Spurr's Guide to Upgrading Your Cruising Sailboat

by Daniel Spurr

Overview

Is your boat ready to go cruising?

Just about every sailboat—used and new—can make a good cruiser, but only if the hull-deck structure, rig, and systems meet certain standards. Spurr’s Guide to Upgrading Your Cruising Sailboat tells you what those standards are, and gives you all the help you need to refurbish and upgrade every structure, surface, fitting, and system on your boat—stem to stern, project by project.

This all-in-one guide leads you step by step to a seaworthy, crew-friendly boat with top-notch cruising performance. Not only will you learn what to look for when you buy a new or used boat, you'll also learn how to reinforce your boat’s hull and structural components, redesign and replace rigging, upgrade electrical systems, and much more. Special features include:

• A detailed survey of 70 used and new fiberglass sailboats best suited to offshore sailing
• Gear and equipment recommendations by brand name
• Construction details and other essential features of a strong, safe cruising boat
• How to make critical repairs to the deck, hull, bulkheads, blisters, and portlights

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071487290
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	04/14/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Daniel Spurr is the editor at large of Professional Boatbuilder magazine and the author of seven other sailing books.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction to the Third Edition Chapter 1 The Anatomy of a Cruising Sailboat The Cruising Imperatives; Design and Construction Considerations; Limit of Positive Stability; Multihulls; Hull Material; Rigs; Choosing a Boat; Further Reading Chapter 2 Strengthening Major Structural Components Identifying Weak Areas; Glass Fibers; Resins; Core Materials; Mold Release Agents; Distributing Stress; Health; Deck Reinforcements; Hull Flex; Hull-Deck Joints; Compression of the Deck at the Mast Step; Chainplates; External Reinforcements; Why I Hate Inner Liners; Reinforcing Rudders; Further Reading Chapter 3 A Seagoing Interior Layout Typical Production Boat Layout; My Ideal Layout; Berths; Stowage; Head; Converting V-Berths to a Double Berth; Installing a Sink and Mirror in a Hanging Locker; Installing a Through-Hull Toilet; Installing a Top-Loading Icebox; Installing a Removable Table; Adding Bookshelves and Extra Storage Space; Recovering All Cushions; Replacing Curtains and Rods; Relocating Stoves; For Comfort and Safety; Disaster Checklist; Further Reading Chapter 4 Installing and Maintaining Seacocks Types of Sea Valves; The Trouble with Gate Valves; Installing Seacocks; Electrical Bonding; Maintenance and Operation; Further Reading Chapter 5 Basic Plumbing Tanks; Piping; Pumps; Freshwater Systems; Watermakers; Seawater Systems; Odds and Ends; Installing Pumps; Pump Maintenance; Further Reading Chapter 6 Steering Systems Tiller Steering; Cable Steering; Hydraulic Steering; Worm Gear; Rack and Pinion; Installation; Autopilot Adaptations; Emergency Steering Systems; Making an Emergency Rudder; Wind Vane Auxiliary Rudders; Weak Links in the Steering System; Further Reading Chapter 7 Self-Steering Systems Autopilots versus Wind Vanes; Above-Deck Autopilots; Tiller-Mounted Autopilots; Below-Deck Autopilots; Wind Vanes; Wind Vane Adjustments; Self-Steering Expectations; Buying a Wind Vane; Further Reading Chapter 8 Repowering Gasoline Engines; Emergence of the Small Diesel; Going Engineless; Repowering; How Many Horses?; Fuel Capacity; Propeller Selection; Filters; Nonelectric Starters; Cutless Bearings/Stuffing Boxes; Sound Insulation; Further Reading Chapter 9 An Efficient Deck Layout Bowsprits, Platforms, Pulpits; Anchor Wells, Chainpipes, and Windlasses; A Complete Ground Tackle System; Lifelines, Stanchions, and Safety Lines; Requirements of a Seaworthy Companionway; Cleats; Mast Pulpits; Propane Tanks; Water Fills and Rain Catchments; Deck Drains; Making a Sea Hood; Cockpits; Life Rafts, Man-Overboard Poles, and Other Safety Equipment; Lights; Boom Gallows; Arches; Storm Shutters; Bulwarks; Protected Helm; Further Reading Chapter 10 Rigs and Sails Types of Rigs; Spars; Spinnaker Handling Systems; Going Aloft; Standing Rigging; Inspecting Rigging; Running Rigging; Sails; Winches; Halyards, Cleats, and Clutches; Further Reading Chapter 11 Galley Systems Requirements of a Good Galley; Types of Fuel; Installing an LPG System; Refrigeration; Contemplating Changes; Further Reading Chapter 12 Generating Electrical Power Batteries; Measuring Electricity; Engine Alternators; Regulators; Making AC with Inverters and Fuel-Powered Generators; Water-Driven Generators; Wind-Driven Generators; Solar; Installation; Further Reading Chapter 13 Instruments and the Electrical System Navigation Instruments; Marine Radiotelephones; How Much Do You Really Need?; Electrical Bonding; Lightning Ground Protection; Some Basics About 12-Volt DC Electrical Systems; Installing Shore Power; Further Reading Chapter 14 Beating the Heat and Cold Air Conditioning; Heating; Simpler Solutions; Ventilation; Deck Prisms; Further Reading Chapter 15 Painti