What’s the number one thing a boater should do in the hopes of preventing boat engine failure? To ensure routine engine checks are completed. On Britican, we do a series of routine engine checks before EVERY voyage. On the video below, Simon will show you how he completes each check.
Maintenance
Sailboat Maintenance Checklist – 10 Critical Daily/Weekly Checks
When your boat is stationary for any length of time – either at a marina or at anchor, if you’re going to be living on the boat and using the various systems there are several key things to keep an eye on. Below you’ll find a 10-step Sailboat Maintenance Checklist for routine mission-critical daily and/or[Read More]
How to make your own port screens and save 100’s of dollars!
Learning how to make port screens for your boat port windows isn’t difficult. Keeping mosquitoes outside is a necessity for sailing cruisers. After getting bitten alive, I decided to come up with a way to keep the little buggers out. The first line of defense for boaters wanting to avoid bug bites is to ensure that[Read More]
Gelcoat Repair | Checklist & Video Instructions
A gelcoat repair on a boat can be inexpensive and easy. Here you’ll find step-by-step instructions and a video on how to use a gelcoat repair kit to make a nick, scratch or chip disappear. Gelcoat Repair Kit Instructions Clean the damaged area using acetone to eliminate dirt, grease and wax. Make sure to avoid[Read More]
How to clean boat water tank
With plans to sail to more remote places it was time to determine how to clean boat water tank. Neither my husband, Simon, nor I knew how to clean a boat water tank but we knew that we’d eventually want fresh clean water coming from it! The first step we took was to locate access[Read More]
Marine Diesel Engine Starting Problem
If you’ve never worked on engines before it’s quite a steep learning curve when it comes to troubleshooting. For over two years, and after a major refit, our trusted Westerbeke Generator has never failed us. That is, until recently! Unfortunately, we experienced a marine diesel engine starting problem. After pre-heating the starter and then turning[Read More]
My top 15 sailing maintenance tips, tricks and little known secrets
During our first year of living on our sailboat I kept a running list of sailing maintenance tips, tricks and little known secrets. Some of the items noted are big-time money and/or time savers and others are simply common sense that isn’t common when you’re a newbie sailor. Considering that this has been our first year living[Read More]
Teak Deck Maintenance using Boracol
After years of asking marine professionals and long-term liveaboards about teak deck maintenance using Boracol, we’ve been told time and time again that it’s the best solution. Boracol is a chemical used to manage mold, fungal growth, mildew, slime, dry rot, and insect attacks. Before becoming a boat owner, I never realized that teak decks[Read More]
How to Fix a Gebo Portlight Window Knob
Over the past couple years we’ve experienced two main issues concerning our Gebo portlight window knobs. One issue is frustrating and the other is potentially a serious problem. This article and accompanying video explains the issues and demonstrates how to effectively fix them. Watch the video immediately below and for further explanation, read below for[Read More]
How to use Spartite to reseat your mast
If you told me a couple years ago I’d be writing an article on how to reseat a sailboat mast, or how to use Spartite, I would have said, ‘What’s reseating,’ ‘What’s Spartite,’ and ‘who’s mast are you talking about?!’ But let me back up. A couple weeks ago we left the Greek Ionian Islands[Read More]
