Another year is quickly coming to an end. I want to sincerely thank everybody who spent some of their year here on this web site and especially those of you who wrote to me and purchased my ebooks. You are the reason for our biggest year ever with over 100% more page views than 2015.
As my family opens gifts from one another, we contemplate the greatest gift, our Messiah. He is the light in our lives. Have you received Him?
In the spirit of giving, I want to give you a gift too. Starting today, my ebook Why Your Swing Keel Lock Bolt Won’t Save You in a Knockdown is available for free to anybody to download, no subscription is necessary. I want as many people as possible to understand its important safety message without cost to them.
As you celebrate the holidays with your family and friends, may your New Year start with fresh faith and joyful anticipation of what’s still to come.
Christmas blessings to you all,
Ken “$tingy” Billing
The $tingy Sailor 
Hi Ken. Just wanted to say happy Solstice and to thank you for all your posts. Good info as always. I don’t know if you remember me. I bought a Catalina 25 two Aprils ago. Well, last July a Cat 30 came up for sale, so now I’m sailing it and sold the 25 to a guy who lives in Sandpoint. I’m loving the bigger boat with more room, an inboard diesel and a wheel. It’s a whole different world.
I hope you and your family enjoy the holidays. Peace, Scott Weston
What a great message! Blessings and have a Mighty Christmas!
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks for all you do for the boating community. Have a blessed Christmas
Hi Stingy,
Love your site and all your projects. Merry xmas to you. You are a bit more meticulous than me and I haven’t got a Catalina but many of your projects are applicable to any smallish boat. I have a modified Adams 28 ( added sugar scoop and rounded coach type cabin roof rather than the stepped original also its all aluminium). I have a revolutionary addition project that turns a 3m beam into 7m that I will share with you in due course. Still developing it. Dirt cheap and simple. Perfect for extra bunks at anchor and comfortable to sail with ( just completed 1200km trip with it, Esperance to Rockingham via Albany and Bunbury). I am from Western Australia.
Cheers Stingy
John
Merry Xmas Ken
Good to see other Aussies have found your amazing site.
I get a kick out of every post.
Currently still without boat in water but Balljna’s coastal waterways await. Hang in for the thaw and look forward to more posts in 2017.
Col
Merry Christmas to you too Ken and thanks for not only sharing the message of the greatest gift of all, but for all the knowledge and tips contained on your site. Any time I think of a new project or possible repair to do, I check your site and one other first before anything else gets done. Happy 2017 and may we all work less and sail more!!
Ken
Thanks for the reminder for why we have the CHRISTmas season. By the way, the swing keel on my Cat 25 is 1500 lbs and I don’t see anything about a keel locking bolt in the owners’ manual. Perhaps this further supports your position. Just wondering: how big a bolt would be needed on my boat? lol Merry Christmas
P.S. The first mate and I will be thinking of you during our three day Tampa Bay cruise over New Years weekend.
Thank you for your efforts Stingy. Your website has been so helpful to this rookie sailor.
First let me thank you for making this website and all of its information available. You provide a great service to fellow boaters. Indeed THE greatest gift is the Lord Jesus Christ. Without His sacrifice on calvarys cross we cannot know true peace with God. May He richly bless you this coming new year.
Much appreciation for your passion. Getting my fathers boat (almost) ready to sail last summer was made so much easier with your generous and personal input. Next year we’re on the water.