Blogs

Every proper cruising boat needs a windvane self-steering gear. Right? This is one of those things I thought I'd go full-mad-scientist on, some time in the future when other needs were taken care of. Those things are expensive, but plenty of people have successfully brewed up their own...

2017 breadcrumb trail here. Click on the day icons for log entries. I spent more than a year outfitting and preparing the 1984 E38 for this solo sail from LA to Oahu and return. Upgrades included new standing rigging (partial), running rigging, uncoated lifelines, backstay chainplate...

The appearance of the forward hatch on my boat was looking a bit tired. Even though the varnish gets refresher coats, I am always bummed at how quickly the gloss fades and if left alone too long, you're looking at stripping back to bare and starting over. I wanted to take the hatch off and...

Summary: I bought a fancy sewing machine and made winch covers out of Sunbrella canvas by following a how-to video from Sailrite. It costs some time and money at the front end, but this small project was doable (about 3-4 hours of sewing time in my novice state) and it’s nice to have another...

YouTube link: Demonstration of the 2014 "Sailomat 800"self-steering vane during a 6,000-mile transit LA-Hawaii-LA.