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Good Old Boat

Since 1998, Good Old Boat magazine has served the community of sailors who own, maintain, and love sailboats that have a few years under their keels.

27/02/2024

End of the watch:
Eight bells for Good Old Boat

It is with heavy hearts that we announce this March/April 2024 issue will be our last, and will only be released in a digital format.

Over the years, the publishers, editors, and contributors at Good Old Boat have immensely enjoyed bringing you content to help make your boat better and your sailing dreams a reality. Unfortunately, for us, skyrocketing operating costs — paper, printing, and shipping — have become too much and there is no viable path forward. After trying to come up with a more tenable business plan and analyzing alternative publishing options from every angle, including deeply cutting costs and even pivoting to a digital only publication, the result is the same. A pathway forward would only be a temporary fix and the magazine’s quality would suffer.

Good Old Boat’s website will remain a rich archive of material for now. While the magazine’s social media channels will wind down, we invite you to continue to use to self-identify and connect with our community.

Meanwhile, Good Old Boat’s digital catalog of 155 back issues will soon be available to purchase: watch this space!

Thank you for being part of the Good Old Boat community of sailors.

21/02/2024

Good Old Boats rafted up together? YES PLEASE

We love so much about this photo. Thanks to GOB contributor, Matthew Parsons, sharing this beauty by .milla, taken offshore (!).

Who has rafting-up memories to share?

📷
You can tell it's calm when you decide to raft up to your buddy boat 30 miles offshore to share a fish dinner with the Yellowtail you just caught.
Mains were left up to dampen any residue rolling from a tiny swell
Photo on film by the talented Cass Milla

19/02/2024

Here's a rugged little cruising boat! https://goodoldboat.com/frances-26/

Designed by Chuck Paine, the Frances 26 is a stout double-ender that is simple but well-thought-out. In this review, Joe Cloidt explains how the boat is a pleasure to sail and is also pleasing to the eye. Cozy in a warm and comfortable way, the boat is excellent for local and coastal cruising.

We've published it online: where would you take this boat?

16/02/2024

Come for the groovy 70s photos. Stay for the excellent storytelling (and lessons learned about seamanship and community spirit!).
https://goodoldboat.com/rudder-emergency

Bert Vermeer's "Rudder Emergency" is in our Jan/Feb issue - and, we've made it available for anyone to read online!

Who else has some throwback photos (or a rudder crisis) to share?

15/02/2024

Who has pondered the mysteries of a cantakerous old Atomic 4?

In "The Engine Whisperer," D.B. Davies writes about the venerable old Atomic 4 engine installed in his Grampian 30, Affinity back in 1974. Illusgrations by Tom Payne show the, well, pain many of these older engine owner-maintainers feel!

He continues to sail Affinity and her old engine in Lake Ontario.

13/02/2024

VHF on board: what's your m.o.? Is 16 on all the time you're on board? Do you turn it off when aboard but anchored? Is there another channel you dual-monitor?

VHF can be a lifeline for cruising boats. Here's a peek from one of our contributing writers, the Avocet crew, keeping in touch with a buddy boat underway.

📷 Marissa Neely
“Kessel, Kessel, Kessel, Avocet” - buddy boating with has been a lot of fun. From the sailing to the exploring, everything is better with friends!

02/02/2024

Tracking down a leak can be enough of a trick. Then there’s repairing it once found in an awkward location!

Ann Hoffner writes about chasing down a leak that would journey through headliner far from where it came into her Sabre 30, Ora Kali, and her repair to rebed the cabintop eyebrow at fault.

Pick up a copy of Good Old Boat's January/February issue to learn more!

28/01/2024

One of the scariest situations we hope to never encounter on our boats is a crew member going overboard.

It happened to cruiser Bill Ballard, and he writes about it - and how especially terrifying it is for shorthanded crews, as the rescue has to be done by one person - in our current issue.

Ballard describes a series of ill-fated decisions that leads to him falling overboard and then being saved by his wife, Lisa. The unthinkable experience turns out OK in the end, but offers up some key takeaways for all sailors to learn from.

We've made this available for ALL on our website: find it from the Good Old Boat home page.

