At the risk of overstating the obvious, trailerable sailboats are cramped. Some are more cramped than others. Cramped inside and cramped outside. But we tolerate the cramped conditions because they’re so much fun to sail and to camp aboard. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be made more comfortable.
Continue reading “Turn a Locker Lid Into a Cockpit Table”
Is your topside brightwork weathered, worn, and sorely in need of refinishing? If so, this is one project that you’ve probably been putting off but you know it needs to be done. The job isn’t particularly difficult or expensive, it just takes plenty of time to do it right and to get good results. But after it’s done, it can be relatively maintenance free for years to come while looking stunning.
Continue reading “Restore Your Exterior Teak to Better Than New”
The factory running rigging on most small sailboats, including the Catalina 22, is minimal to keep the price low. That is, the halyards and any other control lines are only long enough to fasten them to nearby cleats. Convenience and trimming for performance are a luxury reserved for larger, more expensive sailboats.
It works okay, but it makes having a crew more of a necessity and it’s not ideal in heavy winds when leaving the cockpit to trim the rigging can be unsafe. For safety and to add more control lines, such as a headsail downhaul, single-line reefing, and boom downhaul without requiring more trips forward, the solution is to lead the lines aft to the cockpit. It’s also a good idea if you ever want to sail single-handed or race competitively.
Continue reading “Lead All Lines To the Cockpit For Safer Sailing”
This is one of those little things that I did on a whim and I didn’t think would last. But it has turned out to be so handy that I’d miss it if it were gone.
Continue reading “Add a Solar-Powered Flood Light in Your Cockpit”
I have a serious mental condition known as OCD, Obsessive Compulsive DIY syndrome. I see something that needs fixed or replaced and I ask myself, “How can I make that?”
The other night, I had an OCD attack and I just needed to go out in my shop and make something with my hands. It was one of those days when nothing else seemed to go right. For me, it’s cathartic to turn raw materials into something practical and/or beautiful.
I decided to make cockpit scupper grates to replace the flimsy, afterthought-designed, original grates. They were corroded, bent, and wouldn’t stay glued in place for long. Continue reading “Make These DIY Cockpit Scupper Grates”
The $tingy Sailor 