Boating Knowledge Archives

Sailboat Generator or Large Battery Bank?

October 23, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Dedicated electric generators on board sailboats are usually only reserved for large sailboats because of their weight and size. Unless there is a desire for large amounts of electricity…

Electric Windlass

October 23, 2023/by Grant Headifen

An electric windlass is a powerful electric winch that greatly helps in the lowering and raising the anchor.

Sailboat Wind Power Generators

October 23, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Wind-power generators are typically installed only on ocean-crossing vessels, where the vessel is away from the marina for extended periods of time and where there is a need for conserving onboard fuel.

Wind

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Winds can be gentle, hardly felt, like zephyrs flitting about in a local area, or they can be vast movements of air moving swiftly across oceans and continents at low and high altitudes.

Heave To

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Heave To in sailing is a way to stop the boat with full sails still up. You might do

Shore Power Connection

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

One of the more common sources of fire on a boat is a loose connection of the shore power to the receptacle plug on the stern of the boat.

Raising the Alarm in Emergencies

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

A comprehensive list of how and the equipment used to raise the alarm in sailing emergencies

Sailboat Diesel Engine Fluids

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Diesel engines make use of a variety of fluids, including raw and coolant water, diesel fuel, and lubricating oil. A problem in the flow of any one of these fluids can cause problems…

Sailboat Diesel Water Systems

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Diesel engines run hot because of high compression and therefore need to be cooled. Fortunately, ample cooling is readily available from the water the vessel is sailing in.

Electronic Communications

October 22, 2023/by Grant Headifen

Nowadays, gigabytes of data can be sent in a second as a digital signal. It is all a complete Wow!