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
Quetzal is ready for thousands more miles of ocean passages following a standing rigging refit.Standing rigging is not set it-and-forget-it equipment; it requires maintenance. All that shiny stainless
The best way to attach three-strandline to chain is with a thimble and screw-pin shackle. The shackle provides a large, smooth radius for the rope, as well as providing chafe protection. A shackle can
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
Marine paint has come a long way. Modern paints are amazing, they are shiny and colorful, abrasive resistant and survive many years under the punishing rays of the sun. They stand up well, but over ti
Dear Boat Doctor,
I have had a few close calls with accidental jibes, and I now typically use a preventer when sailing downwind. I just use a spare line and tie the boom down the to rail at the point
Dear Boat Doctor,
I recently replaced the original standing rigging on my 1968 Islander 34. I wanted to make sure everything was correct, so I confirmed the wire sizes with my own righting moment cal
Dear Boat Doctor,
I have read a lot about regular inspections of my boat. This seems like a really good idea, but I don’t know what to look for. What am I supposed to be looking for?
Rob R
Dear Boat Doctor,
I just got a new-to-me boat and I have a charging problem: the house bank won’t stay charged when I run the engine. When the engine is running, there is 13.5 volts at the alternat
Dear Boat Doctor,
I am interested in improving my onboard emergency gear. I have carried a personal EPIRB for years, but it feels inadequate. I have been looking at shipboard EPIRBs, but maybe I shou
Dear Boat Doctor,
I am struggling with the fuel system on my Hylas 51, which seems to have a lot of small issues that add up to a bigger annoyance. First, I don’t have enough tankage and no good wa
Sail selection is key for offshore sailing. You need a combination that provides speed without overburdening the boat and enough flexibility that you don’t have to make frequent sail changes.A fixed
Dear Boat Doctor,
I am having some problems with my Yanmar 4JH2DTE, and I’m embarrassed to say I may have created one of the problems myself. I installed a new Balmar alternator and an AltMount ser