Inflatable life jackets are effective, reliable and comfortable. However, unlike traditional foam-filled life jackets, they must be properly maintained if they are to function correctly. This goes double for a life jacket with an integral safety harness and/or automatic inflation. Inflatable life jackets include a number of parts that must all work properly if the life jacket is to function at
A smart regulator can boost your alternators charging performance, which means you dont need to run your engine as long to keep your batteries happy. Sterling Marine Powers ProRegD digital alternator regulator can be tailored to your battery typeflooded, gel, or AGMto ensure the most efficient four-step charging schedule. It assesses battery bank size, state of charge and current output, and
For a number of years, I used a piece of 2×4 screwed to the side of the garden shed as a mount for my 3.5hp Tohatsu outboard. It would perch happily thereon while I dangled its nether regions in a cooling tub of fresh water, sputtering and burbling away as the salt got rinsed from its innards. This year, I decided something more sophisticated was in order for my faithful motor. I wanted a
Among the multitude of things that needed upgrading on our project boat, the cockpit drain seacocks loomed large. The wheels on the 1973-vintage gate valves were frozen open so the valves could not be closed. This is a typical problem with gate valves. The valve stems and the valve body are usually dissimilar metals, and eventually theyll corrode so that the valve sticks on the position it was
Back in the 1990s when I was cruising full time and living aboard a 1964 Pearson Alberg 35, my electrical system was dirt simple. I had two 100AH wet-cell batteries, a battery selector switch, a 30-watt flexible solar panel and a multimeter. When I wanted to know how the batteries were doing, I put the
As part of the gradual replacement of outdated systems on our Norlin 34 project boat, it was time to look at communications. As any radio manufacturer will tell you, the problem with VHF radios is twofold: they are inherently reliable, thus tend to be a long way down the list of essential upgrades for owners of older boats. As long as you can use Channel 16 in an emergency or call your launch
Wayne Steinhauser of Hartford, South Dakota, asks:”We sail on an impounded Missouri river lake with only one pump-out station within 100 miles. We find returning to the pump-out station is troublesome when we spend a week or more exploring and sailing. Were thinking of installing a composting toilet. What is your opinion of these?”Don Casey
Jan Warren of Brighton, Michigan, asks: “I have a 1982 Catalina 30 and have just purchased a 4:1 boom vang. What is the best way to attach the vang to the boom and mast? I have been told to do it different ways and am a little confused. The vang is set up with a snap shackle for the mast attachment. I was thinking of installing a Forespar curved base mast eye and drilling
Dave Stillerz of San Francisco, California, asks:”I recently installed some new tanks aboard my older wooden sailboat, and now my automatic pilot wont keep me on a steady course. Any ideas?”Gordon West replies:Sounds like your new tanks are metal and your pilots fluxgate heading sensor is mounted nearby. Reposition the fluxgate compass away
Bill Schultz of Bay City, Michigan, asks:”I am installing a 24-volt battery bank in the bow of my 40-foot sailboat to power a bow thruster. Do I need to run a grounding wire to my engine block? Or can I use an alternative grounding site? What size wire do I need?”Nigel Calder replies:Technically, if the bow thruster has a case ground
I was aboard Joule, the latest version of the Windelo 50, twice before I ever sailed her—the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival in
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making
It’s late May in Sweden, the sun is shining, and boats are launching. Sweden, with its thousands of miles of spectacular coastline and DIY culture,
It’s sometimes hard to wrap your head around all that’s evolved since 1851, when a syndicate of owners from the newly minted New York Yacht
The 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race was the first sailing race that I ever tuned in for. I was in college at the time—hard to believe
I love quick and clear access to data when I’m racing. Even when I’m cruising, I enjoy running numbers through my head. In both cases,
For more multihull reviews and stories, subscribe for free to Multihull Power & Sail This winter, a young couple moved aboard a first-of-its-kind, fresh-from-the-factory Fountaine
There’s a scene in the movie Moana when Tala, the grandmother figure of Motunui, a fictional South Pacific island, is lying on her deathbed, speaking
Sometimes you draw the long straw with a boat test and get the chance for a multi-day delivery to really put the boat through its
Sometimes you add value to the boat, other times the boat adds value to you. Own a sailboat? Pete Van Hamersveld didn’t even know how
