A Captain’s Chair
One of the things we always wished was better on our boat was the view from the helm when sitting on the helm seat. We like the mounting position of our Chartplotter on the binnacle and don’t want to change it, so we need to be able to see “over” it. This works great when […]
Transom Upgrades
We’ve never been totally satisfied with the transom arrangement on C Ghost. We like the molded in swim platform, but the way the factory designed ladder is stowed and deployed hinders more than helps our activities at the aft end of the boat. Here’s what the original ladder looks like when it’s deployed: To be […]
New Microwave Cabinet
When we bought C Ghost, it came with a small microwave oven tucked into a cubby hole that looked almost custom designed around the oven. We never thought much about it until a couple months ago when the oven started making weird noises and then stopped working. I replaced an internal fuse and got it […]
Jury-Rigged Stern Light
Today we set about to find a solution for our missing stern light. Two days ago while we were walking in town, another sailboat trying to dock near our boat lost control in the wind and current. It never hit the hull of our boat, but its rigging got caught up on several items mounted […]
Watermaker Installation
When we bought C Ghost, it did not have a watermaker installed. We knew we wanted to have one eventually, but decided to wait until our cruising plans dictated we’d really need one. With our intent to cruise to the Bahamas later this winter and potentially be at anchor for extended periods and away from […]
New Lifelines, Gate, and Railing
Before we left Maryland, we decided to replace all of our lifelines as we had noticed a lot of rust developing underneath the vinyl covering of the old ones. We didn’t want to take any chances on the trip south and this looked to be a reasonably straightforward do-it-yourself project. I say “reasonably” because, after […]
Storing Small Propane Bottles
Some time ago, I read an article in “Good Old Boat” magazine about a nifty way to store the small propane bottles that are used to fuel marine/camping barbecue grills. It turns out that the standard size small propane bottle fits nice and snugly inside a piece of 4” schedule 40 PVC pipe. All you […]
Installing a Solar Panel System
I read a lot of articles from solar component manufacturers and other boaters on how to plan and design a solar energy system for our sail boat. Our goal was to see how close we could get to being self-sufficient at anchor with just solar power without sacrificing all the comforts we enjoy at the […]
Toilets, Hoses, Smells
When we took possession of our boat, it was equipped with two manual toilets with which you pumped the waste into either an on-board holding tank, which periodically had to be pumped out, or overboard. The overboard option for untreated sewage is only legal if you are far enough offshore (3 miles). Both toilets functioned […]
Storing and using a vise on-board
I’ve always found a bench vise to be a very useful tool. Its uses on a sailboat are every bit as great as in a home workshop. For a long time however, I couldn’t get past a couple nagging problems when using a bench vise on our boat. First, it’s big and awkwardly shaped making […]