Maintenance and DIY

The Caribbean 1500 was a success in 2005. It seems like everyone had a great time, and for the most part, everyone was safe and happy. If you’ve been wondering how everyone else survived, here’s your chance. SAIL sent out a survey to participants after the cruise in order to get a feel for what type of equipment was used and whether or not it worked well. The results are in, and it looks like

Hoisting a wet and wriggling dog onto a boat is no joke. This nifty canine boat ladder from Paws Aboard not only lets Fido get himself aboard after a cooling swim, it gives him a chance to shake himself dry before he reaches the cockpit. Measuring 16 inches by 64 inches, the $219 ladder folds away for storage. It looks like it will work best on boats with low freeboard or when deployed from a

The latest in Suzuki’s line of four-stroke outboards looks like a welcome addition to the ranks of small dinghy motors. The DF 2.5 weighs in at 30 pounds and is claimed to have 25 percent more power than competing motors. It offers the usual four-stroke advantages of quiet running, frugal gas consumption, and cleaner exhaust fumes than two-strokes. It comes only in a short-shaft version and has a

A boat’s engine-cranking and domestic batteries are on separate circuits so that the starting battery isn’t accidentally drained, but you need to be able to combine the power from both batteries to help start a reluctant engine. Usually this means installing either three single switches or a four-position (off, 1, 2, both) selector switch; either way, it’s all too easy to leave the switch in the

Having seen a sharp-edged bow chock nearly saw through a mooring line during a fall northeaster, I’ve begun to take an interest in these unglamorous—but important—items of deck hardware. Schaefer’s new line of stainless chocks have deep, wide openings with gently rounded jaws that will be easy on dock lines and are big enough to handle chafe gear. They also have hidden fasteners for a neat

Whoever said that it’s better to give than to receive obviously hadn’t set eyes on these beautiful Myerchin knives. You might buy one as a gift, but you may well end up keeping it for yourself. The $98.95 BW300 and $102.95 BW300P (with serrated blade) have a sandalwood handle and double-lock mechanism that prevents either the stainless blade or the 3-inch spike from closing on your fingers.

Here’s a sailing oxymoron for you—comfortable cockpit. It’s a rare boat that doesn’t need some kind of cushioning in the cockpit if you’re sailing for more than an hour or two, and even if your rear end is pampered with cushions, the shallow, poorly angled coamings on many boats don’t do your spine much good. Made by the cockpit-cushion manufacturer Bottomsiders, Coamingsiders fit over wood or

The most versatile tape I’ve ever used is Rubbaweld, now available in the U.S. It’s not sticky, but bonds to itself to form a tough waterproof skin. I’ve used it to tape off turnbuckles and lifeline terminals, for get-me-home repairs on plumbing hoses and connections, and on rope ends when there wasn’t time to whip them. It comes in black and white, and in 1-inch ($18.50 for a 15-foot roll) or

The Shackle Dog—so called because its inventor thought it resembled the family pooch—is a simple piece of anodized aluminum. You can’t open bottles with it or use it as a screwdriver. You can only open or close shackles. But it does that simple job very well, and, at $4.95, there’s no reason to be without one. Shackle Dog; 203-312-0071;

America³ and Il Moro di Venezia, the 1992 America’s Cup contenders, are once again doing battle—only this time on the front lawn of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA).The two yachts, owned by the often controversial winning skipper of the 1992 campaign, Bill Koch, are suspended in action as part of a recent exhibition entitled, Things I Love: The