Systems & Propulsion

Rudder Mods for Low-speed Docking

Any sailor who has tried to wrestle a full-keel ketch with a barn-door rudder into a tight slip has probably wondered if they could...

Using Heat to Bend PVC Pipe

Over the decades, marine equipment has gone through a dramatic transformation as plastics have steadily crept into our onboard lives. In this first in...

Powering Your Boat Through a Storm

Asailing auxiliary engine should never be fully relied upon to bash into a storm; they are not sized for that. In many boats, the...

Marine Diesel Repower Part 3: Sea Trial

This is the last of a three-part series describing the planning and installation of an inboard diesel engine in my previously engine-free Cape Dory...

Estimating Total Capacity in an Old Battery

Volt meters, ammeters, and bank monitors can all give you part of the story, but only a draw-down test, performed over 6-24 hours will...

Solar Power and Battery Checkup

Batteries and solar panels can be a black box. We can’t see or hear or feel what is going on inside. They’re not complicated...

Rhumb Lines: Yes, We Are the Lucky Ones

Slow down. Stretch. Breathe. Before we let the coming summer carry us away, dreamy, windswept, mouth wide open, ready to inhale each sultry moment and...

Diesel Repower From Scratch Part II

This is Part II of a three-part series detailing the installation of a complete inboard engine system into our highly modified Cape Dory 36...

PS Advisor: Tacking and Jibing with a Tiller Pilot

In very light winds the tiller pilot will make corrections that are too small and the boat will not turn quickly enough to complete...

Diesel Repower From Scratch Pt. 1

This is a multi-part article detailing the installation of an inboard diesel engine into my modified Cape Dory 36 Far Reach. I rebuilt the Far Reach from...

Pearson 37 & 37-2 – Behind the Curtain

Are you interested in a racer cruiser sailboat like the Pearson 37 and Pearson 37-2? This week we dive into a boat review of...