Capt'n Pauley's Virtual Boat Yard -- Projects Galore!!!

Boarding and Swim Ladder Basics

While many of us have ladders installed on our boats, how many have actually tried to use them to get back aboard? I’ll bet a goodly number haven’t actually tried their ladder out to determine how well it really works.

 

Installing Jack Lines on Ternabout

 

Ternabt's Cockpit Table

 

Ternabout's Boom Tent

 

Sealing the Hull/Deck Joint

 

Of all the leaks aboard a boat, the hull/deck joint is probably the most persistent, hardest to find and hardest to fix of all. By the vary nature of the joint, water can travel great distances before appearing as a leak below deck. There are no magic bullets to fix these leaks but here are some tools

 

Upgrading Your Bow Hatch

My Columbia 26 project boat, like many others of the same age, came with a box style bow hatch. Typically, this style of hatch has a wood, usually teak, frame and either a plywood or Plexiglas top. These hatches are hinged and seat in a recess around a raised hatch opening. Keeping water out depends on a seal trapped between the bottom edge of the hatch and the recess surfaces.

 

Deck Repair from a Docking Incident

A couple of sailors emailed me for some advice the other day. Seems they had hit the dock with their bow railing and wanted some repair advice. Before you laugh, remember there are two kinds of boaters – those who have hit the dock and those who are going to hit the dock.

Build a Better Boarding Step

It’s an unpleasant fact, as you get older it gets a little harder to get on and off the boat. I’ve tried several commercially available boarding steps but wasn’t very happy with any of them. However, when my friends Vince and Dianne Purcell on board Finn MacCool stopped by for a visit, I found just what I was looking for.

 

How To: New Decks for Old

Great minds think alike. Two customers in the last several weeks have stopped by the boat store asking about the same type of project. They both were replacing old dilapidated decks in their small powerboats. As in most cases there are several solutions to the problem.

 

Boarding and Swim Ladder Basics

While many of us have ladders installed on our boats, how many have actually tried to use them to get back aboard? I’ll bet a goodly number haven’t actually tried their ladder out to determine how well it really works.

 

Strategies for Sealing Deck Hardware

 Think you don’t need a “strategy” for sealing decks? Don’t think your deck is even leaking? Well, you may be right, but your deck may well be leaking below your feet. Deck leaks can be insidious, going on for years before manifesting themselves with drips from the overhead and damp interiors.

Installing Backing Plates

 

A reader recently wrote in, asking about backing plates: if they were necessary and what material to use in making them.

Capt'n Pauley's Sketchbook - Installing Cleats

Replacing Ports

One of the most common items on our repair or upgrade list is replacing ports. Crazed glazing, leaking seals and leaks around the edges of the ports are common problems. After years of sailing San Francisco Bay, the ports on my Columbia were in need of replacement. In the process of replacing those ports, I found that there are many different types of replacement ports available.

Cockpit Grate: A Reader's Project