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Read more: Why We Don’t Recommend Boom BrakesBoom brakes have never looked right to me, but now I have solid numbers, together with other reasons, to strongly recommend against them. But if you still insist on a boom brake, I have some recommendations.
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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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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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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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Read more: Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 1Consistently reefing at the right time, particularly when sailing offshore, makes passages easier, safer, and, above all, more fun.
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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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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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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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Read more: Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 3—The DetailsNow we understand the forces at work, John looks at the details of rigging a strong and easy-to-use preventer system.
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Read more: A Small-Boat Anchoring SystemMost of the chapters in this Online Book are about anchoring systems for larger boats. But what about smaller boats? What compromises can we make and still end up with a safe and workable system?
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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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Read more: Hull Materials, Which Is Best?One of the common debates in any sailor’s bar is which hull material is best. John settles the argument…it depends. But he does make some solid recommendations for hull materials most of us should avoid and the one that the majority should choose.
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Read more: When Is A Cruising Sailboat Too Big?In recent years, cruising boats have got ever bigger, but what’s the safe upper limit, particularly for a shorthanded amateur crew? John used his 30 years of experience voyaging in a 56-foot boat to answer that vital question.
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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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Read more: Is Your Engine Properly Fused?I think most of us know that our engine start battery should be fused, but what about the rest of the engine harness. John was shocked to find the answer to that question.
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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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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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Read more: Better JacklinesIn the last two chapters we discovered that the jackline systems most of us use for COB prevention are pretty much useless. Now we are moving on to what to do about that—the good stuff.
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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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Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 2—Line and Gear Strength Calculator
61 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutesMembers
Read more: Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 2—Line and Gear Strength CalculatorNow that we understand the forces and angles at work, Kurt shares a method and spreadsheet to calculate the actual forces on our own boats so that we can build a safe preventer system.
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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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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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Read more: Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 1—Forces and AnglesTo build a safe preventer system, we must first understand how the forces combine and multiply to turn the boom into a potential killer.
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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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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 […]
