Sew This Jib Sock to Protect Your Furled Headsails
If you install a cruising furler like I describe in Headsail Furlers For the Trailer Sailor and you don’t also add sacrificial cover strips to the leech and foot of your headsails, those edges of your sails will be constantly exposed to UV sunlight and the weather and will deteriorate much faster than the rest of the sails. Having a sail loft add sacrificial strips can be expensive, particularly if you have it done it to multiple sails, say, your jib and a genoa. An alternative solution is to make this DIY jib sock. You can use it to protect whatever sail you have on your furler and at a fraction of the cost of sacrificial strips.
Take Heart, Have Faith
This is my annual Christmas message in which I share a bit about my faith and I don’t apologize for it. I’ll return to posting the usual content in the next post. If reading this post would offend you, then … Continue reading Take Heart, Have Faith
Turn Those Chain Plate Bolts!
Do you have problems with your shroud turnbuckle T bolts or toggles binding or bending when you step your mast? If so, your chain plate bolts might not be rotated at the right angle for those parts to work the way they’re supposed to.
Make This Easy And Elegant Wine Glass Rack
This project is sure to be a hit with the ladies. It’s easy to make, increases your storage capacity, and it adds a touch of class to any cabin. The glasses don’t slide around or clink together like other racks, even in rough sailing conditions or going down the road. The glasses are easy to remove for serving your favorite vino by sliding the glass out from between the flexible shock cord “clamps.” You can mount the rack on the underside of a cabinet, a shelf, or even the cabin ceiling.
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No Furler? Make a Foredeck Sail Bag
If you have a headsail furler on your sailboat, this project will probably be of little interest to you. But if you have hank-on headsails and want convenient protection for them like the sacrificial covers on furled headsails, read on.
A foredeck sail bag is something of a luxury for the trailer sailor. It’s not necessary to sail and unless you spend considerable time with the headsail doused, it’s not of much use to a trailer sailor. But if you like to cover your sails overnight or if you keep your sailboat in a slip and you don’t want to remove and stow the headsail during that time, a foredeck sail bag can be handy and save you setup time.
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Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 1: Removing
Does your swing keel look like it has leprosy? Does it make a disturbing klunking sound when you switch tacks? If it has exposed rust, do you know for a fact that it is not extensive? Would you be surprised to learn that the swing keels of many older C-22s are not properly shaped to minimize drag and have major casting defects under the paint? Want to learn how to refinish a metal swing keel for best performance and the lowest cost? And by best performance, I mean speed, pointing ability, and durability. If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you need to read on.
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The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Ball Valve Maintenance
Do you know where all of the ball valves on your boat are located? Are they all easy to turn? Do they seal completely? Have you ever done any maintenance to them? They’re not maintenance-free. In this post, I will dispel any mystery about how ball valves work and walk you step-by-step through how to take one apart, inspect it, and lubricate it.
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Convert Your Lights To LED Bulbs For More Light With Less Power
When Mrs. $tingy and I first started spending long weekends aboard Summer Dance, the deep cycle battery wouldn’t have enough charge left in it by the end of the weekend to power much of anything. At that time, Summer Dance had all incandescent navigation lights and only two cabin dome lights converted to LEDs. Besides the lights, we also have a music system onboard that runs most of the time as well as an autopilot. As I added more electrical devices (see LED strip lighting, chartplotter, and complete rewiring), it was obvious that I would have to balance the electricity budget somehow so that we weren’t broke by the end of our cruises.
Lazy Jacks for the Trailer Sailor
Lazy jacks can be one of the most complicated rigging systems on a trailerable sailboat but they have a simple function. That is, to cradle the mainsail when it’s lowered so that it doesn’t spill onto the cabin and cockpit. If you usually have another experienced crew member aboard, that person can gather and tie down the mainsail and you don’t need lazy jacks as much. But if you often sail short-handed or are just plain lazy, lazy jacks can make coming to a dock or anchorage a smoother, more pleasant event for everyone and it helps protect your mainsail.
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The $tingy Sailor 