Boat Projects

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The Boothby-Hasler Self-Steering Windvane

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In a previous article I detailed the construction of a Hasler-type self-steering windvane for my own 31-foot gaff cutter. Attributed to the late Blondie Hasler of Jester fame, this type of windvane is a remarkably simple device which will steer a sailboat by holding her to a constant apparent wind angle …

Build Your Own Self-Steering Windvane

For the short-handed sailor planning long ocean crossings, a self-steering windvane is not essential but darn close to it. For boats with stern-hung rudders, constructing a self-steering windvane is a semi-skilled job and requiring only readily available materials ….

Build a 7’7″ Nutshell Pram

This little vessel will serve as both a functional and classy tender for your yacht, and it’s fun to build, too!

Making your boat a home

The one-size-fits-all production boat may be fine for the weekend sailor, but the blue water live-aboard typically requires a custom fit. And typically he will be the one doing the fitting …

How to build an oar

Most chandleries carry factory built oars, and generally you can find the correct size for your dinghy. But sometimes not, especially if you need a larger oar, such as a sculling oar for your sailboat. In which case it’s time for a really fun woodworking project …

Build a hollow spar

I wish to replace the original solid Douglas fir gaff with a much lighter hollow gaff.

Latest Posts

Rowing Religion

On Sea-Steading, God, and Oar Power Fans of my YouTube channel How to Sail Oceans have suggested that I write a book. I’m reasonably sure that they mean a sailing book, an adventure log. The truth is that I am really not interested in the project, perhaps because I secretly regard the project as beneath…

Citizens of the Narcissus

The Higher Learning When I was in graduate school back in the 1990’s one of my professors, a brilliant but irascible man, opened his lecture with a remark which, paraphrasing from memory, went as follows: “Back in the early 20th century we had all of these groundbreaking discoveries in physics with only a few people…

Conquer Nature, Kill God

Our long and difficult relationship with nature needs to be understood in a first hand way. Sunshine State Politics January, 2024 Thus far my sailing sojourn to Florida and the Keys has been spectacular. I’m not merely talking about the weather, which of course comes as a welcome change from November in New England. The…

I, Sambo

First my story (sorry to bore you) The solitary reader supplies his own assessment of his relationship to those he meets in print. This can result in some unpleasant reckonings with reality, yet by the same token, the lover of literature may become confident enough about everything he has worked out in his mind as…

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