To help you decide how much bang for your buck each project has to offer, I’ve rated them in three areas: enjoyment, cost, and difficulty. These are my opinion of how each project rates compared to the other projects on this site. You might rate them differently based on your own resources, skills, and how you use your sailboat, but I hope they help you put the projects in a perspective that’s meaningful to you. Next to each rating category, the icon indicates the project’s rating in that category.

Here’s what the categories and icons mean:

Enjoyment

How much fun the project adds to your cruising enjoyment, not necessarily how fun the project is to do.

             Won’t improve your cruising experience, but is worthwhile as maintenance or a convenience.

             Will add to your sailing enjoyment or your boat’s value, but not a major change.

             Significantly increases cruising enjoyment, comfort, or boat value.

Cost

How expensive the project is to do. Higher cost projects should be considered as investments in the overall value of your sailboat.

             Under $100 or free if you have leftover materials. These projects pay for themselves quickly.

         $100-$250. Projects that should have a high enjoyment rating to make them worthwhile.

   Over $250. A significant investment that should add to the long-term value of your sailboat.

Difficulty

How difficult the project is in terms of the skills, special tools, and time required. These projects are typically more technical.

            Easy to complete with common tools in a day or less.

            May require unfamiliar skills, special tools, or can take a weekend or more.

            Not recommended for novices or requires special tools or time-consuming.