Casting Off: Adding Personal Touches Aboard
Ariel comes out of the water; what surprises will they find? When my wife, Laura, and I were searching for our first boat after moving to the Pacific Northwest, we spent hours reviewing the qualities and characteristics of…
A Reluctant Bilge Dive Reveals Big Trouble
Even a well prepared boat like Rounder can have some gremlins lurking in its deepest, darkest corners. Our 1984 Passport 40, Rounder, has a deep bilge. Of course, I’ve looked down into the well at the aft end of it before…
Marine Corrosion and Protection Workshop in Port Hadlock
Take a Marine Corrosion Protection Workshop in Port Hadlock at the the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding October 15, 2022. Washington Sea Grant, the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and Washington State…
Video: A New Cockpit Layout for the Duracell Project
We've been following along as 48° North contributors Matt Steverson and Janneke Peterson tackle "The Duracell Project" in their backyard in Port Townsend. They've been making steady progress turning the Open 60 former ocean…
Casting Off:
Looking for Sludge in All the Wrong Places
Disassembling and cleaning the carburetor. Whenever the small engine on my Uncle Jess’ Chris-Craft stalled, he’d remove the cowling and work some mechanical magic with a screwdriver to get it started again. Not one…
Diesel Deep Dive: Electrical Gremlins in Your Engine Compartment?
From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. Working as a marine engineer and mechanic, I have seen and continue to see some of the worst DIY electrical jobs on boats, both recreational and commercial. Unlike residential…
Fiberglass in the Forest:Lesson in Backyard Lamination
From the June 2022 issue of 48° North. For the past 10 years, I have been a shipwright. My boat repair and building career began with bottom painting at CSR, a boatyard on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle.…
How-To: Stripping Your Boat’s Bottom
This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. It’s April and in the boatyard, the tide is beginning to shift. Just weeks ago, a whole day may have gone by before we spotted anyone else laboring…
The Springtime Shift: Making the Most of the Pre-Season
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North. Every year, somewhere between a strong southerly wind blowing a hoolie through Puget Sound and daffodils pushing up through the ground outside the…
Recommissioning: From the Blues to Blue Skies
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North Ah, spring at the marina. Full of promise. Renewal. Great times lay ahead. Blah, blah, blah. I trudge down to the boat in early March, dock cart…