Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:
Tips
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Gifting AAC Membership
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Read more: Gifting AAC MembershipWith the holiday season coming, don’t forget that you can gift AAC membership.
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The Off-Axis Weakness of Anchor Swivels
63 CommentsReading Time: 4 minutesMembers
Read more: The Off-Axis Weakness of Anchor SwivelsThe effect of an off-axis load on anchor swivels has long worried me, and now we have some solid numbers.
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Maxime Needs to Pass The Adventure 40 Baton
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Read more: Maxime Needs to Pass The Adventure 40 BatonThere’s an opportunity to take over the Adventure 40 project, with much of the work already done.
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eWincher 2 or SE?
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Read more: eWincher 2 or SE?Phyllis and I have long been fans of the eWincher electric winch handle and owned the original, which we let go with the McCurdy and Rhodes 56, and the Mk2, which we use on our J/109. We have also published the most in-depth review available anywhere. Last year eWincher brought out a less expensive SE […]
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Experience and Cunning Beat Youth and Speed
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Read more: Experience and Cunning Beat Youth and SpeedWould you believe it? 65-year-old Jean Le Cam is in first place in the Vendée Globe, in his brand new, but non-foiling IMOCA 60? Will he hold the lead all the way around the planet? Probably not, but who cares, he is in front now. And who knows, a dagger-board boat will be easier on […]
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Ideal Cruising Boat Size Podcast
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Read more: Ideal Cruising Boat Size PodcastAfter reading my When Is A Cruising Sailboat Too Big? chapter in our How To Buy a Cruising Boat Online Book, Ben and Teresa, of Morse Alpha Expeditions, suggested we do a podcast on the subject together, so we did. And to make this much more relevant, Kim Stephens, who is, along with her husband […]
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Don’t Rely On Crotch Straps For Tether Arrest
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Read more: Don’t Rely On Crotch Straps For Tether ArrestThis Tip was originally part of a larger article that we just deleted because it’s out of date—we do that a lot—but this part is still valid and important.
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Cruising Sails—Two Cloth Fibres To Avoid
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Read more: Cruising Sails—Two Cloth Fibres To AvoidSince I have recommended sailcloth made from high-modulus (low-stretch) fibres for cruising boats, I’m thinking I should expand on that to avoid confusion. Let’s do that: Back around the end of the time I was sailmaking, a new sailcloth burst on the scene that promised to pretty much banish shape-robbing stretch. It was made from […]
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My Favourite Cruising Sailcloth
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Read more: My Favourite Cruising SailclothStill looking pretty much as-new with the shape in the right place and a nice clean run off the leach after 12 years and about 25,000 miles. Note that I should have eased the outhaul a bit in these conditions and the bottom batten is in the pocket too tight (adjustable). The combination of these […]
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Ocean Signal MOB2 AIS Crew Overboard Beacon Review
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Read more: Ocean Signal MOB2 AIS Crew Overboard Beacon ReviewPhyllis and I have long been fans, and early adopters of, AIS/DSC crew overboard (COB) beacons and we both wear one at all times when sailing, even inshore and in benign conditions. We also completely changed our person overboard recovery strategy to rely on the AIS beacons—definitely all-in on this technology. And, further, the several […]
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Sails—Cross-Cut or Radial?
