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Read more: Whipping not DippingThis dock line came with our new-to us J/109. Not only does it have a loop spliced in one end, which I recommend against (#2), someone first whipped it and then dipped it in some goop for reasons I can’t fathom. There is no better way to prevent a line end unraveling than a sailmaker’s […]
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Read more: Dean Barker is Back
Nice to see that one of the best, and arguably most unlucky, sailors in America’s Cup modern history is back with a team. I’m a huge fan of the quiet Kiwi. The man is a class act. He will be a great coach, I’m sure. Might end up back on the wheel, too, I’m guessing.
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Read more: Choosing & Installing Battery SwitchesSelecting battery master switches and deciding how to wire them is a fundamental part of a good cruising live-aboard electrical system.
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Read more: Most “Drop In” Lithium Batteries Not ABYC CompliantThe way I read this, batteries with BMSs that do not communicate are now obsolete: If a shutdown condition is approaching a battery system should notify the operator with a visual and/or audible alarm before disconnecting the battery from the DC system. ABYC E13-7 Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get to […]
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Read more: ABYC Publishes Lithium Battery Standard
The TE-13 technical note is now a standard: E-13. To me, a woefully inadequate one that relies far too much on the vendors to do the right thing, but it’s a start. Panbo has a good analysis, most of which I agree with.
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Read more: Great BorescopeA borescope is how we knew what the problem was causing chafe of the main halyard in our mast way out of sight: Black and white messenger is for the main halyard. Deflection is clear. Tor of mast sheave to left. When buying, make sure you get one with a longer focal length.
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Read more: Our Season Savedor at least extended by installing spectra chafe sleeve. Love the stuff. More here. Not a permanent fix. That will take unstepping and some very tricky work.
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Read more: Stupid Mast ErrorsAfter just three day sails our main halyard is mangled. Turns out @sparcraft jammed the wiring conduit right up under the sheave on our brand new mast so it deflects the halyard and chafes it. Looked like end of season. We were gutted. No way to fix without unstep, but see next tip.
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Read more: Great Credit Card For Cruisers
If you are a cruiser and need to manage multiple currencies and make payments in many countries you need @Wise.
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Read more: Quote of The Day
Risk is what’s left over when you think you’ve thought of everything. Morgan Housel
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Read more: No PositionWe were out sailing our new-to-us J/109 when I realized that neither of the default screens on the plotter or TZiBoat showed position. Pretty standard these days…and oh so wrong. Imagine a crew overboard and we need to radio for help, but first have to dig through a bunch of screens to find our position. […]
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Read more: Victron Chargers RockI’m loving this little charger I bought. I will write more in an upcoming article, but the ability to check out, on my phone, exactly what happened in the last charge cycle is amazing. Tells me a lot about battery health and how to set up the charger best for our usage.
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Read more: iPad Clamp
Well, this is better than duct taping it to the companionway, but it still feels like a kluge. Probably OK for round the bay, but I need to make it more waterproof and improve power feed. Even then I’m glad there’s a plotter below for backup and offshore use. Nice clamp from Scanstrut.
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Read more: White Paint Is Our FriendBefore and after shots of a small locker in our J-109. Way better to paint the water damaged ply than mess around with varnish trying to fix it. Brightens the boat up too. We like semi-gloss, not gloss. White is brighter inside the locker too. Login to continue reading (scroll down) Learn About Membership Get […]
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Read more: Adventure 40 RigThe Adventure 40 will be, above all, a great sailboat, and great sailboats have well-thought-out rigs.
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Read more: Battery Containment—Part 1Most production boats have battery boxes that are nowhere near strong enough for use on an offshore boat. Let’s fix that.
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Read more: 5 Safety Tips For Working on Boat DC Electrical SystemsJust because the battery-supplied systems on cruising boats are low voltage, that does not make them safe. Here are some tips to reduce the chances of a nasty injury.
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Read more: Building a Seamanlike Lithium Battery SystemLithium batteries have many benefits, but are too complicated and fragile, and not fault tolerant enough, to be relied upon exclusively on an offshore boat. Here’s how to fix that.
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Read more: Two More Shore Power Safety UpgradesTwo fixes many production and new-to-us boats will need to make the high-voltage shore power system safe.
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Read more: 9 Tips To Select Seamanlike GearWhen we plan to head offshore in a cruising boat we need to think carefully and differently about how we equip the boat.
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Read more: Adventure 40 Keel—Strength and Grounding ResistanceIf we cruise for long enough, we will likely run aground. The Adventure 40 will forgive us and have a keel that will withstand the stress of offshore voyaging for decades. This article will be useful to all cruisers, regardless of the boat you plan to buy.
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Read more: The Future of AACAAC is coming up on 20 years old, so a great time to think about improvements and how to make them happen.
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Read more: Adventure 40 Keel—Draft and ShapeThe A40 keel draft and shape will be optimized for great performance when sailing offshore.
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Read more: Download Cruising Sailboat Rig ChecklistThe rig checklist is ready for download and links to five articles of in depth inspection tips and advice on fixing the problems you find.
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Read more: When Stuff Goes Wrong At SeaIt’s easy to feel competent when things go well at sea in a yacht, but the real learning begins when stuff goes wrong.
