Handy and Cheap Line Hangers

January 27, 2024August 29, 2024 $tingy Sailor

When I first started sailing, I stored all my unused lines, sheets, and cords in a large plastic bag in the starboard lazarette. I knew there was a better way to organize them, but I hadn’t seen it yet. First, I came across some teak line caddys. And while I liked their design and the fact that the teak would look at home in Summer Dance, they wouldn’t afford a lot of storage for the amount of space that they would occupy. In a C-22, you have to maximize every cubic inch.

Rigging, Sails41 Comments

How to Rig a Cruising Spinnaker in 4 Stingy Stages

January 13, 2024January 12, 2024 $tingy Sailor

If you don’t have a spinnaker for your sailboat yet, aren’t you a little envious of those big, colorful, billowing sails you sometimes see at your favorite cruising spots? Nothing says, “Yeah, we’ve got this!” quite like a racing or cruising spinnaker. It’s as though the sailboat is puffing its chest out with confidence and strength. No wonder it’s called the fun sail.

In this post, I describe the strategy I used to get started with an asymmetrical spinnaker. You can use the same strategy with a symmetrical spinnaker but the cost is higher due to the required whisker pole and its control lines.

Rigging, Videos5 Comments

Turn Those Chain Plate Bolts!

December 16, 2023December 15, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Cabin5 Comments

Make This Easy And Elegant Wine Glass Rack

December 2, 2023December 1, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Sails, Sewing11 Comments

No Furler? Make a Foredeck Sail Bag

November 19, 2023November 17, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Keel19 Comments

Refinish Your Swing Keel for Best Performance – Part 1: Removing

November 4, 2023November 3, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Plumbing9 Comments

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Ball Valve Maintenance

October 21, 2023October 20, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Cabin, Electrical7 Comments

Convert Your Lights To LED Bulbs For More Light With Less Power

October 7, 2023October 6, 2023 $tingy Sailor

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.

Boom30 Comments

Lazy Jacks for the Trailer Sailor

September 23, 2023September 22, 2023 $tingy 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.

The $tingy Sailor

DIY trailerable sailboat restoration and improvement without throwing your budget overboard

Tag: Catalina Yachts 22