The Cape Dory Board

Disconnect the cable from the engine, and try to operate the button again. If it's still stiff, then the problem is the cable. (That's where my money is). Measure the cable, and you can get a new one at a good marine mechanic shop. You'll need to get to the back of the instrument panel for the repla...

Sounds like you have a new main, but how old is the 150? It might be bagged out enough to make for a wide tacking angle. Also, folks are talking about raising the traveller to windward. But in the conditions the OP describes (upwind with 20 mph wind speed?) I'd certainly be lowering the traveller an...

On smaller boats, the stern rail is a great place to mount a solar panel. I put a 45 (?) watt panel (and a charge regulator) on the pushpit of my previous 26-footer, hinged, so that it could be angled to catch the rays, and it worked great. Draws on that boat were higher than our current boat, prima...

You've got the idea, but I'd use a 6' winter stick buoy instead (weighted with a shackle or bit of old chain to keep it pointing upright). A small lobster float can get run over by a boat, or torn off by ice, etc, and I can say from experience that it really sucks to loose $1200 of mooring gear. Now...

Roller furling a 150 makes for poor pointing in my experience. Also, sight your headstay from behind the mast, to get a sense of how much sag you have when close-hauled. Tighten the backstay if that headstay is sagging more than 4-6 inches to leeward.

I'm surprised to hear the Puffin referred to a expensive. My impression is that it's priced much lower than most of the other fiberglass dinghies, at about $1000. I also sold a Walker 8 and switched to a Puffin 8'6" a few years ago. It amazed me that a boat with the same beam and length could c...

Welcome to the neighborhood! This morning's weather must have been exciting to ride out at a mooring! Sounds like a great trip. I agree with Russell - Nova Scotia and Downeast Maine aren't exactly deserts of civilization. It's prudent to carry all the typical coastal cruising spares, but there are p...

Needs some work, for sure, but no huge red flags in those pictures, I'd say. They're simple boats, so routine overhauls, like replacing hoses, redoing electric, etc aren't really very big projects. There are only 3 thru-hulls for example. I'd pay close attention to sounding the deck, but I think CD ...

Lower your two aft poppets four or five inches and you should be good to go. The forward ones will hold the boat in place. I don't have screw-pads on my trailer (it's a cradle sort of arrangement), but I thought the idea was to lower the FRONT supports when launching, so that as the back of the boa...

I'm replacing my standing rigging on my CD22, but I can't figure out how to get the headstay out of the furler. It's a harken furler, and the fittings on the ends are larger than the extrusion, so it seems I can only get it out by cutting it. Do you generally take the entire furler apart to replace ...

We had a gust recorded at 103 knots yesterday afternoon, about 20 miles off of Jonesport.

On the upside, it snowed all day but there's nothing to plow. It all blew away!

I think a bigger problem might be keeping the prop in the water when someone walks up to the pulpit. These small boats are sensitive to moving 180 pounds of rail-meat up to the bow, and you will make that worse by putting a sand or lead counterweight in the foc'sle. I'd leave it be.

Interesting idea on granite. I assumed that would be as much as a mushroom. But I'll poke around the area and see. I recently bought a 1200 pound granite mooring for $250. Ask the local mooring guy if he has one in good shape. If not, he'll know a granite guy who will drop one off at the ramp and d...

Most folks I know around here use granite anchors. They're readily available and generally cheaper than a mushroom (and they retain much more weight than concrete when submerged). Something like 1200-1500 pounds would probably be fine for your little boat, if you're anchorage is fairly protected. Yo...

I've always had Metz antennas. Never had a failure. 8x cable is a good idea. You've got a fairly short run in a Ty, so signal loss isn't as much of a problem as it is in a boat with a 50' run, but still, it's a very cheap upgrade if you're running cable anyways.

Nate