Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:
Tips
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Engine Temperature Gauge Hack
20 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
Read more: Engine Temperature Gauge HackThe little Yanmar engine in our J/109 is cursed with the basic panel with no gauges other than rpm. While I have taken a bunch of precautions against overheating, which I have written about before, I really wanted to be able to read engine temperature.
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Never Trust a Hurricane
5 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Never Trust a HurricaneAs you can imagine, I’m watching Hurricane Erin very carefully, and this morning, as is my habit, I was reading the forecast discussion when this jumped out at me: After 36 hours, there has been a notable increase in forward speed among the models when Erin becomes embedded in the mid-latitude westerlies, and the NHC […]
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Lithium Battery Reliability and Backup
23 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Lithium Battery Reliability and BackupStill Required? Ever since we published my thought that lithium batteries had come of age, I have been pondering whether or not they have reached a point of reliability that would make me comfortable installing them on an offshore boat without the lead-acid serial backup we have recommended for years. After all, we now have […]
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Radar Reflector Mounting Hack
17 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Radar Reflector Mounting HackOut of the way, and no chafe issues.
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro Programming Hack
2 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Pro Programming HackPowering the Wakespeed WS500 Pro while configuring.
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Wakespeed WS500 Alternator Regulator Deck Display
8 CommentsReading Time: 4 minutesMembers
Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Alternator Regulator Deck DisplayDisplaying Wakespeed WS500 alternator regulator information on a plotter.
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Lithium Batteries Come Of Age
64 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Lithium Batteries Come Of AgeA full system example from Victron. It looks intimidating at first, but if we take our time and understand the basic concepts, it’s actually quite approachable—kudos to Victron. That said, it’s our responsibility to make sure that our installation is safe and conforms to the standards for the country our boat is flagged in. And […]
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Victron NG Smart Lithium Batteries
36 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Victron NG Smart Lithium BatteriesBen Stein, over at Panbo, has just published a good review of the new Victron NG LiFePO4 batteries and related BMSs, well worth the time to read for most any cruiser who is even faintly interested in lithium batteries. I won’t try to duplicate the excellent job Ben has done describing what makes this new […]
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Norseman 447
7 CommentsReading Time: 6 minutesMembers
Read more: Norseman 447Some thoughts on one of Bob Perry’s best designs and buying older cruising boats in general.
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Getting Tether Length Just Right
6 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Getting Tether Length Just RightDon’t assume from this photo that I make all my tethers this way. I only use dynamic climbing rope (DCR) in low-traffic areas because of the roll-under-foot danger. More on this and much more about tether construction in the chapters linked to below. Also don’t get confused by the tools and fittings in the photo, […]
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Radically Swept-back Spreaders
32 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembersRead more: Radically Swept-back SpreadersI have seen a lot of weird stuff in my day but…
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Taking The Week Off
11 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
Read more: Taking The Week OffWe will not be publishing any Articles or Tips this week, or for most of next. My daughter has just finished her residency and is now a fully qualified board certified paediatrician and so we are off to visit her and help celebrate the culmination of 12 long years of study, exams and residency (including […]
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Jordan Series Drogue Double-Proved Effective
23 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
Read more: Jordan Series Drogue Double-Proved EffectiveA breaking wave bearing down on Nehaj with JSD deployed ©Susanne Huber-Curphey, all rights reserved One of the things that makes me crazy is offshore sailors who claim that getting rolled upside down is just a risk of being out there; yeah, I’m looking at you Don McIntyre. The other, and related, thing than makes […]
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Quote Of The Day
13 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
Read more: Quote Of The DayWow, does this ever hit a sore spot for me. I catch myself doing this all the time. But, worse still, I bet there are more times when I don’t even notice I have succumbed to the behaviour. Still, one of the few benefits of getting older is that time and experience has given me […]
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The Sinking of “Gunga Din”
17 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
Read more: The Sinking of “Gunga Din”My thoughts on the loss of Gunga Din, a well-built, but older, Sweden Yachts 41.
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Fender Washers Are Useless
27 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Fender Washers Are UselessThere’s a headline to attract attention! Fender washers, or penny washers, as guys of my advanced age with British backgrounds call them1, are much beloved by us yachties. Heck, I have a bunch of them, just in case I need one…except now I know I probably never will. Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn […]
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The Relationship Between Stiffness and Thickness
9 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: The Relationship Between Stiffness and ThicknessOK, that headline was a test of how clean your mind is. If you didn’t immediately assume that I was writing about my current fixation, bolted joints, you failed.
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Impromptu Vise
12 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Impromptu ViseNot sure if this is a hack, or a kluge…or maybe just half-assed, but the rubber band worked a treat when I needed the VHF plug held still while I soldered the centre pin conductor.
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Quote Of The Day
8 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
Read more: Quote Of The DayWow, while Schelling was a public policy wonk, does this ever apply to voyaging, particularly when we have only sailed inshore and so are surprised by how different things are when we head offshore.
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Asymmetric Spinnaker Sheet Length
14 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteMembers
Read more: Asymmetric Spinnaker Sheet LengthMake ’em Long As I mentioned in an earlier Tip, we just bought new spinnaker sheets at not inconsiderable expense. Here’s why. Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get to know us for FREE
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Dangerous Splicing Mistakes
6 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembersRead more: Dangerous Splicing MistakesSure splicing 12 strand Dyneema (Spectra) is easy but I’m also seeing a lot of dangerous mistakes.
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Backing Plates Must Be Parallel
17 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Backing Plates Must Be ParallelBolting fittings down on deck seems so simple, and it is…as long as we follow some common sense rules.
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Which Snap Shackle Is Stronger?
8 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesMembers
Read more: Which Snap Shackle Is Stronger?Some thoughts on snap shackles, particularly for use on spinnakers.
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Q&A Offshore Communications in 2025
50 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
Read more: Q&A Offshore Communications in 2025Yes, there are a lot of options out there, but actually making the right call today is simpler than it has ever been before.
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Mainsails—Full Battens or Not
17 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesMembers
Read more: Mainsails—Full Battens or NotShould we order a mainsail with full battens or not?
