Tips To Get Organized Below Deck

August 27, 2022November 2, 2023 $tingy Sailor

It can be tempting to keep every possible item that you might ever need aboard your small sailboat. You know, Boy Scout style, ready for anything. But storage space is very limited and the more you keep aboard, the harder it is to find what you’re looking for. Getting organized below deck not only makes your sailboat more comfortable, especially for overnight trips, but it also makes your sailboat safer by eliminating clutter and excess weight.

Cabin1 Comment

Make This Fold-Up Paper Towel Holder

July 2, 2022October 25, 2023 $tingy Sailor

Meal preparation and cleanup, spills, and children are just a few of the reasons to have a roll of paper towels on board. But a roll can take up a lot of precious shelf space and the roll won’t stay dry for long in a locker exposed to the bilge. What’s the solution? Hang it up, skipper!

Tips6 Comments

GPS Tips & Tricks for Sailors

May 21, 2022November 2, 2023 $tingy Sailor

Handheld GPS devices have been around for over 30 years now. If you have one but don’t use it for sailing or if you’d like to try using a GPS but don’t want to buy a more expensive, dedicated, marine GPS, then this is the article for you. I’ll share some of the tips and tricks that I use with my 20-year-old Garmin eTrex H to help me sail better. And I’ll show you free software that you can use to visualize your GPS data.

Uncategorized5 Comments

Storm Rider

December 25, 2021January 15, 2022 $tingy Sailor

On wintry days, I cast the linesMy goal, a fair and distant shoreTo ride the wind and there to findNot one thing less, but something more My craft is sturdy, trim, and fairHas carried me for many milesMy trust in … Continue reading Storm Rider

Accessories5 Comments

Make a Tiller Extension For Better Cockpit Mobility

October 9, 2021October 8, 2021 $tingy Sailor

If you’re not afraid to sail single-handed in a stiff breeze and get the toe rail wet, then you want to be able to move around in the cockpit and still have control of your tiller. You want to be able to lean back into the lifelines, sit as far forward as possible (to lighten the stern), or even sit up on the coamings. But you can’t do that without a tiller extension.

Cockpit/stern6 Comments

Lift Your Lazarette Lids With Gas Springs

September 25, 2021October 25, 2023 $tingy Sailor

We trailer sailors are the vagabonds of the sailing world, the gypsies, free spirits who can tow our sailboats anywhere we want with ease. There’s no excuse for getting bored with the same cruising areas when you can just hook up and go somewhere different. The downside, of course, is having to set up the rig every time we move.

Uncategorized3 Comments

Product Review: Magma BeachFire/Rio Grill

August 14, 2021August 13, 2021 $tingy Sailor

What’s better than a freshly grilled steak or cheeseburger after you’ve set anchor at the end of a full day of sailing? Anything you could cook on that wimpy alcohol stove in the galley? Share your nominees in the comments below. For the rest of us, the issue isn’t what but where, because that alcohol stove isn’t going to get the job done right. If you’re looking for a high quality, efficient, and compact gas grille to use on your sailboat and elsewhere, read on.

Accessories, Electrical, Product reviews5 Comments

Product Review: Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv Chartplotter

July 3, 2021November 2, 2023 $tingy Sailor

I’ve been asked many times if I have a chartplotter on Summer Dance. Up to now, I’ve answered that I didn’t have a need for one and that my handheld GPS worked fine for my needs. But recently, I’ve challenged myself to do more fishing and I haven’t been very successful yet at filling up my electric smoker. I’m also seriously considering cruising the San Juan Islands off the Washington state coast. And there’s my failure to get my handheld GPS to play nice with my tiller autopilot that nags at me. For these reasons, I bit the bullet and installed a Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73sv chartplotter. I’ll give you my objective evaluation in this review.

Uncategorized6 Comments

Try This Rudder Hack for Less Weather Helm

June 5, 2021June 4, 2021 $tingy Sailor

Perfect sail trim results in maximum forward speed, minimum heel, and a neutral helm. In other words, the sails are balanced between the headsail and the mainsail and the tiller requires little to no input to hold the sailboat’s heading. But we all know that perfection is elusive and it’s a moving target. Wind and water change and sometimes we can’t or don’t want to adjust the sail trim accordingly. That can mean that the sails are out of balance and you have to apply more force to the tiller to hold your course, also called weather helm (windward) or lee helm (leeward).

The $tingy Sailor

DIY trailerable sailboat restoration and improvement without throwing your budget overboard

Author: $tingy Sailor