10 QUICK AND EASY BOAT INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS When we first moved aboard, our sailboat interior was a mess and we didn’t have budget to update it. We wanted to go cruising and our priorities were things like new sails, rigging, fiberglass repair, and electronics. As much as I wanted a beautiful yacht interior it
Find the best dinghy for you
If you’ve perused West Marine’s dinghy section or searched for a used dinghy for sale on craigslist, you’ve probably realized that there are an overwhelming number of styles, makes, and materials. If you’ve seen the price tags you probably feel even more “deflated”. I know the frustrations of dinghy shopping because we underwent our own
Why sailing is fun (even when it isn’t)
You say you love sailing, but… To the outside observer, sailors must appear to have a real masochistic bent. We terrorize dinner party guests with tales of harrowing sea conditions; with wave heights and wind speeds increasing commensurate to the amount of wine imbibed. We lament cantankerous engines, torn spinnakers, and exorbitant moorage fees. We’ve
Sailing pets of Instagram
For as long as humans have been going to sea, they’ve been bringing their furry companions with them. Parrots, cats, and dogs have long been valued crew members. For example, Captain Cook had dogs and cats aboard HMS Endeavour in 1768. They were even subject to the equator line crossing ceremony along with the rest
Tips for conserving water on a boat
Tips for managing water consumption on a boat Nothing makes you appreciate your fresh water supply like lugging three 7 gallon water jugs down a 9 km dirt road in Mexico. We repeated this exercise several times during our stay in a remote fishing camp in the Sea of Cortez, fantasizing all the while about
5 small sailboats for sailing around the world
A small sailboat can take you big places Many sailors will tell you that small sailboats are the ticket to going cruising NOW. They’re affordable, simple, and seaworthy…however, you’re unlikely to see many small sailboats in today’s cruising grounds. In three years and 13,000 nautical miles of bluewater cruising, I could count the number of
The secret to finding free or cheap boats for sale
HOW TO FIND CHEAP OR FREE BOATS Did you know it’s possible to find free boats for sale? Finding cheap boats has been an obsession at various points in our lives. Having bought 3 boats over the last 5 years, we’ve literally spent days out of our lives looking for good deals. In all that
20 sailing books
BEST SAILING BOOKS Whether you’re looking to do some armchair sailing during the off-season or stocking up your floating library with sailing stories for summer cruising, these are the best sailing books for adventure and inspiration. A quick note that this post contains affiliate links (so if you purchase through a link we’ll earn a small
Boat bottom paint buyer’s guide
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF BOAT BOTTOM PAINT! A GUIDE TO SELECTING ANTIFOULING PAINT You’re perusing the chandlery looking for a gallon of boat bottom paint (a.k.a antifouling paint). You just want to get in, get out, and get on with painting your boat. But alas, you reach the paint aisle and you’re awash in
Buy USED boat parts and save a fortune
FIND GREAT DEALS ON USED BOAT PARTS AT BOAT SALVAGE YARDS, MARINE CONSIGNMENT STORES, AND ONLINE If you’re like most boaters, you probably have a running list of parts to buy for the boat. But If you’re cringing about what it will cost you at the chandlery, you might be interested to know that you