26/01/2024

Faults can be well hidden, like the failing stern tube inside Nurdle, a Bristol 35.5. During a routine haulout, owner John Churchill was surprised to find the cutlass bearing was stuck to the shaft and turning freely in the stern tube!

He worked a satisfying solution to the domino-effect problems that lead to this failure, and wrote about them in Good Old Boat's Jan/Feb issue. Turn to page 39 to read about Nurdle's new stern tube, and the journey to make it right!

24/01/2024

Do you achieve coveted ELD status in pumping your bilge?

(That’s when you get Every Last Drop out, of course.)

Most of our good old boats don’t make this easy, but Steve Bufe found a clever solution to achieving ELD every time in his 1985 Pearson 303. He’s written it up for Good Old Boat’s current issue!

It's a simple solution we found compelling. Find it on page 42, and tell us what you think – or if you, too, have found ELD nirvana another way.

22/01/2024

Keeping warm in Mexico this winter: crew of the 1981 Mason 43, Luna Pacifica. Gotta do a rig check ahead of those Sea of Cortez northers, and we love it for of course!

📷 Cy Henry
It was really the last thing I wanted to do, but sometimes you just gotta do it. Figured we better have a look around to make sure the rats hadn't chewed through the rigging over the summer. Luckily, all looked good, and we could feel confident in the rig during some multi day sails south. (Plus taking masthead selfies just never get old!)

20/01/2024

Dinghy dilemmas and lesson in frugality: read one boater's take, now published online: https://goodoldboat.com/dinghy-dilemmas-and-lessons-in-frugality/

Hal Smith and his wife, Susan, learned some valuable lessons when they purchased a new-to-them Contessa 32 and tried to piece together a proper dinghy and outboard for cruising by going the bargain route. It’s a relatable story for many of us, and one we can all learn from!

Whether you’re out cruising or keep your boat on a mooring, having a serviceable dinghy is a must. What's your solution? We're always interested to hear from readers!

18/01/2024

3D printing… boat parts? Yes, really!

3D printing can help create new or replacement parts aboard, and our current issue features a how-to that will demystify the process to help you get started.

If you're an old hand with 3D printing and made things for your boat, we'd love to see your work!

16/01/2024

What does a 70s soft rock duo have to do with an alternator overheating?

Air Supply, or lack thereof, was behind the consistent issues on a 1978 Islander Bahama 30. The author found a clever solution to a non-uncommon Good Old Boat problem (engine fit into a small space, to make the most of room below? Check!).

Flip to page 26 of our current issue to learn about his sensible solution!

15/01/2024

MASTHEAD MONDAY. James looks down from aloft SV Triteia, the 1965 Alberg 30 that's taken him on adventures from his home waters in California to ...currently, New Zealand.

📷 the sailor man
I had Rhonda send me up top to do a pre-passage rig check. All looks good. Then we hoisted the spinnaker and made sure all was good with it as well and got the lines out and ready to stow with the kite.

13/01/2024

If you sail downwind, you should have a preventer. This couple created a better mousetrap in designing theirs!

Preparing for a 9,000 mile cruise from California to Chesapeake Bay, the crew of Azimuth found a way to up their vang/preventer game – making sailing safer, and kinder to their gooseneck.

Recalling an old issue of Good Old Boat in which Jerry Powlas described a combination vang/preventer on his and Karen’s C&C 30, Mystic, the couple found inspiration for their own re-imagined system.

What does it look like? How did they do it? Flip to page 13 of our current issue, and find out for yourself!

12/01/2024

Did you love Good Old Boat's Jan/Feb cover as much as our team did? Shambhala looks SO cozy with the warm glow through portlights onto the snow on deck! It helped inspire us to make the issue's feature article about installing a heater on board available online:
https://goodoldboat.com/heating-honcho/

What hot tips do you have for keeping warm in the wintertime? Shown here: the 1999 Beneteau First 47.7, 'Iwa, is wintering in Alaska. Check Rob & Heidi's stories on insta for frosty liveaboard inspo!

📷

"We had our coldest temps of the season so far for the past couple nights. Steadily dropping temps over the past few days brought us down to 5 degrees (-15 C ) the last two nights.

