John M. Bollinger of Bellevue, Ohio, asks: “I’m planning to replace my halyards this summer and I would like to learn how to splice them to the shackles myself. Where can I find this information?” Win Fowler replies: Splicing techniques vary depending on the type of cordage you plan to use. Most manufacturers provide detailed splicing
Nothing will ruin your cruise faster than a damaged or torn sail. With the BoatWorks sail-repair kit on board, youll be able to make emergency repairs and keep on sailing. Ours cost less than $100 to assemble but could save us hundreds in repair bills.A. Curved and straight needles of different diameters.B. Stainless-steel scissors for cutting thread and sailcloth.C.
Jabberwock, the BoatWorks project ODay 25, was looking very scruffy around the underparts. The boat had been standing for so long that most of the paint had just fallen off the bottom, and the keel was looking particularly seedy. There was no way we could launch the boat with the keel in such bad condition. It was time for a makeover. A proper keel job done by a boatyard will cost
Jabberwock, the BoatWorks project ODay 25, was looking very scruffy around the underparts. The boat had been standing for so long that most of the paint had just fallen off the bottom, and the keel was looking particularly seedy. There was no way we could launch the boat with the keel in such bad condition. It was time for a makeover. A proper keel job done by a boatyard will cost
Joseph Strong of Barrington, Rhode Island, asks:”I am repowering my Bristol 35.5 with a Yanmar model 3YM30 diesel engine, but I also want to increase my electrical capacity. Currently I have two 12-volt batteries with a standard three-way battery switch (Bat. 1, Bat. 2, and Both). I would like to add two more 12-volt batteries and align them like the two-bank configuration
J. Hillier of Sausalito, California, asks:”I bought what I thought was a waterproof handheld VHF radio, but when I dropped it in some water in the bottom of my inflatable it died. It was only in the water for a few seconds before I picked it up, and even though it did work for about two hours it went dead after that. What do those specifications really mean?”
If you furl your headsail when sailing off the wind, there’s a good chance the sheets will get in the way when you’re either peeling the spinnaker or taking it down. That’s why the bowman should always tie them down, out of the way, with a sail tie. When the spinnaker is up and the jib is furled, have the trimmers ease the jibsheets enough so they can be led to the base of the furler, where a
The decks on Horizon, our Hans Christian 38, are 20 years old and have seen the full spectrum of weather conditionscold and rain for weeks on end in Alaska and constant sun and heat in the tropics. No matter where we are, our maintenance strategy is the same: keep it simple and keep it silver. As with anything boat-related, proper maintenance now is always much easier than an extensive
The decks on Horizon, our Hans Christian 38, are 20 years old and have seen the full spectrum of weather conditionscold and rain for weeks on end in Alaska and constant sun and heat in the tropics. No matter where we are, our maintenance strategy is the same: keep it simple and keep it silver. As with anything boat-related, proper maintenance now is always much easier than an extensive
As part of my hybrid propulsion research I have been looking carefully at large-capacity litihum-ion batteries as a possible energy source on modern cruising sailboats. Lithium-ion batteries are common in cell phones and laptops, but they are rarely used in higher capacity applications. This may rapidly change, because the hybrid automotive and electric vehicle markets are in desperate need of
Before #boatlife. Before TikTok and Youtube sailors were raking in millions of views. Before the rise of influencers, daily vlogs, brand deals, and giant followings,
There’s no question that sailboats require a lot of kit, and that reality often makes gift giving for the sailors in our lives as easy
All of us at the SAIL team wish you and yours a peaceful and plentiful Thanksgiving (with hopefully some sailing thrown in). With our best
Rather than shoot from Portsmouth to Newport all in one go, as has been my past practice when heading south for the winter, I wanted
The call for all sailors to attend a special weather briefing felt ominous. Soulemate and more than 100 other boats and their crews were gathered
This year’s winners at the annual DAME Design Awards, announced this week at the METS marine trade show in Amsterdam, include multiple new products for
Pulling together 700 strangers of all ages and sailing abilities from 40 countries and in one month teaching them to race 11 big sailboats around
Here’s my advice: Get on your boat right now and take a cruise to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Not only is this a great destination for
Tanks in sailboats are a pain. Frequently they must take on weird shapes to fit the odd spaces where they live, they’re often hard to
