Anchor Trip-line Tricks
An anchor trip line is a stout line connected from the after end of the anchor fluke to a marker buoy so that the...
Shock Cord Test Looks at Long Life
We’re sailors and we know our knots. We don’t use bungees to avoid lashings or because we don’t have enough old rope lying about...
Designing a Dump Line for the Multihull Mainsheet
One of the rewards of doing time in a boatyard like Salt Creek Marina, in St. Petersburg, FL where Opal and I have been...
Other Methods to Control Yaw
Yawing is the result of imbalance between windage (you want it aft) and underwater resistance (you want it forward). If the center of windage...
Drogues to Dampen Yaw
A leading cause of anchor dragging is yawing so vigorously that either the soil around the anchor is liquefied, or the anchor simply capsizes....
Testing the DIY Dog Bone Shackle
Soft shackles became the cool thing nearly as soon as they appeared on race boats. Any savvy DIYer could make them using Dyneema single...
Sizing Up Improvements In Low Friction Rings
The first time I brought a handful of low friction rings (LFR) to the boat, I got funny looks from my partner. The plan...
Outboard Steering Tricks
Outboard powered boats can be slow to respond when maneuvering around the docks at low speed. With no prop wash over the rudder, it...
What Color Bimini Top is Best for Summer?
So you want to build the awning described on page 7 of this issue, and were wondering what material to use. We’ve been using...
Revive Your Mast Like a Pro
Unobtainium is the metal at the top of every Naval Architect’s wish list. It’s a perfect marine material; light, strong, stiff yet flexible—it’s as...
The BEST and WORST Boat Washing Machines
Are you looking into how to wash clothes on a boat? I set out to figure out which washing machine to install on my...
Latest Sailboat Review
Cape Dory 30 Used Boat Review
When the Cape Dory 30 entered production in 1976, it was the largest boat in the expanding line of the Taunton, Massachusetts boatbuilder. In...