Replacing Diesel-Generated Electricity With Renewables—Loads and Options
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Can we replace diesel fuel generation (main engine or separate) with wind, solar and/or hydrogenerators?
Yes, but there’s stuff to know to avoid wasted money and disappointment.
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How Weight Affects Boat Performance and Motion Comfort
Reading Time: 11 minutes
It’s tempting to think that the more cool stuff a boat has, the better she is for cruising, but that approach can make the boat slow and uncomfortable.
Eric explains how to tell when adding gear has gone too far.
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Adventure 40 Cockpit 2.0
Reading Time: 11 minutes
The final cockpit reveal, discussing the improvements made since Version 1, including new and very cool renderings.
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Falmouth For Orders
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Colin is waiting for the weather, as happens to all cruisers, and muses on the history of an iconic port, boat design (old and new), derelict boats, and the ongoing process of getting in tune with their new-to-them She 36.
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Watt & Sea Hydrogenerator Buyer’s Guide—Cost Performance
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Does buying a Watt & Sea make sense? It’s complicated, depending on boat size and type, as well as usage profile.
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To Sea At Last
Reading Time: 9 minutes
After many hours of toil in the boatyard to make her passage-ready, Colin and Louise start the long passage home to Scotland, testing the boat and gear as they go.
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10 Tips To Save Your Engine From Overheating
Reading Time: 11 minutes
A diesel engine that’s been badly overheated will probably never run reliably again. A total cruise ruiner. Let’s not let that happen to us.
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Safety Inspection and Gear For a New-To-Us Boat
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Colin shares his safety checks and upgrades made before the long delivery passage home to Scotland.
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Fire Extinguishers We Have Bought and Stuff We Learned
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Choosing fire extinguishers for a cruising boat is a lot more complicated than it may appear. Here’s what Phyllis and John ended up with after consulting experts.
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Liferafts For Cruisers—Positioning and Mounting
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Figuring out where to mount and how to secure a liferaft can be one of the most vexing problems in offshore boat preparation.
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Starting With The Basics On A New-To-Us Cruising Boat
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Colin continues the story of making a basically sound, but nearly half-a-century-old, boat ready for sailing. Vital reading for anyone buying a used boat.
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Going Up The Mast—More Improvements
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Further refinements to the mast climbing system we figured out last year. Even after 50 years of climbing masts, we are still learning.
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Liferafts For Cruisers—40 Years of Real-World Experience
Reading Time: 12 minutes
John shares which raft he and Phyllis would buy for various cruising scenarios and why.
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Nine Autopilot Usage Tips and Hacks
Reading Time: 12 minutes
So far in this series we have got deep into the technical weeds of how autopilots work, and how to make them work better. Now let’s look at some simple tips, several of which will help with vane gears too.
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Liferafts For Cruisers—Purchase Criteria
Reading Time: 8 minutes
It’s tempting to just shop for the “best” liferaft, but it’s way smarter to think first about why we are buying one.
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