“Im about to install an antenna farm on the horizontal arch behind my boats cockpit and am wondering whether the antennas need to be placed on the arch in a particular way. Are there guidelines for proper antenna location?”– Dave Richardson , Winnetka, IllinoisGordon West replies: You should do several things. First, if possible mount the radar antenna
“Many experts recommend that cruisers carry extra shrouds and stays. To save space, I’m thinking about carrying Spectra line as a backup. Does the idea have any merit?” — Kim Barr , San Francisco, California Win Fowler replies: In theory, Spectra or Dyneema line—both are high-modulus polyethylene—will work fine as standing rigging in terms of breaking
By Peter NielsenMany drivers develop a kind of mechanical sympathythey learn to recognize the sounds an engine makes when its being over-revved or is in too high a gear for the speed. The ability to empathize with sails is not so easily acquired, which is one reason why sailmakers will never be short of repair business.Step one is to keep the sails from flogging. Flogging
Okay, so youve anti-fouled, varnished, polished, and cleaned. Now that all the obvious spring jobs have been completed, why not turn your attention to your nether regions?There, that got your attention. I actually mean the boats nether regions, as in the bilges. Clean, sweet bilges contribute more than you think to the quality of life on board. Lower yourself down there and take a
Troubled marine retailer West Marine reported a 10 percent year-on-year sales decline for the first quarter of 2008. The $113.3 million in sales was down $12.5 million on Q1 2007.CEO Geoff Eisenberg said sales were down more than expected, and that he was anxious about sales going into the spring fitting-out season, traditionally one of the peak selling periods for West Marine.
One of the worlds most prestigious boat brands has changed hands. Oyster Marine, founded by Richard Matthews 35 years ago, has been bought by private equity firm Balmoral Capital. The company already owns the Italian luxury motoryacht builder Canados. Oyster Marine builds a range of luxury yachts from 45 to 125 feet, and its revenues amount to more than $100 million a year. Matthews will remain
If your boat has been laid up for the winter, youll be dying to get back aboard and start getting it ready for the new season. The sooner you begin on the essentials, the more wiggle room youll have when the inevitable last-minute jobs crop up close to launch time. It might be too cold to paint, varnish, or use epoxy before April, but here are five things you should be able to take care of now.
In the “Know-How” section of the March issue, Steven J. Henkind wrote about how fuel gauges operate and how you can prevent fuel-gauge errors. Here’s the mathematical formula he discussed in the story. You can also calculate the amount of fuel in a tank mathematically. For a rectangular tank, the calculation is easy: the overall volume of the tank = Length x Width x Height; if the
Betsy waves me over as I jump off the stern of La Mouette, our chartered Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 453, into the warm waters of Cooper Islands Manchioneel Bay. My mask and fins are already on. Betsy has found an octopus hiding against a rock shelf; it pulls an empty conch shell over itself when I get too close. I follow a couple of stingrays over to a reef where I spy a school of sergeant majors,
Seized motor? Don’t be so quick to junk it. In the Fall 2007 BoatWorks, editors Dave Baldwin and Mark Corke brought a dead outboard back to life. Their mission was simple: Take the engine apart, diagnose its problem, and get it running againand hopefully have a little fun in the process. The entire project took two days and the biggest problem they encountered was finding enough space in the
With the new HH44-SC, HH Catamarans is pursuing dual purposes: producing a luxury, high-performance cat for cruising families and couples, and answering what HH CEO
“What? Are you kidding me? That never happens!” Such was the response from a sailing buddy when I told him I was joining the Rio
If the prospect of 1,500 miles of ocean sailing weren’t enough to put nerves on edge, crews aboard 115 boats queued up for the Salty
The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) has announced this year’s class of inductees, people who have contributed to the world of sailing through education,
So much goes into preparing for a big regatta: finding reliable crew, boat repairs and maintenance, practice, time, money. But often it’s the simplest things
You can take the sailor out of racing, but you can’t take racing out of the sailor. So, when Nicolas Berenger, product and commercial director
I was launching a one-person plywood dinghy named Loner that a friend and I had just built, when the original boat girl walked by on
When Marvin Creamer, a retired geography professor and lifelong sailor, set out from Cape May, New Jersey, on Dec. 21, 1982, aboard the Ted Brewer-designed
“Vous parlez Français?” An elderly man was addressing me over breakfast at an inn in the French seaside village of La Trinite-Sur-Mer. “No, désolé, just
The 2023 Marion to Bermuda Race, which departed Marion, Massachusetts, on June 16, will be remembered for a new course speed record and as one
