, but I can’t pick up my ballgames on the AM radio. I can hear them fine with a portable radio up on deck. Any ideas
I read with great interest Don Casey’s advice (Ask SAIL, August 2013) on painting a bronze propeller with antifouling paint. He stated that it can be done, but not with paint containing copper. Why is this? What about bronze through-hull fittings?
My brother and I own a 1966 Hinckley Pilot sloop that has been in my family for two generations. We love the boat dearly and normally spare no expense maintaining it. However, my brother now wants to install a carbon-fiber mast, and I’m wondering if it’s worth the money. Will it really make much of a difference on a heavy boat with a full keel? He’s talking about fiber rigging, too, which also has me worried.
I want to move aboard my Alberg 37 next summer and cruise up the East Coast from Annapolis to Maine. I plan to anchor out most of the time. My boat is simple and my electrical demands are otherwise low, but I do like cold drinks, so I want to be able to run my fridge, which draws 2 to 4 amps, without constantly running the engine.
This is NOT a Chicken Little article. While it’s true that it is exceedingly rare for a keel to separate suddenly from its hull (radical race boats aside), cases of keels separating slowly from their hulls are more common than you might think.
I heard the Coast Guard will no longer be monitoring distress frequencies for marine SSB radios. How can we get help when beyond VHF range?
Would you buy an automobile whose rear brakes locked up and dragged along the road when going downhill? Not likely. So why do so many sailboat owners do much the same thing by dragging the blades of a propeller through the water behind them when the engine’s off?
I am retrofitting a removable staysail stay to a 1982 Bristol 40 sloop. The existing standing rig has both forward and aft lower shrouds. Do I need to add more support behind the mast to support the staysail stay when it is set up? I would like not to have to do this. If I do have to do it, what’s the most efficient, least expensive way to go about it?
With its new 6 Series, Catalina Yachts focuses on performance and a range of thoughtful upgrades.
For people caught in the maelstrom of cancer, Sail Beyond Cancer offers a respite.
Here’s how to help your boat’s batteries live a healthy, long life.
The second time around with a Dolphin 24 affirms the less-is-more philosophy of sailing.
Perception of risk is a funny thing.
With its latest grant, the Ocean Cruising Club supports a sailing family’s initiative that aims to make it easier for sailors—both inshore and offshore—to participate as citizen scientists in a variety of marine science and conservation projects.
Raymarine has released its latest generation of LightHouseCharts for Raymarine Axiom and Element multifunction displays, delivering faster redraw speeds and expanded and updated coverage.
“We’ve never seen anything like it,” says Mike Rees, Seawind Catamarans’ sales and marketing manager. He’s referring to the popular appeal of their new model,
Building on proven positives in its earlier designs, Seawind Catamarans has hit a sweet spot with its new 1370.
Even if you know it’s coming, 30 knots is a lot. And we—and presumably the whole fleet competing in last September’s Naval Academy Sailing Squadron
