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) Over the years, we’ve spent more than a few days and nights rafted to other boats. Sometimes it’s voluntary – when we meet up with friends we want to spend time with, for example. Other times it’s not; some marinas have limited space and rafting may be mandatory on slips […]
by B.J. Porter (Contributing Editor) Just being out on a boat in the summer is fantastic. It’s good to get out of the house, away from the office, and where you can get your head out of the daily grind and get some fresh air and sun. When we bought our first boat, it seemed […]
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) If you’re buying a boat, you may come across an item on the inventory that says something like this: Icom IC-M802 SSB Radio w/ AT-140 Tuner So we know it’s a radio, but what does the SSB mean? “SSB” is short for Single SideBand radio, also known as a High […]
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 […]