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Read more: Sails—Cross-Cut or Radial?This bi-radial genoa is old, but even so the shape is still pretty decent with a nice entry and good run off the leach. It would probably be even better if it was full tri-radial. A question from a reader made me realize that we have some gaps in our sail recommendations that will be […]
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro, Shipping
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Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Pro, ShippingAl Thomason, co-founder and the designer behind our favourite alternator regulator, the Wakespeed WS500, gave me a call to say that the Pro model is now shipping to dealers and distributors and that the price is US$50 more than the original WS500, so around US$650. The harness, which will continue to be sold as an […]
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There Is No Substitute For A 406 Mhz EPIRB
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Read more: There Is No Substitute For A 406 Mhz EPIRBPhyllis running a self-test on the EPIRB on our McCurdy and Rhodes 56 prior to a passage to Bermuda. We had the EPIRB in a float-free mount attached to the radar stand immediately above the liferaft. I’m increasingly hearing of cruisers going offshore with a satellite device as a substitute for an EPIRB: Garmin Inreach […]
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Q&A Inspecting an Aluminum Boat Hull
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Read more: Q&A Inspecting an Aluminum Boat HullQuestion Member Michael Asks: …I am looking for a used aluminum yacht…I have read all your articles on how to care for an aluminum yacht. However, how to look for serious problems on a used (25 years old) aluminum yacht? I know that I can check the electrical installation with a meter, but can I […]
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Lock Stitch Brummel Splices
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Read more: Lock Stitch Brummel SplicesI have now been doing and using bury splices in 12-strand Dyneema long enough to have come to the conclusion that these splices should aways be lock stitched, regardless of whether or not they were made with a Brummel lock. Without lock stitching it’s just too easy for something to snag the splice near the […]
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Great New Book From Lin Pardey
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Read more: Great New Book From Lin PardeyLin very kindly sent us a pre-release copy of her new book Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond (available October 15th). I have long been a fan of Lin’s writing but this is my favourite yet, I inhaled it. And that’s coming from a guy who does not read (or watch) a single cruising account from […]
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Near-Useless Radar Reflectors
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Read more: Near-Useless Radar ReflectorsIt amazes me how many of these tubular radar reflectors I still see on boats years after two credible studies have shown them to be pretty much useless: Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get to know us for FREE
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We Have An Adventure 40 Builder
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Read more: We Have An Adventure 40 BuilderGreat news, an experienced boatyard with great technical skills has committed to building the Adventure 40 and is already working with Maxime on planning the next steps, including reviewing the design with a view to both making improvements and optimizing for build efficiency. The builder agreed to have their identity revealed now, a further indicator […]
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An Interesting Alternative To Lithium Batteries
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Read more: An Interesting Alternative To Lithium BatteriesWe are all aware that in yacht use the Achilles Heel of lead-acid batteries is that only about 50%1 of the rated capacity can be used on a daily basis. But now Trojan, a well-respected brand, have released their AES AGM Battery with a claimed life of 1200 cycles to 100% discharge. These batteries are […]
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Preventer Video
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Read more: Preventer VideoWe just published the first of a two-part article on building a safe boom preventer, and, by coincidence, John Kretschmer also published a video showing his preventer in action, including what happens when caught aback. John designed and specified his preventer using the work done by Kurt Zinsmeyer, the author of the AAC article. Well worth […]
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Adventure 40 August Non-Report
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Read more: Adventure 40 August Non-ReportSeveral members have expressed concern that we have not published anything about the Adventure 40 since April. But this is a case where no news is not bad news, it’s simply no news. While it’s true that, for a variety of reasons, all outside Maxime’s control, not a lot has happened over the summer, he […]
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro On Test
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Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Pro On TestWell, that was quick. It was just last week that I shared that the WS500 Pro was on time, and today what should turn up here at AAC World Headquarters, but a fully functioning production unit. Al put on his red suit and slipped down the chimney to put it under the tree…wait, that’s not […]
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Wakespeed WS500 Pro On Time
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Read more: Wakespeed WS500 Pro On TimeIn April I hinted about a Bluetooth-enabled version of the WS500, our favourite alternator regulator, and in late June I confirmed that the WS 500 Pro had been announced, for shipment in “fall of 2024”. That said, I always worry that products announced before they are ready to ship will be late, often horribly. Anyway, […]
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North Sails—Another Monopoly
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Read more: North Sails—Another MonopolyI’m a capitalist. But I also strongly believe that capitalism should be played with rules and a referee. After all, as Scott Galloway is wont to say, it’s a full-body contact sport and would we let people play rugby or American football without a ref on the field? Might not end well. But that’s exactly […]
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The Correct Shore Power Charger Profile To Use For Lead-Acid Batteries
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Read more: The Correct Shore Power Charger Profile To Use For Lead-Acid BatteriesAs I have written before, most shore power chargers are far less smart than they claim to be. The problem is that unless chargers are connected to and compatible with monitoring systems like Victron Cerbo with Distributed Voltage and Current Control (DVCC) enabled, or Victron BMV with VE Smart Networking, they have no way to […]
