When buying a boat, often not much attention is given to the type of anchor on the boat and whether it is the correct weight and suitable for the area where you will be sailing. Ideally you should have at least two anchors. You never know when you will find yourself in a suituation...
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The time has come to prepare you boat for winter if you don't do any sailing in the cold months. Fortunately, we in Vancouver do not need to haul our boats out for the winter months and some hardy souls still sail and race over this period. If you are still crusing in winter,...
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Sometimes people, even some surveyors, use moisture meters to identify problems in hulls and decks. A moisture meter measures the moisture content in the fiberglass laminates. A moisture meter operates by measuring the conductivity of the material that is measured. In other words, metal is very conductive. When putting a moisture meter on...
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PROTECTING HULL OPENINGS Just about every boat has openings in the hull. Those openings are needed to allow the sinks to drain, the engine to take in cooling water, they serve the toilet intakes and outlets, the bilge pump drains etcetera. Those openings are equipped with through hull fittings, usually made of bronze,...
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Just about every boat these days is equipped with more than one battery. First of all let me point out how important it is that the batteries, especially on sail boats are properly secured in their position. If they are not, and the boat heels or gets knocked down because of a heavy sea...
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Winches are important gear for a sailing vessel. Their failure can be a real nuisance. You crank the winch to tighten the genoa sheet and every time when you stop cranking the winch unwinds and the sheet lets go. The same can happen when raising the mainsail or any other sail for that...
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The following applies mainly to older wooden boats. Those boats that were built when oil based products such as oil based paints, red lead putty, tar, etc. were being used. In other words most likely those boats built prior to the late 1960’s. Remember, since those boats were built with oil based products, that...
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The problems found mostly in boats are related to the deck structure. Leaky decks are common. You may not be aware of this since the water does not necessarily come inside the boat. It does not leak through the decks but stays inside the laminates. This defect may only become apparent when a...
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Jan de Groot was born and educated in Holland. He comes from a long line of seagoing ancestors. His great grandfather was a sea captain as was his grandfather who was born at sea. The family operated a shipyard in Holland and much of Jan's youth was spent in the yard which was his...
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If you do a good job of winterizing your boat at the end of the boating season, your de-winterizing job will be so much easier. Imagine the scene: After a long cold winter, you have spent the week getting all hyped up with the thought of the start of another great season on the...
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