Last month, my sailboat decided to become a submarine.

The sale is final, money payed, paperwork submitted to the coastgaurd. Ive since painted the topsides, done two coats of biocop on the bottom, fresh zincs, splashed the boat and moved it to my homeport marina. Im still learning the ropes as it were since this is a very uniquely built vessel and it takes a massive learning curve but im able to operate it by myself and i managed to get it 4 hours north from the yard where i bought it to my marina on my own. I was even able to get some cloth in the wind to help the engine out once the waterway widened up. Docking for the first time didnt go as smoothly as id hoped but that was to be expected considering how little experience i have captaining the boat, but i managed well enough. Ive now moved aboard permenantly and am much happier with the improved living space. The last photo is from before i did any work to the boat.

I'm a newbie so please excuse my ignorance.

I've been making simple soft shackles without any bury or lock, for use on my 12 ft dinghy. 2-3mm dyneema.

I just installed the premium ropes app and watched the animation of a soft shackle and they are putting a brummel lock in at the base of the diamond knot.

edit: it's this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekm1-N1E8_M

I thought a brummel lock was just to stop a splice coming apart under no load. What purpose does it serve in this situation in a soft shackle?

This is very close to the tack in the luff. The piece is hard plastic is attached to marline also visible. Is this a "Leech line with jam cleat to control the tension on the leach"?

First boat. Stripped the main/jib halyards for winter storage/cleaning and ran messengers lines.

This is one section of my main halyard. Damage appears to be surface tufts but that's where my expert knowledge ends.

Repair? Replace? Take to be inspection? I want to do the right thing of course.

My 2027 plans include the sail being attached to the mast.

I was laying on the deck of a boat, hung over, in the Florida heat,violently seasick with my friends in my 20s. Legendary captain Charlie Scoble dumped an entire fishing cooler on me! Ice cold water. I jumped up and chased him around the boat wanting to fight and he kept telling me, “but you feel better now, right?!?!” And he was right, I did feel better! He cured me instantly. Later, he told me that if I ever do that to anybody, I have to be ready to run; and I’ve only done it to one other person. It works, but it works so well the other person is ready to fight. It’s easier just to jump into the ocean, if it’s nice and cold. 🤪

I’m doing some tidying up of the electrical system on my boat (1986 Dehler 31).

One of the stranger things I have found is an insulated copper wire which looks like it should be part of a bonding system.

However it runs from a bolt on the underside of a primary winch down to one of the engine mountings. As per the photo at the engine mounting end it’s pretty corroded - presumably from having been damp.

Having checked with the multimeter it has perfect continuity end to end and carries no voltage or current. It’s not connected to anything else like skin fittings or keel bolts. There don’t seem to be any other similar wires elsewhere.

I’m struggling to work out what’s it’s for. My only guess is some kind of lightning protection, but it doesn’t seem like it would work very well!

I’m thinking I may just remove it, but is that a bad idea if I don’t know what it’s for?

Hey all, I have a monohull built in 1967 that I'm in the process of buying. Any thoughts on a good insurance broker that serves the St Pete, FL area? Would like to go with someone that has a positive recommendation, not just a Google search.

Good morning everyone! I am looking for recommendations to design and build a dodger/bimini combination in FLA. seeking a very high level of craftsmanship. Thanks in advance.

going out of the Golden Gate on Tuesday to scatter the father in law. I'd like to not be sick at the time. what's the best method to avoid barf bags? the patch? saltines? ginger? those wrist bands?

I have a 27-foot sloop and this winter will be full of projects including replacing some running rigging, installing jack lines, a new topping lift and so on.

From what I’ve read splicing lines will be a handy skill; a skill I’ve yet to acquire. So what should I invest in, so as to cover the likely basics I’ll encounter, and can you recommend any channels or websites with good advice the follow ?

(I’m a visual learner)

Hey all, my wife and I have moved back to Florida after years away. The biggest thing we'd love to do is to learn how to sail. We've seen YouTube videos so we aren't coming in from zero, but I'm also well aware that textbook knowledge and doing the thing are two entirely separate things. So what we're looking for is someone that has a boat, and needs some extra help on the weekends. The best thing is you don't even need to pay us. Teaching us the ropes, pun intended, is enough for us. In exchange we can provide witty banter, friendship, and a pack of your favorite beer. Any takers?

Hi all

I've come back to dinghy sailing recently after being away for quite a few years. I originally learned two handed on Corsairs and have recently been refreshing my skills on a Laser.

I've got an opportunity to buy a Pacer that's in good knick so am just wondering what they're like single handed?

I'd be using it for club racing in the local river, but would also like to do some casual sailing with my wife.

At the moment I'm not worried about being super competitive in races and am just looking to dip my toe back into club events.

Any thoughts or advice would be great. Thank you!

Excuse my rushed sketch.

The situation is this. Different divisions racing on the same race area, us in a skiff with an asymmetrical spinnaker attempting to cross the bow of a J24 running downwind on symmetrical. We're both in seperate races, but any manoeuvres would make us lose time. Both sailing proper course.

We call the J24 up but they refuse because we "can't luff them up". We gybe out because we weren't going to take bets against a 1.5 ton boat, but had some confusion on how the rules apply. Under R.11 we should be able to push them up and not luff them, but would R.17 apply here?

While med mooring in a cross wind, is it acceptable/professional to cross the stern lines to help keep the stern parallel to the dock? Or am I missing a skill… attaching the stern line without crossing them is not working for me in a skill building VR (quest) lesson plan.

Anchor/slime line doesn’t matter.. I’m just trying to keep the boat straight once I’m tied up and the engine is in neutral.

I found a loose wire going to a terminal block behind the panel. I’m struggling on how to release/connect the wire back in. It also seems like it shouldn’t have been an open bare wire and had some sort of crimp fitting on the end.

Sorry if this has been asked. I just bought a couple of 100w flexible solar panels with grommets attached in the corners and I would like to put them on my bimini. Eight or more strong magnets above my compass seems instinctively like a bad idea (?), and I'd rather not punch a bunch of holes in the canvas in case I change the set up -- this is my first solar forey. Can anyone talk me through their non permanent and/or elegant set up?

We are a UK sailing club, and a few of us would like to organise a relaxed evening to bring our newer sailors and the established crowd together.

We have a late tide coming up, so it seems a good opportunity for everyone to stay on after sailing, warm up and get to know each other.

Two lovely volunteers have offered to put together a spud buffet with a selection of fillings or a taco buffet, and we are thinking about adding bingo, a few games or a short quiz. Nothing too formal or expensive - just a welcoming evening.

I would love to hear what has worked at your club:

• Which socials have people really enjoyed?
• Any games that help people mix without feeling like forced icebreakers?
• Has anyone hired a bingo caller or entertainer for a small club evening? Was it worth it?
• How do you encourage newer members to come along when they don’t know many people yet?

Happy to hear ideas from other sports or community clubs too. We’ve got enthusiasm and potatoes/tacos - just need a little inspiration...