Sailboat DIY And Repair Tips

Do you winterize your own engine, or do you have the yard do it? I take the former approach, for three reasons. As my dad used to say, if you want to be sure a job’s done properly, do it yourself; I’ve seen some pretty sketchy work done by so-called marine professionals over the years.The second reason? It seems silly to pay someone to do a job that’s a) not very time-consuming, b) not at

One of the best mini-projects I’ve done this year is to replace most of the halogen light bulbs on board with LEDs. I’ve always hated halogens; so much of the energy they consume is wasted as heat that they are models of inefficiency, and that same heat can actually be dangerous if something flammable is pressed up against a light fitting. The fact that I have scorched my bald spot countless

Leon Lieberman of Ambler, Pennsylvania, asks: “The center headsail halyard on my C&C 33 needed replacing, and a crewmember accidentally pulled it out without attaching a messenger line to run the new halyard. I’ve been up the mast twice, but can’t get the new halyard to feed in over the sheave and down the mast. Any thoughts on how I can get the halyard up and over the

Rene Etherton of Chicago, Illinois, asks:”When we’re anchored out my audio system works fine, and we get great reception on our HD LCD TV. But back in our marina we get a loud hum on the audio system, and TV reception from several stations is always breaking apart. Why does this happen?”Gordon West replies:I’m almost certain that the hum in

Larry Barth of Columbia, South Carolina, asks:”For some reason the metal fuel tank feeding the Fischer Panda genset on my Hunter 41 now contains some water and other debris. How should I clean the tank? Would I be better off replacing the fuel tank with one made of plastic? Also, there is still about 10 gallons of diesel in the tank. How do I filter the fuel so I can use

John Green of Kemah, Texas, asks:”Many sailboats in my marina have “grouper” or “guppy” anodes that dangle in the water on a wire clamped to a shroud or backstay. I’ve asked a number of owners why they are doing this, and their answers range from grounding the standing rigging, to preventing galvanic corrosion of the rigging, to helping lightning find a route to the water

Ben Hathaway of Coos Bay, Oregon, asks:”My boat’s VHF and SSB both have the same Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. I’ve recently purchased a new marine VHF handheld with DSC capability. Should this new handheld have the same, or a different MMSI number?” Gordon West replies:This is a great question, and it’s one that is

David Kampenga of Houston, Texas, asks:”I’m thinking about converting my Hunter to an electric motor propulsion system, which would involve installing a 6kW 48VDC motor. I would like to keep the fixed two-blade prop that’s on the boat. I would also like to retain the existing gear reduction, which is 2.14:1. I don’t quite understand the reduction gearing and am curious how

Mark Gagyi of Vermilion, Ohio, asks:”Last year I converted from a manual to an electric windlass and replaced the rode. Now I wish I had more chain. Is it is safe to weld some more chain on to what I now have?”Don Casey replies:The answer is no and the reason is that the welds in every link of an anchor chain must be stronger than the rod

Joanne Rideout of Astoria, Oregon, asks: “I’m a new crewmember racing on an Olson 30 and one of the jobs I’ve been assigned is going on the foredeck to skirt the genoa when we tack. I’ve nearly fallen overboard a couple of times trying to get the sail inside the lifeline after it gets caught outside. What’s the best way to skirt a genoa when it gets stuck? Also, how do I