In the first two installments of this three-part story on buying new sails we considered types of material, sail-cut choices and construction options. Now well discuss how to measure your boat in order to give your sailmaker the information he needs to build your new sails. Measurements need to be spot-on accurate or youll probably get sails that dont quite meet your expectations. Take several
When replacing the pressure water system on our project boat, we thought it would be fun to install a water heater. But where to put it? Like most early 70s boats, our Norlin 34 lacks interior volume compared to modern boats. The need for the heater to be mounted below the engines heat exchanger (to prevent problems with coolant circulation) further complicated matters.The only logical
Out of sight, out of mind That adage is so old it creaks, but that doesnt make it any less true. It was especially true of the cockpit drain hoses and gate valves on our 34ft project boat. Back when we acquired the boat, the surveyor looked at the ancient hoses and corroded gate valves in horror and suggested that we replace them before long. Three years later, before long still hadnt
Out of sight, out of mind That adage is so old it creaks, but that doesnt make it any less true. It was especially true of the cockpit drain hoses and gate valves on our 34ft project boat. Back when we acquired the boat, the surveyor looked at the ancient hoses and corroded gate valves in horror and suggested that we replace them before long. Three years later, before long still hadnt
Easy Upgrades: #1 of a seriesEvery fractionally rigged boat will have (or should have) a means of adjusting backstay tension. Its main purpose is to flatten and depower the mainsail in stronger winds, putting off the time at which a reef will be required. Because very few masthead-rigged boats are provided with backstay adjusters, cruising sailors regard them with the
Before I laid the boat up, I had to replace a bilge pump that had mysteriously stopped working. This was a secondary pump, serving to keep the water out of a poorly drained part of the hull forward of the mast step. It was a good opportunity for a quick photo tutorial on connecting 12-volt wires together. Yes, this sounds remedial, but I have seen enough botched jobs on boats to know that you
A few years ago, I left my boats two lead-acid batteries on board over winter. It wasnt intentionalan early snowfall led me to cover the boat up sooner than anticipated, and I just never got around to taking the batteries off.After three months of freezing New England winter, I suddenly remembered they were still on board. I snuck down to the yard one mild Saturday and hooked the
Paul Derby of Cadillac, Michigan, asks: “My 1976 Pearson 30 has a hydraulic backstay tensioner and I am wondering what the optimum backstay tension should be when cruising. I’m also thinking about replacing the hydraulic system with something else. Any suggestions?” Win Fowler replies: I can’t give you exact advice on your backstay tension
Dave Smith of East Aurora, New York, asks:”When I hit the starter button to crank the engine on my 1984 C&C 35, I can hear the solenoid clicking, but it doesnt normally activate the starter. Once in a while the engine will start on the first try. But usually I have to push the button a number of times before the starter engages. I did remove the starter and had it checked
Taking cues from its award-winning big sister the Outremer 55, the new VPLP-designed Outremer 52 has been optimized for performance and long-distance bluewater sailing. Technologies
The family of two cruising sailors who have gone missing and are feared dead have asked the cruising community to “stand down” to let local
John Stone is the kind of seafarer who has applied the adage “keep it simple” throughout his sailing life. This maxim has enabled him to
The Salty Dawg Sailing Association says that two of its members have vanished and their boat found anchored and abandoned off St. Vincent. Ralph Hendry
Patience B. Wales, former Editor of SAIL magazine and two-time circumnavigator, died on February 16, 2024, of colon cancer. She was 89. A native of
The NEEL 52 trimaran made its world premiere at the Miami International Boat Show last week, and the latest in this family from Marc Lombard
The 2023 Caribbean Multihull Challenge (CMC) introduced an unusual element to its three-day Sint Maarten-based schedule of racing: a rally. Race organizers found that the
SAIL Editor-in-Chief Wendy Mitman Clarke is at the Miami International Boat Show this week checking out the industry’s latest and greatest. If you can’t be
SAIL magazine took home 11 awards at the annual Boating Writers International (BWI) writing contest, winning first place in five of the 16 categories for
At 0230 UTC on February 11, Ronnie Simpson’s Shipyard Brewing dismasted in the South Atlantic. The boat, which was one of the remaining 12 entrants
