Make Simple Jigs for Varnishing Parts

When it comes time to varnish the wooden panels and trim on your sailboat, doing the job more efficiently will save you time. One way that you can be more efficient is by varnishing all sides of a piece at the same time. You want to varnish all sides of the pieces in order to seal even the backsides of parts from absorbing water that will cause varnish to peel and mildew to grow. Many people omit that step and simply lay the pieces on their work surface to dry. But spending a little more time in preparation can save time by the end of the job and give you better results. You can do this by using simple jigs to hold the pieces suspended while you varnish them.

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Install Oversize Masthead Sheaves for More Halyard Choices

When planning the replacement of my wire/rope halyards with all line halyards so that I could lead them aft to the cockpit, I decided to use all 8mm (.314″) rope. Along with cockpit convenience for single-handing, I wanted easier line handling and less stretch, especially for hardening the luffs since I don’t have halyard winches. The cost is not much more than the standard 1/4″.

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We’re Celebrating Our 1st Anniversary!

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It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I started this blog. The projects alone have been a lot of work, but building this blog has also been worth the effort. It’s gone from an undiscovered notebook on the fringe of the blogosphere to the fastest growing DIY sailboat improvement blog in the world! Well, I can’t prove its the fastest growing, but the global thing is for real. It gets hundreds of hits from sailors around the globe every week. Many thanks to all my international visitors, especially the many Canadians who come by. What are you guys doing up there, expanding your navy?

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How to Accurately Locate Hardware on Cylindrical Surfaces

Among several projects that I’m working on this winter is adding some boom rigging to Summer Dance: mainsail outhaul, jiffy reefing line, and topping lift. I’ll dedicate posts to each of those projects later but this post is a tip that I want to pass on to those that might be doing similar projects.

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