A Day on a Great Canal

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Transiting the Welland Canal in a sailboat makes for a long day, and half the night, of line handling and ship avoiding.

New Satellite Communications Systems

Reading Time: 7 minutes

For nearly 20 years billionaires have been promising that worldwide, fast, always on, and reasonably priced internet, that we could use anywhere on our boats, was just around the corner, but now Matt makes a convincing case that we really will see this soon, and why things are different and better this time. Most important of all, he explains what we need to do to get ready.

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The Five Great Lakes

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Tucked into the heart of North America, five hundred miles from the sea, lies one of the world’s great adventure cruising grounds. A quarter-million square kilometres of water, and seventeen thousand kilometres of coastline, call out to sailors seeking a season or two off the beaten path.

The Boat to RV Transition

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Many waterborne cruisers have thought about trying the land-based version. Matt, who has done a bunch of the later, explores the challenges and rewards.

What Marine Engine Duty Ratings Mean To You

Reading Time: 6 minutes
Fuel map for 105, 90 and 70 kW versions of the same 4 litre diesel engine

Just what is a commercial or continuous duty rating on an engine, and should you get that? Matt starts this chapter with the reason that these ratings exist, and then moves on to how to select the correct engine duty rating for a displacement boat.

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Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPPs)

Reading Time: 7 minutes

So far in this Online Book we have learned about the fundamentals of engine and propeller efficiency and, in the last chapter, we looked at a way to make our existing engines a bit more efficient. In this chapter Matt explains a much better way to get the very most out of every drop of diesel fuel.

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Propeller Efficiency

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Matt brings his customary clarity to a complicated subject: propellers. Reading this post will cause you a bit of brain sweat, but doing so can help you get big gains in engine efficiency.

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Understanding An Engine Fuel Map

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Matt explains those graphs that adorn engine brochures and manuals. Understanding these diagrams is the key to better fuel economy and less problems with your diesel engine.

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