Author's articles

Getting Your Partner to Like Boating

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

Mary and I frequently come across couples where one is a knowledgeable cruiser and the other is a newbie. How to balance the scale and get the beginner comfortable? Will living and cruising aboard ever ...

Provisioning Your New Vessel

By Michael Dickens · 13 years ago

You just got that pristine trawler or motor yacht and you are anxious to get her underway to move her home. You have been running around for what feels like weeks getting everything ready. Groceries, ...

Boat Search Previews

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

As you know, I help numerous clients find and buy their yachts. I took Mary with me last week so she could go through first hand how I go about inspecting yachts. I previewed a ...

Servicing Stuffing Boxes on Boats

By Michael Dickens · 13 years ago

If your yacht has inboard engines, odds are it is equipped with a stuffing box to provide a watertight seal for the propeller shafts. Stuffing boxes are also used to seal rudder posts that penetrate ...

Choosing Davits for Your Dingy

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

One of the delights of cruising is anchoring out at your favorite gunk hole and launching the tender and taking in the sights of the region or visiting other yachts; it’s a good way to ...

Proper Anchoring of Your Boat

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

In another article we reviewed the 5 classes of anchors and how to choose the one best suited for your needs. In this posting, we will discuss how to properly set that anchor. Logic would ...

Choosing an Anchor for Your Boat

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

You have just bought a Grand Banks trawler; shes perfect in every way. You need to upgrade her electronics and then she will be ready for some cruising. You cannot wait to set the anchor ...

Maintaining Clean Water Aboard Your Yacht

By Mike Dickens · 13 years ago

Clean water on board our yachts is something we take for granted. One of the issues while living aboard, especially while cruising is that you do usually have a limited supply while away from the ...

First time Trawler Buyer

By Mike Dickens · 14 years ago

If you’re a first-time trawler yacht buyer the choice of used trawlers available for purchase can be overwhelming. How do you make sense of all the models and styles out there? The first time trawler ...