Tip of the Month

Word around the docks these days is that, still, there’s no way to easily bond King Starboard—a poly product popular with today’s boat builders and restorers—either to itself or to other surfaces, whether wood, metal, fiberglass, or whatever.

Large 10- to 12-gauge butt connectors? Much finer wire? Try this trick and keep right on chuggin’.

Finding a perfect replacement is not often easy.

Forget to wear a long-sleeved shirt when grinding fiberglass? Nix that dust with a lint roller.

That smartphone’s not just for talkin’, ya know.

Believe it or not, busting rust on stainless steel can be both an easy and satisfying task.

Vibration, galvanic corrosion, calcium buildup—oh my! Why not take a few minutes this coming weekend and give your boat a once-over?

Sometimes, all your self-contained air-conditioner needs is a couple of shots from a common dock hose.

Leverage from a trusted tool is always welcome.

Creating a library of owner’s manuals and other stuff has real, hands-on advantages.

Here’s another nifty usage for the tapered wooden plugs designed to prevent a sinking if a through-hull or other fitting fails.

Got a few drink-holder-sized holes in your steering console that need patching? Or a spot where an antiquated plotter used to be that needs filling in?

A few generalized tips on docking safely, whether you’re short-handed or single-handed.

Power is the biggie when running an inlet—precisely controlled power. The trick is to precisely fit speed and steering to the constantly changing conditions once inside the pass—going not too fast nor too slow.

If you allow air to enter the supply line of an engine it will promptly airlock the engine and summarily shut it down. Here are the steps to get things going again.

Before departing any dock any time there are a few things you ought to get into the habit of doing...

If caught in unavoidably bad weather, get creative.

No matter how well designed an anchoring system is, if the basics are ignored, it won’t do you any good. Here are a few tips to help make your anchor stick.

When you need a serial or model number from the back of a fixed-mount electronic unit and you can’t see behind it, use your mobile phone to take a picture.

How to make a battery carrier for your boat out of a laundry soap bucket.