Dear Boat Doctor, I keep my boat on a mooring, so it’s usually closed up, and it doesn’t really have any ventilation.  I notice a sour sort of smell whenever I get on board.  It’s not

Dear Boat Doctor, Every time I run my engine, I end up with a little water in the bilge under the engine. The longer it runs, the more water I get. I have looked for leaks and can’t find the proble

Dear Boat Doctor, My VHF radio is not working very well. I seem to receive OK, but my friends struggle to hear me when I transmit. I want to replace the radio, but I want to make sure the new one wor

How do I fix my hot water system? Dear Boat Doctor, I am having a problem with the hot water system on my boat. I can make hot water when the engine is running, but it doesn’t work at the dock. Ca

Dear Boat Doctor, I am having a problem with the hot water system on my boat. I can make hot water when the engine is running, but it doesn’t work at the dock. Can you give me some ideas on how to

What gear do we need for night passages? Dear Boat Doctor, My wife and I would like to do some longer distance passages, which will entail sailing overnight. We are a little nervous about it but e

Help! My AIS is stuck in the supply chain Dear Boat Doctor, I have a complete Raymarine system in my boat, and I want to add AIS. Unfortunately, the supply chain for Raymarine AIS units is blocked

Dear Boat Doctor, I just bought a Hylas 46, and I am assessing my ground tackle. The boat came with 120 feet of 3/8-inch chain and a 55-pound Mantus anchor. Both seem a little undersized for the boat

Dear Boat Doctor, We’re finally able to do some offshore passages on our Baba 40 and we’re looking to expand the sail inventory to get better downwind performance. We’re looking at an asymmetri

Dear Boat Doctor, I just got my first big boat and I am facing a new problem. My boat has a keel-stepped mast and I am struggling to seal the mast to the deck. The boat came with a rubber strip b

Dear Boat Doctor, I need a new genoa furler on my Passport 40 and I am not sure where to start. I have looked through a couple catalogs and they seem to be sized to the length of the boat, but it fee

Dear Boat Doctor, I have quite a buildup of paint on the bottom of my boat. In some places, it’s worn away, in other areas, it’s thick and peeling. I want to get it all off and start with a fresh

Dear Boat Doctor, I have a 1982 S2 5.5 Grand Slam. It’s stored on a trailer and has the original hull paint. I want to paint the bottom of it to freshen it up and to cover up the very fine spider c

Is my autopilot right for my boat?Dear Boat Doctor, I am installing an autopilot in my Compass 47, and I have some questions. I chose the Raymarine Evolution autopilot, specifically the EV400 core pac

Dear Boat Doctor, I brought my boat from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean for the first time this year and now the corrosion on my boat’s stainless steel is making me crazy.  It has gone 20 ye

Dear Boat Doctor, I am having some problems with my Raymarine autopilot. It’s an older unit and worked great right up until it didn’t. It’s a ST6000+ control with a Type 300 computer and a Typ

Dear Boat Doctor, I am setting up my boat for long-range cruising and trying to be as self-sufficient as possible. I can cover my electrical needs with solar panels. My watermaker produces all the wa

Dear Boat Doctor, I sail my Sabre 34 Mark II in an area where I very often sail directly upwind or on a very deep reach. My boat is not set up well for either point of sail, with a roller furling 125