Preparation Archives - Page 17 of 29 - Safe Skipper Boating & Safety Afloat Apps for phones & tablets

Wooden Hulls – Part 2

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Wooden hull care and maintenance It is important to ensure the essential hull maintenance of a wooden boat is done, even if you are paying others to look after your boat for you. The priority is to prevent rot from taking hold. The protective layers of paint and...

Wooden Hulls – Part 1

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Traditional wooden boats have a plank on frame construction, a centuries old boat building method that is still in use today. Variations of the traditional method include carvel, clinker and strip planking, which all relate to the way the planking is attached to the...

Sailboat rig checks – Part 2

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

In part two of Sail boat rig checks we run through some useful rig maintenance tips and then finish with a brief look at what a professional rig check involves. A big part of rig maintenance is about keeping corrosion and metal fatigue at bay. This means understanding...

Sailboat rig checks – Part 1

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Sailing boat rigs need to be checked regularly to reduce the risk of rig failure at sea. In part one of Sail boat rig checks we run through a series of useful checks that owners and skippers can carry out. Some boat owners inspect their rigs before every cruise,...

Rudders and steering systems – Part 3

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

In the third of our three blog articles on rudders and steering systems, we look at how to replace rudder bearings and repair a water-saturated core. How to replace rudder bearings These are the steps involved in replacing the rudder bearings of a typical spade-type...

Rudders and steering systems – Part 2

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Take a look around the average boatyard and you will see examples of all kinds of different rudders and steering systems. Some rudders hang off the transom, some hang beneath the stern, others are built into the back of the keel, some look fine and elegant, others are...