The corner that we are moored in got a small crust of ice over it. We have kept our Refleks heater on high for the coldest nights. We burn an average of about 1.2 gallons a day a little higher when we have to run it full bore.

We are expecting temps to rise over the next few days but remain below freezing for the time being. Winter is here for now but the sun has been shining on the coldest of days."

10/01/2024

Cruising the Florida Keys on their 1978 San Juan 21, Intrepid, Robert Van Putten and his wife Heidi watched an approaching system with caution. Weather may be forecast, but never truly predicted. Despite exercising caution, this proved to be a nasty storm which provided a bookend to their cruise.

Learn from their experience in Storm Force Keys, Robert's article in our current issue, with a tale of the storm, their decision, and what happened aboard Intrepid.

08/01/2024

MASTHEAD MONDAY. Throwback photo from top of the Lake Superior based Islander 36, Jubilee. How's YOUR harbor looking?!

📷 on Insta

07/01/2024

GREAT NEWS: the article about choosing and installing a heater on board is now on our website for anyone to read, not just subscribers!
https://goodoldboat.com/heating-honcho/

We appreciate your comments and response to the post, and hope you enjoy this feature as much as we have. Shown here: some key safety measure for any install, detailed in the article.

In the author's words: "I hope this account encourages you to consider installing a bulkhead fireplace if you like anchoring out but feel a little reluctant on cool days to stay up after the sun goes down or get out of your warm bunk on a chilly morning. With the click of a power switch and a butane fire starter, you can warm up the cabin and enjoy the pleasant glow of the blue and yellow flame flickering behind tempered glass in the sealed firebox."

If you're getting our monthly newsletter, The Dogwatch, you've had this in your inbox for a couple of already. Want more reading like this? Join our mailing list, it's adjacent ot the article.

05/01/2024

What makes IOR-influenced hull forms popular with both racers and cruisers?

Bert Vermeer test sails a Beneteau First 375 to learn why this fast, comfortable racer-cruiser has stood the test of time. Read his review in our current issue!

Do you have a sistership? What's your impression of the Beneteau First 375?

05/01/2024

Spotted in the wild: Good Old Boat gear! Did you know: it's on SALE? Until the end of January (while supplies last), 25% off all hats and beanies! https://goodoldboat.com/product-category/hats/

Kepe warm in style while sharing your love for quality, independent writing about the Good Old Boats we all love.

📷 Nica Waters, of Jeremy Waters aboard Mischief - their 28’ Sam L Morse Bristol Channel Cutter - hull #67.

02/01/2024

TERMITES. A worst nightmare for many boat owners. Most “classic plastic” sailboats have a lot of wood, too, and they can wreak havoc.

Have you had to deal with termites on board? Did you burn the boat or tackle it, like Neil sand did, and wrote about for our current issue?

Flip to page 21 of our Jan/Feb issue to learn what happens when your boat has termites, the damage they wreak and - importantly! - what to do about it.

01/01/2024

May your New Year be toasty and bright!

Speaking of toasty: thanks to readers for sharing pics of their onboard heaters. We're inspired, both by the cozy wintertime cover of our new Jan/Feb issue - and John Langford's article within about choosing heater to keep his 1998 Beneteau 36s7, Honcho, toasty during a Canadian winter.

First pic: a wood burning Habachi 9 aboard SV Naomi Sean; Stone Horse hull number 1, built by Edey & Duff 1969. Thanks to Bill McBrine! His boat was featured in our pages back in 2005. Second pic: hey, that's the same heater featured in our current issue! Aboard an Irwin Citation 34 - thanks to Rik Hall for sharing.

30/12/2023

Is anyone thinking about adding a heater to their boat?

In our Jan/Feb issue, John Langford reviews his decision process to select a heater for keeping his 1998 Beneteau 36s7, Honcho, toasty during the winter months in Victoria, British Colombia.

The article reviews key questions considered to decide between a diesel furnace or a bulkhead-mounted fireplace. John then details the installation process in detail, with tips and tricks to help any DIY boater replicate his cozy new cabin.

Find his article starting on page 16 of our new issue!

