Sail shape and sail controls
In this article, we’ll look at sail shape – why it matters and how to control the shape. But real sails on real boats are somewhat complex and the controls are somewhat compromised, and this makes it harder to see […]
Surprising Bilge Pump Test Results
If your boat gets holed and starts to fill with water, you’ll quickly turn on your bilge pump and hope it can pump out the water quickly whilst you plug the hole. But how fast will it pump? Are the […]
Removing old headliner
Many boats made in the 1970’s came with foam-backed vinyl material covering the interior walls and roof. The material provides some insulation and covers up all the nuts and other hardware. After a few decades, the material starts to degrade. […]
Worrying excessive heel on a yacht
On a calm day, everything on a yacht happens slowly and gently. But if you head out in a gusty day it’s easy to find yourself on a boat that’s leaning (or heeling) over at worrying angles. New sailors find […]
How far is the horizon? (and VHF range)
From Fisherrow Harbour, you can look across the Forth Estuary and see the waterfront at Kirkcaldy (10 miles away). But if you look further up the coastline, it’s impossible to see the beach at Leven (18 miles away) even on […]
Navigation Lights for Yachts
During the hours of darkness we rely on lights to tell when other boats are nearby, whether they are moving and in what direction they’re travelling in. The international regulations that describe what lights should be shown are part of […]
Riveting in a deep channel
Riveting using pop rivets is straightforward. But if you need to put a rivet at the bottom of a channel, such as you might find on a yacht mast, things get a bit more complex. Most rivet tools have a […]
Epoxy wood repairs
Epoxies are one of the wonder materials of modern boating – strong and stable even in the harsh marine environment. Today we’re using epoxy to repair a broken strip of Iroko wood that came from a boat cockpit side. Epoxy […]
Gibb Winch repairs
We’re going to tear down an old yacht winch, identified only by the words “Gibb England” stamped on the top. The Gibb company that made them has long since vanished, possibly acquired by Lewmar at some point. But the winches […]
Mud pattens: walking on mud
Here in Scotland, many of the smaller harbours dry out at low tide, and the boats settle down onto the mud. This means that bilge keeled boats are common, since their two fins means that the boat can sit upright. […]