Q: This past winter I did a bareboat charter aboard a 38ft cruising catamaran. I was once again impressed by how heavy and massively built the mainsail was. Why does this always seem to be the case on multihulls? (The headsails seem to be pretty much the same as those on ...read more
Q: I am redoing my voltage distribution panel and can’t decide between a needle movement voltmeter or a digital illuminated voltmeter to monitor my house and starting battery voltages. Which way would be best? — J. Henshaw, Tampa FL GORDON WEST REPLIES I would say do both types ...read more
Q: I am noticing more and more cruising boats carrying high-tech membrane sails, and I was wondering why that is. — Carter Dickens, Houston, TX Brian Hancock Replies It’s all about the engineering. Specifically, membrane sails are highly engineered, so you can end up with a ...read more
Q: While inspecting behind the nav station for my spring cleaning, I discovered water behind my chartplotter and VHF radio stack. Freshwater to boot! Do electronics leak? I didn’t think so. — Everette Gracy, Norton Shores, MI Gordan West Replies Last winter your region was ...read more
DINGHY DILEMMA Q: We are in the throes of choosing a dinghy, and I would like to ask if you would recommend buying a RIB with a double-skinned hull rather than a single-skinned hull. Which provides better handling or stays drier? Also, aside from the heavier weight of a ...read more
Q: Our Pearson 26 has a 110-percent jib that tends to rattle very noisily at the top hank. We only bought the old boat recently, but it must have been happening for a long time, since there’s a deep groove worn inside that bronze hank. The jib has an unusually large and wide ...read more
Q: I’m seeing more and more self-tacking jibs out on the water (and in the pages of SAIL) these days. I can’t help thinking these boats are all hopelessly underpowered, especially off the wind, when compared to boats with even slightly overlapping headsails. But I could be ...read more
Q: I have a 1974 Aquarius 23 that I am fixing up. I am wondering if I should replace the standing rigging no matter what, or if I can just check it over. I think that it is original, but I am not sure. It seems from what I have read that I should at least replace the wire, but I ...read more
Q: I have a 40ft Pearson with a 24-mile radar antenna installed on the radar arch aft. I am concerned that I could be missing medium-range targets beyond eight to 10 miles away. Should I have the antenna moved to the mast, 10ft higher than where it is now? — Jack Crawford, ...read more
Q: I am working on refinishing my cabin floorboards. I have brought them home and sanded the old finish off and would appreciate comments on using varnish or polyurethane for the sole. — Danny Love, Grand Rivers, KY DON CASEY REPLIES Polyurethane is the better choice for a ...read more
WHO HAS RIGHT-OF-WAY? Q: I sail in Narragansett Bay, which is a relatively narrow body of water that has upwind boats generally going south and downwind boats generally going north. When sailboats are racing, the starboard tack boat has the right-of-way over the port tack boat, ...read more
Q: I race on a small lake in the Midwest, and most afternoons the wind picks up and is fairly steady, but because of the hills around the lake we often get squalls that come through. They don’t last long enough to justify taking a reef, so I was wondering what is the best way to ...read more
Q: I have a nice in-hull depthsounder transducer, and it works fine going through the hull without the need for an outside transducer assembly. Do the new forward-sounding transducers all require an outside-the-hull transducer mounting, or can I use my current in-hull transducer ...read more
A MYSTERY LEAK ON THE HARD Q: We have a 2004 31ft Catalina 310 that has an in-mast furling mainsail, and the mast is deck-stepped. Haulout is the first week of October, and by Thanksgiving water in the bilge is already climbing up the sides and back-filling toward the stern where ...read more
Q: I fly an asymmetrical spinnaker from a sprit on my 35-footer and was wondering about how best to trim the tack line. I’ve seen cases in which other sailors have brought the tack of the sail all the way to the sprit, and cases in which there are a couple of feet of tackline ...read more
DEALING WITH SMALLER SAIL TEARS Q: I recently discovered a small tear in the Dacron mainsail on my Pearson Ensign. Not sure how it got there, but I can only assume the sail snagged on something at some point. The tear is roughly L-shaped, about 3in to a side. What’s the best way ...read more
NOISE ON THE BOAT NEGATIVE LINE Q: I have a new fixed-mount VHF radio, and I have severe alternator whine on both transmit and receive. My old radio did not, even though it was on the same 12V DC line. The manufacturer says new digital radios are more sensitive to alternator ...read more
TIME TO BUY NEW SAILS? Q: I have a very old set of Dacron sails on my Catalina. Friends have told me I should have them replaced because it will make my boat sail better. But quite frankly, I’d prefer not to spend the money on sails that seem plenty sturdy enough for the kind of ...read more
CETOL SKIN I used Sikkens Cetol on the bare wood on my Catalina 30, Morning Dew IV. The can was compromised over the spring, and I put the balance in a 16oz clean glass mayo jar. Last spring when I went to use it, a skin had formed over the top of the liquid, so I just cut the ...read more
Q: I just purchased a used 54ft Jeanneau that was recently outfitted by the previous owner with the latest in marine electronics. All radio gear has the previous owner’s MMSI number entered into its memory. I am told it is a major job to pull the equipment and have a new MMSI ...read more
DIGITAL OR ANALOG VOLTMETER? Q: I am redoing my nav station voltage distribution panel, and I was wondering if I should go with a needle type analog voltmeter for DC or a digital meter. Your thoughts? R. Davenport, Coral Gables, FL GORDON WEST REPLIES While a digital DC ...read more
BRINGING BACK OLD WOODWORK Q: I’m looking to purchase a 1985 Sabre 38 Mk1 sailboat. It has the traditional dark teak/mahogany cabin woodwork. My question is, can the woodwork be effectively lightened to something like that of a white oak or similar appearance? Edwin M. Bellamy, ...read more
TIME FOR NEW SAILS? Q: I have had the same Dacron sails on my boat for five years, and the previous owner had them for a number of years before that. I know that they are getting old, but how do I know when it’s time to replace them? Pat Chandler, Chardin, OH BRIAN HANCOCK ...read more
A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE! Q: I store my small sailboat in an open space under a roof. Mice have chewed up the existing foam flotation as evidenced by the pile of chewed up foam on the floor. I need to replace the foam, but don’t want a recurrence. It does not seem possible to keep ...read more