27/12/2023

Did you know buoys could mark an old beach? Learn the details about this particular Lake Michigan buoy in our new issue.

The January/February issue is out, and it's chock full of quality reading! Here are a few highlights:
- What happens when your boat has termites, the damage they wreak and what to do about it
- CREW OVERBOARD. Key takeaways to learn from a scary situation one cruising couple experienced.
- What makes IOR-influenced hull forms so popular? We test sail a Beneteau First 375 to learn more.
- 3D printing… boat parts? Yes, really! Learn the ins and outs of this smart trick.
- Lessons from surviving a storm in the Florida Keys aboard a San Juan 21…

Plus: Rig a combination vang/preventer, keep your alternator cool, make a clever bilge pump to keep your boat dry, and a whole lot more!

📷 Gregg Bruff, Escanaba, Michigan

23/12/2023

OUR GIFT TO YOU: a special issue giveaway!

We're proud to share authentic writing by sailors / for sailors: authentic voices and experiences. In 2023, we won five awards for outstanding writing in boating.

Good Old Boat's holiday gift for you to enjoy: a downloadable issue bundling these award-winning articles!https://goodoldboat.com/MagazineDistribution/GOB2023BWI.pdf

Thank you for reading our publication and being part of the Good Old Boat community. If you're not already a subscriber, please consider supporting our independently owned publication.

20/12/2023

Don’t wait until it happens; get your boat ready now! It's been a wild stretch for Good Old Boaters in the US Southeast this last week - our article has tips to help prepare for the next big weather event. Er, series of events.

This article from our archives was shared this week in our monthly newsletter, The Dogwatch. Find it on our website: https://goodoldboat.com/preparing-for-the-big-blow/

📷 Adam Cove, from his article on heaving-to in GOB.

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Videos

Christmas Tree Delivery - ISLAND STYLE! 🎄 Details in post!

How DEEPLY REWARDING does it feel to peel the tape back from a varnishing project? Very, very rewarding. 📷 @sailingaustinblue Sanding all the wood down and refinishing it!!!!

MASTHEAD MONDAY! How about a quick video of the view from aloft? Looking down from the Spencer 1330, Sonny. 📷 @sailing.sonnenblume Em’s top of the mast view…

Have you used a 3D printer to make a part for a Good Old Boat? Seems like a good way to fabricate bits that aren't on the shelf. But - how about PRINTING A BOAT?! Pretty impressive stuff here!

Who doesn't appreciate good work on a GOB? There's a new bowsprit going on this Hans Christian 43, Remedy, built by her crew + friends from the crew of Avocet. Labor of love - it's a beauty! Check out this 🎥from @svavocet - more on their channel. #goodoldboat #hanschristian43 #svremedy #diysailor #classicplastic #sailboat #boatprojects #svavocet #boatlife #ventura #bowsprit #diycarpentry #laminating #shipwright

Late summer sailing in the Canadian Maritimes on the Bayfield 29, Victoria! Anybody making plans to get out this weekend? The seasonal clock is ticking... 🎥 @sailng_victoria Victoria making way.

The girls raising the main here are gaining precious confidence! Baltimore-based SeaAffinity weaves outreach progreams into their charter business, helping local youth gain experience. Love seeing community sailing in action like this. What's happening with community outreach for sailing in your area? Who needs a shoutout? Let us know in the comments, or give a virutal high-five to the SeaAffinity team! 🎥 seaaffinity All girl crew for our outreach program today!

A dose of weekday escapism. Come along for the ride, let the wind whistle and the seas lap at your hull! 📷 @thestokedfolk Absolute favorite place to be 💙 got to test out all of our fresh upgrades including these beautiful sails from a lovely Baba 30. Might leave the Baba decals on there to confuse people 😂

Sailing to a Rainbow

What better way to start your week than by sailing toward a rainbow?

One more video from the committee boat at the 2011 Good Old Boat Regatta on January 22 . . . this one shows the end of a very windy race.

That didn't work (posting a link to Steve Lang's page -- see below). So how about this? Here's a video taken from the committee boat of the start for the True Cruising Fleet. In all, the 2011 St. Petersburg Good Old Boat Regatta had 64 boats competing, an excellent showing!

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