Let me say first off, this is how I go about looking for and buying my boats.  The system works for me, it might not for you, but hopefully you will get something out of it for your next boat hunt. After close to 40 boats most think I am a nut how many boats I buy.  But the process of choosing the right design, dialing in the boat for shorthanded, getting it up to speed, then racing and winning, makes me smile.  Oh, and a profit on each keeps this part of my business moving forward to the next…

The follow up to last weeks Soliban Solar panel install. This week we wire the panels to ABYC standards. This might seem simple and it is as long as you follow the ABYC standards. Best to be certified by ABYC or hire an ABYC certified installer. Next week we have a new video from the shop showing Smedley our tug boat, well actually our rowing skiff that we use to get to the two moorings in Dutch Harbor. We call her the tug boat since she is a workhorse, we load her with gear, do mooring work, and hall friends…

Here is the solar panel install video from 2017, which is still very relevant and something I will do again this winter on the new Kincora. The panels are from Ocean Planet Energy-Marine. Bruce Schawb has excellent products and has been a great sponsor of this show. The panels I used are unique in they bond to the deck, and have the wires hidden underneath the pane. And are very efficient, I highly recommend them on your boat and RV. A few tricks in the video to do it properly. Next week we will wire the panels to ABYC Standards.…

Last week we had the install of the Trogear Carbon Bowsprit. This week I go through the rigging options I tried on the sprit. Both videos are from 2017, but the rigging video I updated this week, with a few changes made from two years sailing singlehanded with the sprit. With a new boat on the way. Yes, another Archambault 31 is on the way when it can leave France. You might be saying, “you just sold one last year?”. Well yes, but that is what I do, buy great boats, rebuild and setup for singlehanded sailing, race them, doing…

With my How To Videos, I hope it takes your mind off the current stress. For us we are staying home, only going out for food shopping, which is a very different routine.  Enjoying daily music playing/listening, reading great books, helping those we can help, making each other smile every day.  Great advice I was given is; “All emotions are important so don’t hide any of them, but don’t let any of them take over”. So, this weeks video is adding a custom carbon Trogear sprit to the Archambault 31.  The video is sponsored by Trogear, who has sold a…

I am looking at the current pandemic as a long doublehanded upwind leg through the storm, so reef down, keep the crew safe, be smart, be resourceful, so we all come out the other side. I have been cutting out the white noise as much as possible, am writing, and designing a lot more than usual.  During my workouts I listen to music, and play music in the evening.  Spend time daily with my wife enjoying the day.  We do not get this time back, so be present, learn something new, and embrace being isolated. Adapt and hold the course…

I hope everyone is staying safe, and working daily on doing our part to keep all of us healthy.  This week I hope you take the time to my visit my shop for a couple of detail videos, that are part of the cockpit modifications.  It is always the details that make the difference.  First is installing Ropeye Pro Loops for the mainsheet lead.  These are well engineered way of taking high loads and redirecting the line.  There is a lot of mainsheet line on the A31, and by yourself this can become a mess.  So keeping the lead efficient…

With coronavirus affecting everyone in the world, I think it is important for all of us to work together, and be thankful for the people and things we still have in our lives. Positive attitude promotes good health, please be safe and stay healthy. In this post I hope to give you a beak from the worlds stress, and invite you in my shop as I continue to modified my Archambault 31 for short handed sailing. For me this is a good time to go work on the boat, and get her ready for the season.  You are away from…