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Read more: A very bad place to put a solar panelSeriously? One wave strike, or even a gale, and this will end very badly. More on why we should not do stuff like this, at least if we plan to go offshore.
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Read more: Electrical QuizQuiz is closed, here’s the answer. Why am I methodically disconnecting each load from the battery, and then reconnecting it while looking at a volt meter? And what’s the meter connected to? Answer in the comments: First right answer wins an Adventure 40 T-shirt.
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Read more: Preventing Unintended Jib UnfurlsThe furler line is only secured by a cam cleat (under dodger flap in shadow) on our J/109, so when leaving the boat we clove hitch it around the winch. Also note the sheet is half hitched around the standing part. Before leaving the boat we also make very sure the jib is neatly rolled […]
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Read more: A Not Boring AccountantMark Goodfield was our accountant and tax advisor, both personally and for AAC, for some ten years until he retired from public practice, and he never steered us wrong. He has blogged about personal finances, investing, tax planning, and accounting for some 15 years (guess) as the Blunt Bean Counter. Given that, if we want […]
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Read more: Q and A—Trucking a BoatTrucking a boat can be a viable, and in some cases less expensive option than sailing her, but what are the pitfalls?
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Read more: McCurdy and Rhodes 56 For SaleThe McCurdy and Rhodes 56 that we owned and loved for thirty years is for sale again. The asking price has recently been dropped to CAD$349,000 / ~US$259,000. This is a great boat at any price, but at this new price she represents a once in a very-long-while opportunity to buy an offshore-ready boat at […]
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Read more: Mono- or Multihull?As I have said many times before, I’m agnostic about the number of hulls a cruising boat should have. There are benefits and drawbacks to one, two, or three. That said, I do have a soft spot for some boats with three hulls, but that’s another post. Anyway, I came across this good article comparing […]
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Read more: Servo-pendulum is Not Bullet Proof Either
A few weeks ago I pondered the very high loads that auxiliary-rudder self-steering gears put on themselves and the parts of the boat they are bolted to, based on the failure of Simon Curwen’s Hydrovane gear while leading the GGR. Now we are getting reports that Abhilash Tomy is having a hell of a time […]
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Read more: A Real World Tested Tool Kit For CruisersA recommended kit that weighs less than sixty pounds and tool budgets for coastal and offshore cruising, as well as refits.
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Read more: Invaluable Measurement ToolsI have a couple of tape measures (one metric, the other imperial) in my tool bag, and even have a really nice digital calliper for when dead-nuts measurement is required, but the two measurement tools in my kit that get the most use are a cheap pocket calliper (top photo) and an even cheaper metal […]
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Read more: Inflatable Boat Maintenance Wisdom
I just got off the phone with a local guy who repairs inflatable boats. Seems like he really knows of what he speaks. I learned a few things: He is going to rehab our nearly four-decade old Avon. If it goes another 20 years I’m thinking I might be done with it. Final tip from […]
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Read more: Five Boat Lift Usage TipsA hair-raising account of a boat-lift collapse and tips to reduce the chances of this happening to us.
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Read more: The Perfect MalletI pretty much never use a hard-headed hammer on a boat; in fact, I don’t even have one in my onboard tool kit on our new-to-us J/109. But I use a mallet often to move something stuck without damaging it, or drive a punch or chisel. This one from Lixie is just the right weight […]
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Read more: Garmin Cut Vesper Users LooseAlthough we had a lot of trouble with our first Vesper AIS, I have long been a fan of their products, with the exception of the Cortex, which tried to do too many things in one unit and had a lot of issues as a result. When Garmin bought Vesper I had a sense of […]
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Read more: Adventure 40 Reveal—Salon and Forward CabinIn the last interior arrangement reveal article we covered the galley, head, and storage areas aft. Now let’s move forward into the salon and forward cabin.
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Read more: Lubricate Steering Chains and CablesI mentioned in another tip that I have just finished a full maintenance on the steering gear on our new-to-us J/109 and that nothing was properly lubricated before I started and probably never had been. On that subject, I have long noticed that the chain and steering cables on many boats are bereft of any […]
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Read more: TZ iBoat UpdatedI have used a bunch of iPad navigation software over the years, but TZ iBoat, by the same folks who have been doing navigation software on computers for some 30 years, is by far the best. Lots of reasons, but the most important is that it’s the only app that I can enter and edit […]
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Read more: A Good HacksawSince I let all my old tools go when we sold our last boat, I have been upping my standards as I buy new tools for our new-to-us J/109. One of my best acquisitions has been this premium hacksaw from CK Tools. It’s quite amazing how much easier this saw is to use with its […]
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Read more: Are Auxiliary Rudder Self-Steering Gears Strong Enough?
I was really saddened to hear that Golden Globe Race leader Simon Curwen is probably out of the race due to a catastrophic failure of his auxiliary rudder self-steering gear in a broach. I have long wondered if these gears that actually steer the boat with a separate rudder, rather than control the main rudder […]
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Read more: When Did Your Steering Last Feel The Love?I’m just about finished rebuilding the steering gear, less the rudder since we did that last year, on our new to-us J/109. When I pulled it apart half the bearings fell out and there was not a drop of grease or oil on any of it…except the brake pad, where we don’t want it! I’m […]
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Read more: Installing a Propane Detectori just finished installing a propane gas detector with two sensors, one near the stove and the other just aft of the engine where gas would pool prior to kaboom, on our new-to-us J/109. I settled on the above-pictured unit from BEP Marine. So far it seems like a well-thought-out piece of safety gear. One […]
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Read more: Balancing Battery Bank and Solar Array SizeIt’s easy to assume that the bigger the battery bank and solar array the better, but there’s a much better way to optimize the system for a live-aboard cruising boat, which will save a bundle of money too.
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Read more: Q & A: Iridium Go! or Go ExecThe new Predict Wind Iridium Go Exec device does indeed have a subscription plan that limits data according to how much one pays, i.e: $159.95/month buys you only 50MB of data. That includes all data transfer including tracking data. Do you happen to have a clue how much data you found that you used, on […]
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Read more: Good Wire CuttersNormally I’m reasonably good at keeping track of my tools, but there is an exception: Every few years I lose my wire (diagonal) cutters—I’m not talking misplaced, but rather gone forever. How this happens, particularly on a small boat like our new-to-us J/109, is beyond me, but nonetheless it’s true. In the past I have […]
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Read more: Going Up The Mast at SeaUp to now in this series we have been looking at going up the mast in sheltered water, but when we need to go up offshore everything gets hugely more difficult and risky. As usual, preparation is the key to safety and success.
