Jack Fyfe of Westerly, Rhode Island, asks:”Ive really enjoyed reading about Nigel Calders solar projects, because I am getting two 24-volt Sanyo 205 watt panels and two Morningstar MPPT controllers. Im using AWG 2/10 wire for the 25foot run from the dodger where the panels are located to the battery switch. I wonder whether connecting the charge controllers to the
John Manzano of Charlottesville, Virginia, asks:”I am planning to install a copper grounding plate on the hull of my Pearson 365 for lightning protection, but Im not sure how to connect the mast and shrouds to that plate. The boat has no keelbolts. Do I drill a hole through the hull, and if so how big should the hole be? What should I use to seal the hole?”
David Stiller of Miami, Florida, asks:”Im getting a new Standard Horizon GX2100 marine VHF with integrated AIS receivers, and Im curious whether it will work with my Shakespeare masthead antenna?”Gordon West replies:AIS frequencies are 4.6 MHz higher than normal VHF ship-to-ship channels. However, Ive done some tests, and Don Henry at
David von Fruke of Ssen, Minnesota, asks: “Last year I purchased a 202 ft2 asymmetrical spinnaker for my Hunter 170 along with a sock for dousing the sail. My goal is to set the spinnaker singlehanded, and while I can manage it, I do have trouble raising and lowering the sail. I have been thinking about putting the spinnaker on a roller furler. What do you
After wed sailed our boat for a year, we decided to pull the mast and have the old paint blasted off so that we could recoat it. It turned out that it wasnt just the paint that was in poor shape. As we started picking away at the old paint it became obvious that the mast was more corroded than wed thought. Even worse, close inspection revealed cracks around a couple of the T-ball sockets on
When we acquired our new boat I saw at a glance that the plastic-sheathed lifelines were junk. Not only were they too thinshe had been used only for racing, so I guess the wire was underspecified to save a few pounds but they were all too obviously old and dangerously corroded. I once saw a friend fall overboard because a rusty lifeline gave way, so I knew I would replace them as soon as
If you are one of the many thousands of sailors who own a boat built before lines-led-aft became ubiquitous, and you want to be able to sail your boat without leaving the cockpit, leading halyards and reefing lines aft can be a relatively easy upgrade
If you are one of the many thousands of sailors who own a boat built before lines-led-aft became ubiquitous, and you want to be able to sail your boat without leaving the cockpit, leading halyards and reefing lines aft can be a relatively easy upgrade.Planning the projectStep one is to look at the feasibility of locating the hardware youll have to add. Your deck
Chet Sturgis of Chicago, Illinois, asks:”Recently, I installed a cell phone amplifierI dont recall the manufacturers nameto increase my range when Im sailing off the coast. Although range has improved, when Im back in my slip I cant get good reception from someone who is calling me from just several hundred yards away until I turn off the amplifier. What am I doing
Pete Ward of Wilmington, North Carolina, asks:”The packing in my stuffing box has become so tightly compressed on the shaft that when I put the transmission in gear, the whole thing turns in the rubber hose thats connected to the pipe going through the hull. Ive tried to get all the old packing out with a hook, but its still there. I dont want to use a hammer. Can I
Laurence Holt Books, 2023$12 at stikky.com I can’t recall how I stumbled across the first edition of Stikky Night Skies published in 2003, but it
Life on three hulls has never been so comfortable, or so fast.
It was October, and Hurricane Maria had just stomped over Les Iles Sainte, devastated Dominica, and was still cooking up 12-foot seas and 25 knots
Bali Catamarans, known for their ability to accommodate a passel of people in style and comfort, are taking it up another notch with the new
I first saw the new Hanse 410 at the Annapolis spring boat show in April. Like her big sister the 510, which I had sailed
Spanning 50 years of sailing, SAIL Magazine presents a one-of-a-kind conversation with Cole Brauer and Lin Pardey.
Every year, the National Sailing Hall of Fame and the Sailing Museum announce the sailors, designers, sailmakers, businesspeople, and other men and women whose influence
New to the U.S. market, the Slovenian-built Pegasus 50 has already proven its offshore sailing chops, winning the 2022 OSTAR. Designed by company co-founder Marko
This spring, Ronnie Simpson was in California, helping U.S. Patriot Sailing suss out a Class40 that had just been donated to the nonprofit. He was
The schooner Bowdoin, built for Arctic exploration in 1921 at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, is headed for the Arctic for the first time
