The lightweight anchor
All anchors are a compromise. Since some anchor types work best in certain bottoms, it is a good idea to carry anchors of different...
Choosing an anchor with the appropriate holding power
Physical measurements of anchors cannot produce definitive conclusions about anchor performance, but they offer clues to likely performance in different conditions.
Our analysis found that...
Hurricane Season: A season for planning
The arrival of hurricane season is always a good reminder for boat owners to put together a storm plan detailing where and how the...
Helping Your Boat Battery Survive Winter Storage
Few things are more disappointing than coming back to your boat in the spring and discovering that one or more of your boats batteries...
Zincs and Protection From Galvanic Corrosion
Use zincs to protect against the galvanic currents that are set up by dissimilar metals on your boat that are immersed and that are...
Stepping up to 24 VDC
More and more new boats in the 40- to 60-foot range are being manufactured with dual-voltage electrical systems (12 VDC and 24 VDC). So...
Breaker Panel Installations – DIY Tips From the Pros
We made some calls to a few well-respected boat yards and asked their electricians what problems they have experienced with customer-installed (DIY) breaker panel...
Inverter-Charger Terminology – What Does All That Mumbo-Jumbo Mean Anyway?
Established industry standards enable consumers to know what exactly it is they're buying. They set a benchmark for product quality, performance, and safety, allowing...
Wind Generators 101
Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical power, and ultimately electricity. This electricity can be used immediately to power equipment,...
Choosing Solar Panels for Your Boat
In simple terms, and leaving out the quantum nature of light, solar panels work by converting the energy in sunlight (or any light) to...
The History of Cape Dory Sailboats
Cape Dory Yachts was founded in 1963 by Andrew Vavolotis in East Taunton, Mass. In the following 28 years, the company built over 2,800...
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...