Military strategist Helmuth von Moltke said, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” This is also true for a boat refit plan I started the refit of my boat, Passion, with a simple plan. Just as my geezerly body has needed a few parts replaced and some other repairs to ...read more
It seems that every time I walk into a boatyard I inevitably find myself smitten by some under-loved (read derelict) classic beauty sitting forlornly off in a corner. Hmmm, I think, I could buy her for a song and with a little elbow grease and some TLC, she will be ready to go. ...read more
Many production boats come equipped with undersized cleats and poorly designed line chocks. The 10in aluminum cleats that came standard on my Pearson 40 have served satisfactorily for more than 30 years. But as I have outfitted the boat for extended offshore passagemaking, I ...read more
A couple of years ago we brought our cockpit dodger, which was over 25 years old, to a local shop to get it re-stitched in a few places. Upon retrieving it we were told emphatically, “Please, don’t bring this back to me!” We took that as the final sign that we needed a new ...read more
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 ...read more
While sailing my Tanton 39 Lunacy south to the Caribbean a few seasons ago my crew and I noticed there was some sandy grit in the fresh water running out the taps when the boat was bouncing around in rough weather. The operative theory at the time was that this crud was just ...read more
Although many of us say we like to live by the KISS principle, sometimes it’s not so easy to Keep It Simple, Stupid. On sailboats, this is evident in the endless quest to make sailhandling more efficient. Well, it’s my endless quest, anyway. Sometimes it doesn’t pan out that way, ...read more
When my oldest son, David, told me about the J/24 he had just bought I had a pretty good idea what was coming next. “Dad, I’ve bought a J/24. It needs a lot of work, but the price was right.” “What are you going to do with it?” I asked. “Race it, eventually. Here’s what needs ...read more
