After replacing our cadet-gray Sunbrella twice and replacing zippers and restitching countless times in our first six years cruising, we decided there had to be a better, more cost-effective way to maintain our cockpit canvas.
Whatever the reason, re-marking the waterline fills many sailors with dread. Get it right, and the resulting perfect boottop between contrasting bottom paint and the hull will be stunning. Get it wrong, and your shaky paint job will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, many sailboats were finished with foam-backed vinyl headliners glued directly to the underside of the deck and coachroof molding. If you own such a boat, you’re likely to be well acquainted with the problem of the headliner coming adrift as the glue and foam interface breaks down.
One challenge with older boats that have been out of production for decades is obtaining replacements for components that may have been custom-made back in the day. Good luck finding a new bow pulpit for your 1974 Flexiflyer 43 or a mast cap for the rig on your 1967 Brickouthouse 29.
You have a thick layer of antifouling paint on the bottom of your boat. It’s rough and worn around the edges, so you’d like to get rid of it and have a nice smooth bottom that will help you sail faster. The options are quite simple.
If you own an older boat and are worried about osmosis problems, there are a number of cures and they do not need to be expensive. The first step is to get your boat’s bottom clean of old paint.
Your ropes and lines are a very important part of your boat’s inventory. Mark Corke offers some advice on cleaning and care.
Looking at a modern sailboat, with its profusion of opening portlights and hatches, you could be excused for thinking all boats are so well ventilated. Not so.
Not all boats are created equal. Some are built to high standards by people who care about what they’re doing. Others are not. This is as true today as it was half a century ago, when boatbuilders took their first tentative steps along the untrodden path of fiberglass construction.Because their builders erred on the side of caution with this new and strange material, those early fiberglass
Sailors early on recognized the importance of keeping the bottom of their craft free of fouling, as they discovered that a hull covered with barnacles and weeds performs poorly. They used sheets of copper to protect the underbellies of their boats, and this practice is still used on some large sailing vessels.Fortunately for modern sailors, we can now use paint with similar properties to
Cornell University and Dartmouth College are in search of new head sailing coaches in the 2026 season. Both positions were listed this week and are
The Gulf Stream is a fascinating navigational puzzle.
It’s March, and if you’re like most sailors who’ve had to put their beloveds away for the winter, you’re champing at the bit to get
Don’t let the close confines and recurring stresses of living aboard sink your relationships.
Replacing a legend isn’t easy, but this new cruising cat may have what it takes.
A beginner’s guide to getting off soundings in New England.
ORC has been criticized for re-rating the XR 41 for the 2026 season. Let’s talk about it.
Do away with mean reef points I’m always pleased to be on a boat with reef points for the mainsail. Without a stack pack, tying
Jazz Turner has been named Yachtsman of the Year by the Yachting Journalist Association (YJA) in a ceremony at the Royal Yachting Association Dinghy and
March is the Offshore Issue, and it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for months. After all, it was an offshore race that really inspired
