Voyaging Tips
How to replace an older rudder
Dec 09, 2011 12:00 amTo solve the steering problems we’ve noticed over the years, we needed to reconfigure the rudder setup on Copernicus, our Spencer 42.
Seawater pump impeller replacement
Nov 04, 2011 12:00 amMost boaters seem to fall into two categories: those who practice preventive maintenance and those who practice breakdown maintenance. Proceeding directly to the point, those in the first category unfailingly renew their engine raw water pump impeller every two years and consequently never get to see what a failed impeller looks like.
Outboard motor shaft puller
Jun 29, 2011 12:00 amOur 8-hp Evinrude provided six years of dependable service with only minimal maintenance. Except for changing the spark plugs, zinc anode, and lower unit oil every two years, it required no work at all. Until, that is, one day the water pump stopped working. Don’t remind me, I know full well that the water pump impeller should be renewed every two years or so. I had a new complete water pump rebuild kit on board, and tools to do the job, so I lazily figured that I’d just see how far I could go before a new impeller was needed.
Preventive maintenance for the roller furler
Apr 25, 2011 12:00 amThe roller furling gear on a boat is something that is generally taken for granted; it’s a simple mechanism, and it usually seems to work just fine without a lot of maintenance fuss.
Cool your alternator
Apr 05, 2011 12:00 amHeat is the greatest enemy of all things electrical, and your alternator is no exception. Alternators come equipped with cooling fans, either internal or external, but with a tightly enclosed engine compartment, high ambient temperature means an even hotter alternator. One way to keep your alternator cool is to build a simple fiberglass shroud that, when fed by a fan and ducting, will supply cool air to the alternator.
Reducing radio interference
Jun 30, 2010 12:00 amIt sounds like a crude form of Morse code on your single sideband transceiver. The interfering signal is strong enough to disrupt fax reception, render voice reception unintelligible, and bring your onboard e-mail to a halt. It seems to occur all across the bands, stronger on some frequencies, weaker on others. Turn off your 12-volt refrigeration and if the interference stops immediately, read on — this article is for you.
Dinghy mooring methods
Oct 21, 2009 12:00 amCowboys and their horses; voyagers and their dinghies — these are natural companions. A voyager must have a sturdy vessel to cross the seas, but once safely at anchor in some romantic port, without a dinghy, that foreign shore will still be just a dream.
Regular winch maintenance
Oct 06, 2009 12:00 amCan you imagine what sailing was like before the winch came on board? Not me. Just the thought of hauling in a feisty genoa by hand makes my back hurt. It is easily the most versatile piece of equipment on the boat, and whoever invented this mechanical marvel deserves to be in the Sailing Hall of Fame.
Data From Your SSB
Jun 12, 2008 12:00 am
We decided to add a Pactor modem to the HF SSB set up on board ourWarwick Cardinal 46, Skylax. This piece of radio gear allows us to send and receive small emails while out at sea and out of range of mobile communications. Here are some considerations when setting up this system:
Winch cover seats
Apr 14, 2008 12:00 amIf your boat is anything like mine, sailing gear is everywhere and cockpit seating is at a premium. One way to put the former in service of the latter is to turn winches into seats. You can purchase a chair that fits into the hub, or you can modify your winch covers to incorporate a foam top, which provides a soft seat for the tush.Clearing the Bridges
Jul 18, 2007 12:00 amWe've all heard about sailboats being heeled over to clear bridges but few have ever done it, particularly when the mast height of Bluejacket, a 42-foot Ted Brewer-designed cutter, is 63 feet and bridge clearances up the river are 55 feet. It's one thing to inch it along under a single bridge with full 55-gallon water drums hung out on the end of a boom or spinnaker pole, or using a twin outboard pulling on the spinnaker halyard; it's another thing altogether to secure the cutter alongside and hold it over for 15 miles, doing 4 to 5 knots, in order to clear five bridges.
Keep your cool
Nov 14, 2003 12:00 amMany boats are equipped with 12-volt DC-powered refrigeration. While it's convenient to leave the refrigeration operating when the boat is at a shore-power-equipped dock, if shore power fails or is disconnected, the refrigeration system will continue to operate, drawing power from the battery bank.
Beefing up the bow roller
Aug 20, 2003 12:00 amOur boat Andiamo, a Wauquiez Pretorien 35, was designed in the late '70s as a cruiser/racer, and it was a competitive racer in its day. Those days are now past, and we are outfitting the boat in preparation for our planned circumnavigation starting in 2004.
Fresh Bread Every Day
Jun 13, 2003 12:00 amOn the longer legs of voyages aboard my Westsail 42, Fiona, we usually run out of store-bought bread after a couple of weeks. From then on, we bake our own bread every day. And we do this without using the large oven, which is a voracious propane consumer. Instead, we bake the dough in something called a Swedish oven that sits on top of the stove and uses only one burner adjusted to a very low level. A secondary advantage is that we have that delicious fresh-baking smell emanating from the galley every morning, and we have warm bread for lunch.
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