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Many people assume that tying to the solid land with shorefasts is safer and more secure than anchoring. But is it really? John takes a deep dive into the facts and in the process shares some interesting things about shorefasts and how to use them.

Now we know that a lot of the rudders out there on older fibreglass boats will need extensive repair or replacement, what’s the best course of action, and what’s it going to cost us? John provides the answers.

So we have found a great older boat to buy at a very reasonable price, perhaps recently refitted. But what about that item no one (least of all the broker) wants to talk about: the rudder? Here’s the real hard facts about rudders on old fibreglass boats, together with a step-by-step method to make sure we are not heading out with a ticking time bomb instead of a reliable rudder.

There are few subjects around anchoring that get more discussion than stopping yawing at anchor. However, once we understand why it happens, the best solution becomes obvious.

Before we start to build a refit budgeting and planning framework, we need to define the boat we will start off with as well as explore how we can correct numbers for other boats: smaller, bigger, and/or more complex.

Last summer we discovered that series drogues to Don Jordan’s design that are made from single-plat Dyneema or Spectra were extremely difficult to retrieve. We now have a solution.

John started out to write an article on budgeting for a refit, but ended up writing, based on personal experience, about something far more important: how to avoid the oh-so-common human failings that can turn a refit into a budget-busting rebuild, or even a total fail, as well as how to decide if a refit is something you even want to do.

If ever there was a subject where the details matter, it’s anchoring, so John takes a deep dive into some details that will make anchoring with an all-chain rode easier and safer.

Colin completes his four-part series on going offshore cruising in a boat for less than US$100,000, with a look at materials other than fibreglass, and then winds up with a summary ending on a positive note.

Kellets are often touted in books and articles on anchoring as a way to increase anchor holding and setting reliability. But do they really work, and should you buy one?

Many secondhand boats out there are being sold as ready to go offshore. But what about the vital underwater appendages the loss of which often results in abandonment or worse? Colin shines the bright light of reality on this vital subject that no one else likes to talk about.

So now that we have decided to focus on boats that have been well taken care of and not butchered by inept amateurs, we still need to be realistic about potential flaws in materials and construction and what it would really take in time and money to fix each. We can have no better guide than Colin as we figure that out.

To that end, Colin turns his attention to seven basic construction areas where problems can turn a refit into a horror show we definitely don’t want to star in.

Rope snubbers are vital for those of us who anchor on all-chain rodes, but the good news is that a good snubber is a simple thing to make and rig right.

Can we go offshore cruising in a fully refitted, safe and comfortable boat for US$100,000, all in? Colin and John think so, but making it work won’t be easy and will need careful planning and lots of sweat. Colin kicks off the series with some things for us to think about before we even start looking for a boat.