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, KYDON CASEY REPLIES Polyurethane is the better choice for a cabin ...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, so ...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 HARDQ: 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 TEARSQ: 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 LINEQ: 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 SKINI 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, FLGORDON WEST REPLIESWhile a digital DC voltmeter ...read more
BRINGING BACK OLD WOODWORKQ: 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, St. ...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, OHBRIAN HANCOCK REPLIESI ...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 the ...read more
IS WACKY WIRING FATAL?Q: I recently went behind my nav station to hook up my old chartplotter to my 4-year-old GPS and discovered that the GPS data leads were taped together with several of the bare wire ends touching each other! Is my connection cooked?Tom Redler, Marina Del ...read more
WRINKLY SAILSQ: When I see photographs of raceboats, I notice all kinds of wrinkles in their mainsails. This is true even of small boats like Lasers at the Olympic level. How is it that these wrinkles don’t affect the aerodynamics of the sail? Surely it must slow them down, ...read more
IS WACKY WIRING FATAL?Q: I recently went behind my nav station to hook up my old chartplotter to my 4-year-old GPS and discovered that the GPS data leads were taped together with several of the bare wire ends touching each other! Is my connection cooked?Tom Redler, Marina Del ...read more
NEW VHF NOMENCLATUREQ: I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and we regularly use channels 83A and 22A when working. They say these channels will soon be renamed, including regatta race committee channels 78A and 79A. What is going on?D. Arnold, Miami, FLGORDON WEST ...read more
Q: My friends tell me that I need to “power up” my mainsail in light winds, but I am not really sure what that means. Can you explain? I race a Pearson 37, mostly beer-can races.Joseph O’Brian, sailmail@sailmagazine.comBRIAN HANCOCK REPLIESPowering up your main is very important ...read more
VHF PORTABLES ON LANDQ: Our dockmaster tells me that portable marine VHF radios are now permitted for use on land. Does this mean I can use my hand-held on the ski slopes, or talk from the office with boats for weather reports?Don Hull, New York, NYGORDON WEST REPLIESYes, and no. ...read more
STOVE TROUBLESQ: I have a Broadwater two-burner propane stove with an oven and broiler. It’s from 2003 but still looks new. When I acquired the boat in 2015 all four burners worked. But after I had the boat transported to Wisconsin and then back to Florida, it went from four ...read more
Q: I am the owner of a 1985 Cal 22 sailboat that is moored during the season in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The boat is in very good condition; however, when I pulled it out of the water at the end of the season in early October this year I noticed a slight crack in the keel that extends ...read more
Q: Is it common that transmitting on marine single sideband will cause an automatic pilot to abruptly change course?This could be dangerous for those on deck when the boom suddenly swings. Vincent Andrews, Aberdeen, MDGORDON WEST REPLIESAll too common! Your long-range single ...read more