Category: Boat Care
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) There are two basic types of powerboat engines – inboards and outboards. There are advantages to both types of installations, and situations where one is far better than the other. While this is a complex topic to get into technical detail on, we can explore them at a basic level […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) With temperatures climbing in early August, it still feels like there’s more than a month of summer left, right? And nobody wants to talk about winterizing yet. But the reality is that a lot of people are already hitting back-to-school sales, and Labor Day will be on us before we […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Buying a Boat? It’s time to follow up our articles on buying a boat, dealing with a bad survey, and why you should almost always get a survey when buying a boat. This article applies to buyers and sellers, because there isn’t always a great understanding about what a survey […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Emergency Calling and Signaling -> “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is the this is the sailing vessel Beagle calling for help, we are sinking and need help…” Knock on wood, but so far I’ve never had to call in a Mayday for a major emergency and I hope none of you […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) When we lived in New England, we always splashed the boat early and hauled late in the season. Spring and fall weekends were cooler and the weather gets dodgy, but there was always great cruising away from the rush and crowds of the peak season. Unlike, the 4th of July […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) There are a lot of romanticized idea about living on a boat, but what is boat life really like? There’s no single answer, because there’s no one way to live on a boat. The experiences of a blue water cruiser who moves from country to country and living at anchor […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Digital Selective Calling, or “DSC”, is a feature in most modern VHF and SSB radios which many people don’t understand. It can be a powerful function for safety, a convenience, and a way to help stay in touch with other boats you may travel in company with. So what is […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) If you don’t own a boat, or are just thinking about joining a boat, a Boat Club may be an attractive option to get you on the water right now without the larger commitment of buying a boat. The general model of boat membership clubs is that you pay a […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) If you haven’t read our series on “Things to Look for When Buying a Boat” you might want to give it a look. A survey and sea trial is a crucial part of the boat buying process, and you shouldn’t skip it without a good reason. But what do you […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) It’s almost spring boat sale time! On-line and in person, every major marine retailer is gearing up for spring commissioning seasons. So it’s time to pull out all that boat gear to see what still works, what got moldy in that box in the garage, and what expired. When you’re […]
