Last Minute Chaos and Dinghy
Last Minute Chaos & A New Dinghy Tying Up Loose Ends October 2023 Departure day was looming on the horizon — and as any sailor knows, the list of “small” projects never really feels small in the final week. But there’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off those last essential tasks that will make life […]
Safety at Sea: Adding an Offshore Liferaft
Safety at Sea: Installing a 4-Person Offshore Liferaft Emergency Evacuation: If the sailboat becomes unseaworthy or poses a risk to crew safety, evacuating to a liferaft provides a stable platform for survival until rescue arrives. Protection from Elements: Offshore liferafts are equipped with insulated floors and canopies to shield occupants from harsh weather conditions. Visibility […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Our Stuffing Box Leaks
Yep, our stuffing box leaks. But wait…it’s supposed to. We have a traditional stuffing box (also known as a stuffing gland, packing gland, and other variations). In general, it’s “an assembly which is used to house a gland seal. It is used to prevent leakage of fluid, such as water, between sliding or turning parts.” […]
Bilge Pump Cycle Counter, Switches & Alarms
Our boat came with two electric bilge one manual bilge pumps. The small electric pump is located at the bottom of the bilge and the larger electric pump (a Rule 3700) was located higher in the bilge near the middle of the boat in front of the old water tank. We decided to revamp the […]
Building an Outboard Engine Rail-Mount
Way back in 2014 we bought a used Achillies rigid inflatable dinghy that came with a Honda 9.9 HP outboard. It’s been tied up at our dock ever since. We use it usually during the summer to run around on the river. On our first overnight anchoring trip, we decided to leave it behind because […]
Cockpit Bilge Pump
A few years ago I read somewhere about why it’s a good idea to have a manual bilge pump in the cockpit. I haven’t thought about it in a while, but it’s been on our to-do list since I read about it. It makes sense really. First, redundancy is key on a sailboat. Since we […]