Essential Knots: Reef knot
Use: Tying two ends of rope together, often used for tying up a bundle of loose sail around the boom.
Step 1. Take two ends of a rope. Use one as the working end.
Step 2. Right over left. Then under.
Step 3. Then left over right and under.
Step 4. Pull tight.
Tip: Practice tying a reef knot by using your shoelaces.
A one stop guide to tying and understanding all of the 50 most useful nautical knots!
Understanding your mast and rigging
How a propeller works
Have a look around any boatyard and you will notice quite a variety of propellers – some have two blades, some have three and others have four or more. While most propellers are completely rigid some have blades that fold.
Weather forecasting tips
Sail boat rig checks – Part 2
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.
Cleaning & polishing painted topsides
The gelcoat topsides of a GRP boat can be pampered and restored to their former glory relatively easily when it is ashore. Gelcoat is only a very thin outer layer of the hull, often less than 1mm thick, so you should avoid cleaning it with highly abrasive cleaners, or an-ything that could potentially damage its surface.
Gybing a sailing boat
Competent crew skills: arriving and leaving a berth
Keel maintenance and Repair – Part 2
If you have ever witnessed a boat colliding with a rock or other submerged obstacle you will know that there is an almighty thump and the whole boat shakes and judders. While such hard groundings seldom result in catastrophic keel failure, something has to give and even the sturdiest keels can easily be damaged by such an impact.
Marine diesel exhaust checks
You should inspect the exhaust system for corrosion damage regularly, especially around the injection bend. If you have noticed the engine exhaust smoking a lot during the sailing season this can also indicate a number of potential problems.
Essential Knots: Figure of eight
First Aid at Sea – strains and sprains
First Aid Afloat – jellyfish stings
Essential Yachting + Power Boat Safety Briefing
Stress cracks on GRP boats
It is quite common to find cracks in the gelcoat when inspecting the deck and superstructure of a GRP boat. It is important to differentiate between a gelcoat crack and a scratch.
Sector lights, directional lights, leading lights – how do they differ?
Sterndrive maintenance
Sterndrives are a popular form of propulsion in the powerboat market, but require a fair amount of care and maintenance. The main factors to be aware of are salt water corrosion, lubrication and regular inspection of the bellows, the condition of which is vital to prevent water from entering into the hull.
Dripless shaft seals
Dripless shaft seals are designed to completely stop water from entering a boat’s hull via the stern tube. There are two main types of dripless seals known as face seals and lip seals which many boat manufacturers now fit to production boats.
ColRegs Nav Lights & Shapes, Rules Of The Road and IALA Buoys Apps
Antifouling for leisure boats – Part 3
Antifouling is one of the least pleasant boat maintenance jobs to do, but it has to be done. The very worst job of all is removing the old antifouling as this can get seriously messy and is very hard work.
Pleasure craft safety equipment recommendations
Steel hull maintenance
A steel boat owner’s biggest enemy is corrosion. You don’t have to worry about osmosis or rotting timbers, instead rust is the number one issue that will keep you awake at night.
