My father’s relationships with most of the mechanical things in his life were adversarial, but nothing compared to the wars he waged with two-stroke outboards. At least three-quarters of our crabbing and fishing trips began with him trying to coax an engine to life. It was common to see him twisted into a pretzel on … Read more

Historic Lifesaving Boats: The Craft That Braved Surf, Storm and Sea This early twentieth-century illustration from Red Cross magazine captures a dramatic moment in lifesaving history. The exact location in the image is unclear, but the courage and endurance of lifesaving crews during the age of sail are well documented. Equally fascinating are the boats … Read more

The clouds looked threatening. Onshore, white puffy clouds against a deep-blue sky can be pleasant, but 40 miles off Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina—with spray blown from the boat’s wake—the same formations felt ominous. On the bridge of Release, a 50-foot Carolina sportfisher, I watched two rods bent under the pull of high-speed lures as Captain … Read more

Beach Baby: Sharon Peaty’s Palm Beach 32 and Her Sydney Cruising Life Sharon Peaty grew up on the water. Encouraged by her father, John Peaty—who describes himself as “always been a boatie”—she learned to sail as a child and later moved into powerboats, most recently enjoying a Sea Ray bowrider. When Sharon decided she wanted … Read more

The seaside town of Gibsons sits on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, only about 10 miles from Vancouver as the crow flies, but the rugged topography and deep coastal channels make it feel worlds apart. Steep hills, narrow passes and the absence of direct roads mean residents and visitors rely on ferries and floatplanes. With water … Read more

This charming motor launch is design No. 88 by Nat Benjamin of the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Named Toast, she traces her lineage to Baguette, a pony of a launch created in the 1980s by Connecticut boatbuilder Jack Wilbur. That earlier boat served as the inspiration for the modern rebuild … Read more

How Onne van der Wal Keeps His Propeller Clean and Upgrades His Boats Preventing Marine Growth: Why Propspeed Works for Propellers Keeping a propeller free from marine growth is critical for performance and fuel efficiency. For photographer and boat owner Onne van der Wal, the solution has been Propspeed. He applied the foul-release coating to … Read more

Cape Cod Volunteer Network Aims to Prevent Shark Encounters by Recruiting Boaters and Anglers Heather Doyle is organizing a volunteer network to reduce the risk of shark encounters in Massachusetts waters, and her next target group is recreational boaters and anglers. Doyle co-founded the nonprofit Cape Cod Ocean Community in spring 2019 after a string … Read more

Miami Sea Wall Proposal: A Six-Mile, $6 Billion Plan to Protect Biscayne Bay from Storm Surge The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a preliminary proposal to shield Miami from rising storm surge risks: a six-mile-long sea wall running across Biscayne Bay. Estimated at roughly $6 billion and reaching up to 20 feet high … Read more

Refinishing the Cabin Sole on Snow Goose: A Grand Banks 32 Restoration Onne van der Wal tackled a number of small repairs and updates to return his 1986 Grand Banks 32, Snow Goose, to near-new condition. While many tasks were modest in scope, three major jobs stood out: installing Raymarine electronics, sanding the teak decks, … Read more