“Starting my engine often wipes out some waypoints in my charting program. My multimeter tells me that the voltage to the charting system drops only .5 volt when the starter is cranking, but that seems to be enough to cause the problem. Everything else still works fine with the lower voltage. Any ideas?”– Janet Margelli, Marina del Rey, CaliforniaGordon West
“I’m building a 42-foot cutter that I hope to launch this year, and my present sailplan is a fractional rig with running backstays. I plan to use a carbon-fiber mast, but I want to do away with the runners. Can a rigger redesign the standing rigging—particularly the chainplate locations—or will I have to redo the whole sailplan? And if that’s what’s required, where should I go to get a new
By Peter NielsenA raw-water cooled engine is cooled by water drawn from outside the boat, then circulated through engine block and cylinder head. A fresh-water cooled engine is cooled with raw water pumped through a heat exchanger, where it first draws the heat from the fresh water/antifreeze mix that cools the engine, then is injected into the exhaust hose where it cools
“I’ve got my boat well grounded for lightning protection and have a pair of insulators to isolate my backstay. I’m concerned that the grounded rigging will pull down my SSB signal transmissions.”– Jim Wonn, Cashmere, WashingtonGordon West replies: As long as your backstay is insulated so the SSB antenna can radiate, there is no problem. Although the signal
“My Grampian sloop is fairly heavy, but it performs well in a breeze. However, my arm gets tired holding the tiller to keep the boat sailing in a straight line. Would moving the foot of the mast forward or aft help correct this problem?” — Harry Newiger, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Win Fowler replies: Several things could be causing this problem—it’s
“The two group 27 batteries on my boat are both four years old. After charging, all cells have a specific-gravity reading of 1.225 +/- 0.005 and about a 75 percent charge. Hoping to improve the readings, I have been charging at 16 volts and 1 amp. After several days, the cells read 1.260 +/- 0.005. Is this a sign of sulfation?”– Roger A. Karmes, North East,
“Our boat was built in the Far East, and the interior has a beautiful lacquer finish. I have a photograph of a worker brushing on the lacquer, and I can see he is using a 1-inch brush. Ive tried a thick brush, a thin brush, short strokes and long strokes, and I cant get a finish that looks like the original. Any suggestions?”– Duane Ericson, Oceanside,
“Our Hunter 34 has a 25-gallon fuel tank. Wed like to add a 20-gallon tank so we wont have to carry jerry cans on deck. I estimate the two tanks will be about a foot apart. What is the best way to hook up the second tank so air cant get in the fuel line? Id like to avoid having to pump fuel from the new tank into the old one when it gets low. Unfortunately, there isnt enough room to install
“Im rewiring my Cal 2-27 and have reviewed the advice given by Don Casey in his Sailboat Maintenance Manual. He mentions grounding the green wire of an AC system to the engines ground terminal, but Im not sure where to put the green wire on my engine, an outboard with an electric starter and a 6-amp alternator. Do I even need one if I install ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
“The 20-horsepower Yanmar in my Orion 27 has low hours, but last summer it began to stop about a minute after it started. When I tried a restart, it was clear to me that it was being starved for fuel. I bled the fuel line, and, when I saw air bubbles coming out at the secondary filter, I thought Id fixed the problem. But when I let the engine sit unused for a couple of days, the start/stop
When the first gun sounds at the E Scow National Championship regatta this September, more than 100 boats are expected to be on the line
Xquisite catamarans are well known as comfortable, well-built long-distance cruising cats, with all of the luxury and accouterments one would expect—the antithesis, in other words,
The 50th edition of the Rolex Fastnet race was one to remember, with extreme conditions wiping out a quarter of the fleet before tapering off
This column is usually about seamanship, a technical look at things to make us better sailors. But how does history play a part in that?
Fifty-four boats participated in the second annual Fast Mermaid Pursuit Race off Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Sunday, July 23, raising funds to help a local sailor
Donald Lawson, who hopes to become the first African American sailor to break a round-the-world nonstop singlehanded speed record, has been reported overdue off the
I first met Sebastian and Samantha in St. Augustine, Florida, at a meet and greet for cruisers. We had to be the youngest people at
When he competed in the first Golden Globe Race in 1968-69, French sailor Bernard Moitessier achieved legend status not for winning, but rather for precisely
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
