Small Boat Tech Articles
Here's a recap of topics covered in detail....
Between the print magazine started in 2020 and the stream of online content shared almost daily here, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with the articles—and especially to find them when you want to refer to them later.
One nice feature of this Substack digital platform is that you can always search our site by keywords to recover anything that has been published. Take a look at the screenshot below. See that little magnifying glass icon in the upper right? That’s where you can search old content.
Notice when I type the word “oars” I get a brief list of oar-specific content to click on, or I can click on See More Results for even more content on that subject.
With this in mind, we thought it might be nice to go ahead and link to a few of the technical articles that have been posted over this past year or so.
Thinking about anchors and anchoring? Here’s Marty’s dive into the topic:
Digging Into Ground Tackle
Much of the time, while denying an interest in speed, we focus attention on how to keep our small boats moving, or moving faster—stewing quietly over whether we have the most efficient sails, rigging hardware or even electronic devices to help improve performance.
Or here’s an article on small-boat specific anchoring techniques:
Small-Boat Anchoring Techniques
[Archives] One sunny evening last summer I dropped the hook of my 24-footer behind Protection Point at the mouth of Nushagak Bay. The point afforded protection from the SW breeze, but a strong flood tide swept up the coastline, and as soon as the anchor grabbed, the anchor line went bar-tight. As pleasant a night as you can get in these parts, I knew there was only one thing that could interrupt the serenity: in a few hours that tide would reverse and with it the current. But I wasn’t concerned; the little Bruce anchor knockoff had demonstrated its ability to pivot and reset itself. After a long and stressful passage I was exhausted, so I hit the rack and soon was sawing logs.
If you are researching furling systems, be sure to read Jerry Culik’s detailed text here:
Headsail Furlers for Trailersailers
by Jerry Culik Most trailersailers with stayed masts are rigged with either hanked-on jibs or a roller-furling genoa. A hanked-on jib is straight-forward to rig and relatively low cost to replace. And it makes raising and lowering the mast easy—there’s no sail or furler to contend with. But dowsing a hanked-on jib, especially from the cockpit, can be challenging, particularly when the wind pipes up. One solution is to use a downhaul led to the cockpit to depower and douse the jib without going up on the foredeck in tough conditions (see, for example,
Here’s an article on handheld GPS vs Cell Phone for navigation, etc.:
Handheld GPS vs. Smart Phone
By Josh Colvin The boat was leaking. I guess that shouldn’t have come as a surprise—she was half full of water in her slip. But even after bailing before setting sail, with our hastily-installed automatic bilge pump whirring along and one of us on the hand-pump, we were still only breaking even out at sea. And it didn’t help that whitecaps blown down from the northwest were hammering the starboard bow and sending buckets of water back aboard.
Speaking of oars, here are some suggestions for making a really inexpensive set:
$4 Oars
BY CONNIE MCBRIDE In life in general, but especially when dealing with boats, there are two philosophies. There are those who worry about how things look, what the neighbors will say, the impression left with others when they see a particular object or witness a behavior, and there are those of us of the mindset that if it works, it’s the right way to do…
Or maybe you’re looking for general trailersailer restoration tips? Here’s Guy Light’s introduction to that topic:
Restoring a Trailerable Sailboat
Article and photos by Guy Light My name is Guy Light and I have been sailing since I was nine. My first boat was a Chris Craft pram that my grandfather built for me. When I was 14 my Dad sold it. That was irritating … but I still have the 1932 Alto Pal half-horse outboard and it still runs. You know it’s old when you’re in New Zealand and find one on display in a marine museum!
Of course there are dozens of additional tech articles available to you right now (paid subscribers get complete access) with the simple search function. And don’t forget the various columnists and topics listed along the top of the home page—that’s another great way to din what you’re looking for. •SCA•
Josh...VERY nice!!....An all in one “go to box” for us amateur DIY...SCA is there...Thank you to you and your staff...Lots to be Thankful for...Best, Dan
And now for something different
Are you aware if it weren't for sailing there would be no Thanksgiving