Recent content by doug748

I have always thought that a sprayhood is the single best improvement you can make to the accommodation in a small boat. As per your plan Twyfordbridge, I always sail with the hood down unless the weather is unpleasant. Think carefully about the windows, those huge wide awake ones you see...

The only thing we do know with a fair degree of confidence is that bigger anchors have higher hold, I agree much of the rest is subjective. .

Expect they offer to lighten your wallet whilst stealing your braces. :(

So would I, we got there in the end. .

The boat in question is 10 metres in round figures. It displaces over 5 tons. The suggested anchor size from Rocna is 15 - 20kg for a boat between 5 and 9 tons. Your choice depends both on the boat and your proposed use, as Green says: "Consider the worst-case scenario for your anticipated...

Don't tell Wansworth: .

A few may say get the biggest anchor you can handle, it's just a beloved aphorism, however the truth police are onto it. Every case is different, for me as mentioned, I am recommended between 10 and 20 kg which is a world of choice. The size of the thing is generally limited by practical...

Welcome back, but..... Get a grip, get a gardener. For most people, retirement is the only time boat ownership can make sense

What is it about the topic that brings out mad theories I wonder? Maybe because you can riff to your hearts content and nobody can ever muster definitive evidence that you are talking out of your 'arris. I myself am continuing my longitudinal study on the effect of silicone grease on the...

Bit of thread drift but indeed May was bloody cold in the south of the UK as well, hot water bottles throughout. Sailing in early June the SW winds were as cold as I ever remember, freezing sunshine. Here we go: UK had its warmest May and spring on record, Met Office figures show 😳 .

Windgens feather to the wind nicely but, with flat panels, I worry about the windage, particularly if the thing gets out of sync and the breeze gets under it, in big waves or gusty winds. Your post is sturdy but I would still imagine there is scope for things to get flexible leading to...

I would consider a longer new cable as well, the Hi flex stuff is lovely to use. However...... When I was stuck ( I am going to get pelters here ) I used a straight coupler, plumbing, compression fitting to do the job😲. Don't ask my why I had one to hand but it worked well and is still...

Yes, the upshot of my advice is don't.

I have done this with a 10W panel using the head from a camera tripod fixed to a sheet of 10mm acrylic with the panel mounted flat to the acrylic sheet. Works fine but the pole is very short, hardly a pole at all and a 10W panel only measures 10in by 14in. It might work for a 20W panel but...

All of that, YouTube has some revealing stuff: .