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Sailboat DIY And Repair Tips

Know how: Varnishing your Sailboat

Any brightwork on your boat, inside or out, needs regular maintenance to stay in top condition. Varnishes are expected to fulfill two important functions—they enhance the natural beauty of the wood and protect it from the elements.

Ask Sail: An Older Rod Rig

This past summer I purchased a used Valiant 40 with rod rigging. Though the rigging is about 20 years old, the seller assured me he recently had it reheaded and that it should last several more years.

Ask Sail: Low Revs and Soot

I own a 1987 Catalina 27 with a Universal M18 diesel engine. I’ve had the boat for just over two years, but because the hour meter is broken, I don’t know how many hours are on the engine.

Ask Sail: Dead Fish Magnet

My docked vessel has lately been attracting dead fish! I seem to be the only one around who has this smelly problem. I recently had my corrosion-control system refurbished. Could this be the cause?

Ask Sail: Seeing Green

One of the stainless steel chainplates on my Olson 911S is tinted green both above and below deck. The fasteners that bolt the plate to the internal bulkhead do not show the same condition.

Know How: Boatyard Zen

Waiting for the spring as your boat sits on the hard may not seem the best time to improve your seamanship, but a boat truly at rest does provide an ideal environment for enlightenment through contemplation.

Keep Your Canvas in Tip-Top Condition

After replacing our cadet-gray Sunbrella twice and replacing zippers and restitching countless times in our first six years cruising, we decided there had to be a better, more cost-effective way to maintain our cockpit canvas.

Ask Sail: Smoking Like a Hippie

“Can you give me some ideas on what might cause excessive white smoke in the exhaust of a 2-year-old Yanmar diesel?” Nigel Calder replies.

How To: Mark Your Waterline with Ease

Whatever the reason, re-marking the waterline fills many sailors with dread. Get it right, and the resulting perfect boottop between contrasting bottom paint and the hull will be stunning. Get it wrong, and your shaky paint job will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

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Helping More Sailors Become Citizen Scientists

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.

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Seawind 1370

Building on proven positives in its earlier designs, Seawind Catamarans has hit a sweet spot with its new 1370.

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