Tuning Guides
Sailmakers and other gurus have advice on getting your boat set up properly to improve performance and safety.
Sailmakers and other gurus have advice on getting your boat set up properly to improve performance and safety.
If you sail on the Great Lakes long enough, you are going to need to deal with summertime squalls. Because of the landlocked humid continental climate, we see very hot summer temperatures that lead to convective weather events.
As boat builders clamber to create ever-bigger platforms for ever-more generous budgets, the entry-level cruiser has become an elusive animal. Sure, if you want to daysail, there are plenty of small open boats from which to choose, but if you want a freshly built pocket cruiser, you’re in for a long search.
A balanced boat is key to performance and as the season winds down, let’s take a look at why and how. It’s that time of the year that we put our boats to bed and clean up the sailing locker.
It’s one of the best things about sailors: we hate to give up on our equipment. But if you’re like a lot of owners of boats with vintage integral hydraulic backstay units, you’ve been putting up with seepage and slippage for too long. We’ve introduced our new integral hydraulic unit to convince you it’s finally time to pull the pins on that leaker and start anew.
I was helping teach my daughters to drive a 5-speed manual over the last while, and they have gotten very good at it. The clutch has survived, and they willingly take that car when they need it, so I think that is a win. I only wish my customers would figure out the 3 gears they need to race a sailboat!
Many of my club and distance racing customers show up at the loft asking for a full-hoist, deck-tacked genoa to fit on their headsail furler, but bypass the drum to get the clew low. I always ask; “Does the furling not work?”. “No it works, but the last sail we had cut for furling didn’t point very well and the UV cover on the sail was really heavy.”
Nov 29, 2023 Canada SailGP Team helmed by Phil Robertson lead Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team helmed by Ben Ainslie on Race Day 1 of the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cadiz, Spain. October 14th, 2023. Photo: Felix Diemer for SailGP. Image supplied by SailGP. Canada has been mixing it up on the course lately… Read More…
Nov 29, 2023 Bill Haliburton was the high bidder of the first four Premium tickets for the ROCKWOOL Canada Sail Grand Prix Halifax. He is flanked by Canada SailGP Team sailors Jareese Finch (L) and Billy Gooderham (R) – both now call Halifax home. The Nova Scotia sailing and boating community from across the province gathered Friday evening (November… Read More…