Conductive Greases vs. Corrosion
Many marine installations call for dielectric grease to seal out moisture and prevent oxidation at electrical connections. During the course of our multi-part reporting...
Considering Fiber-Reinforced Composites for Sheathing
As we explore material legacies and evolution with a regenerative lens for our Wharram Narai Mk IV build, the focus now shifts to sheathing...
Seacocks for Thin Hulls
A proper below-the-water line seacock consists of three parts: the outside portion or mushroom, which threads into the flanged valve, the flanged valve, and...
How To Prepare Your Boat for a Survey
You’ve decided to proceed with a pre-purchase survey for your potential sailboat and are working with the seller to get their lowest price. A...
Anti-Seize Coatings for Spars
If you've ever been humbled by a single impossibly stuck fastener, or plan on adding hardware to your spar, running gear, or deck, this...
DIY Fairing and Filling
Epoxy deserves its wonder resin status as a highly adhesive, water-resistant laminating resin. It is the secret sauce behind a shelf full of fillers,...
Non-Skid Refinishing with KiwiGrip
Like most sailboats from the heyday of factory production in the 70s and 80s, our 1978 Islander Bahama came with a textured non-skid gelcoat...
Wheel Thimbles for Synthetic Line Terminals
This is not a completely new concept. Spool thimbles have long been used on multi-pulley block beckets to increase the pin diameter to better...
Managing Holding Tank Odors: For Fresh Water and Salt Water
Like most boats I’ve been in, that unpleasant foul smell emanating from onboard sanitation systems is not uncommon. Some smell worse than others!
For those...
Restoring a Classic: How to Get into Sailboat Ownership on a Budget
Some sailboat buyers want (and can afford) to plunk down a boatload of money to get on the water right away. For others, restoring...