Maintenance

Replacing Fixed Portlights

by Don Casey, Posted April 29, 2013

Let’s start with a tip. Kits sold in auto stores for polishing headlamps can also restore the clarity to portlights. If your plastic portlights are cloudy, not crazed, this is where you should start.

Spring Commissioning: Don't Forget the Small Stuff

by Adam Cort, Posted April 17, 2013

Five industry professionals provide tips on ensuring your boat is ready for the season.

Any brightwork on your boat, inside or out, needs regular maintenance to stay in top condition. Varnishes are expected to fulfill two important functions—they enhance the natural beauty of the wood and protect it from the elements.

Ask Sail: Seeing Green

by Don Casey, Posted March 15, 2013

One of the stainless steel chainplates on my Olson 911S is tinted green both above and below deck. The fasteners that bolt the plate to the internal bulkhead do not show the same condition.

Boatyard Zen

by Don Casey, Posted February 28, 2013

Waiting for the spring as your boat sits on the hard may not seem the best time to improve your seamanship, but a boat truly at rest does provide an ideal environment for enlightenment through contemplation.

Keep Your Canvas in Tip-Top Condition

by Jan Irons, Posted February 27, 2013

After replacing our cadet-gray Sunbrella twice and replacing zippers and restitching countless times in our first six years cruising, we decided there had to be a better, more cost-effective way to maintain our cockpit canvas.

Mounting Overheads

by Joe Kogan, Posted February 11, 2013

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, many sailboats were finished with foam-backed vinyl headliners glued directly to the underside of the deck and coachroof molding. If you own such a boat, you’re likely to be well acquainted with the problem of the headliner coming adrift as the glue and foam interface breaks down.

Learning to Do It Yourself

by Dean Abramson, Posted January 10, 2013

I never used to read how-to articles in sailing magazines. They were too daunting. I might want to build a thingie or fix a whatnot, but a few paragraphs in, I would learn that success was possible only if certain conditions were met.

Repairing a Blistered Bottom

by Connie McBride, Posted December 10, 2012

We were spending hurricane season in Trinidad on our Creekmore 34 Eurisko and thought we might as well haul her out to apply another coat of bottom paint. What we found when she emerged from the water turned a three-day quick haul into a three-month ordeal.

Replacing Tired Old Portlights

by Peter Nielsen, Posted November 29, 2012

One challenge with older boats that have been out of production for decades is obtaining replacements for components that may have been custom-made back in the day. Good luck finding a new bow pulpit for your 1974 Flexiflyer 43 or a mast cap for the rig on your 1967 Brickouthouse 29.