DIY Canvas Helm Cover: Navigating the Sewing Adventure
Embarking on a sewing project, even without prior experience, has been a rewarding endeavor. Somehow we managed to sew a canvas helm cover for our sailboat, despite being novices in the art of sewing. Equipped with a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ sewing machine and a determination to use this very expensive sewing machine, we embraced the […]
Protecting Your Alternator: The Importance of Installing an Alternator Protection Device (APD)
With the growing popularity of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries equipped with internal battery management systems (BMS), it’s crucial to protect your alternator from voltage spikes that can lead to potential damage. We will explore the risks associated with load dumps, explain the role of the Alternator Protection Device (APD) in mitigating these risks, and […]
Upgrading to an Electric Windlass – Installing a Lofrans Tigres
We’ve heard that switching from a manual to an electric windlass can significantly enhance the sailing experience. Most cruisers spend 90% of their time at anchor so making anchor handling more convenient was a must for us. In the videos below, we share our journey of installing a Lofrans Tigres on our sailboat. We explore […]
A Galley Transformation: Switching from Propane to Electric Appliances
In the pursuit of a more reliable and efficient cooking experience aboard our boat, we recently embarked on the journey of converting our propane galley to electric appliances. After years of struggling with a propane oven and cook top range that proved inconsistent and challenging to control, we decided it was time for a change. […]
Installing a Cockpit Shower & Deck Washdown
Cockpit Shower We’ve seen a lot of cruising boats that have a shower pump that can be used in the cockpit. We really liked that concept for a few reasons. Using the shower in the head is a bit of a chore. The curtain helps keep the water off the countertop and toilet, but there’s […]
Repairing our Isotemp Water Heater AGAIN
Having hot water on the boat is awesome. It’s hard to imagine not having a water heater. Unfortunately, we didn’t have to imagine it because our water heater broke (again) and we didn’t have hot water for about a week. And of course it happened in the middle of winter. Our Isotemp water heater is […]
Vesper Watchmate XB-8000 smartAIS
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a shipboard broadcast system that acts like a transponder, operating in the VHF maritime band. AIS has been around since the 1990s when GPS for civilian purposes reached global coverage. In 2002 the International Maritime Organization mandated that passenger ships and commercial vessels should carry AIS transceivers. In a […]
Toilet Woes and General Maintenance
Waste Pump Maintenance As is bound to happen eventually, our manual toilet pump started leaking. Our Lavac toilet came with a Whale Mark V. That original pump stopped creating suction a few years ago, so we replaced it with a new Whale Mark V and bought a rebuild kit for the old one to keep […]
Why is Our Engine Overheating?
We’ve been really lucky with our engine. Sure, we haven’t used it that much, but it’s never failed us, and until recently, overheating wasn’t an issue. For something that’s 43 years old with an unknown number of hours or maintenance history, that’s pretty good. So when the high-temperature alarm for our trusty Perkins sounded, needless […]
New Sailing Instruments
We considered a few different brands of sailing instruments. So why did we pick Raymarine? It’s a pretty popular brand in the sailing industry, and they have a pretty good reputation. Ultimately, it was because we already had a Raymarine radar. Our boat came with a pretty old Standard Horizon speed log and wind gauge. […]