Jul 23, 2026

things I learned about sailing:

1. It’s okay for a sailboat to be old. Fiberglass ages well. 1979 boat can be as seaworthy as 2026.

2. Sailboats don’t need to be expensive. Even though many of them are. My trick is to buy from a nonprofit, that accepts boat donations.

3. Small boats are fun to sail. If that’s your goal, 22 feet is big enough.

4. All moving parts need occasional lubrication. Don’t use household grease or oil though, because that attracts dirt and becomes a mess. Get a drying spray, like Teflon, or a specialized marine lubricant.

5. Not any sailboat is good for single-handing. All sheets must be reachable from tiller.

6. With single-handing, one hand holds tiller and main sheet, the other works jib sheets. Tuck jib sheet with main, to grab it with a free hand. Put tiller under a knee when need two hands. Having an autopilot helps when raising or lowering sails, but not required.

7. Gasoline motor needs to be serviced every 100 hours of work.

8. Electrical motors have limited range, and are more expensive. Except low-power trolley motors, those are cheap but weak.

9. You can start with just sheets, but for best performance, learn how to use boomvang, outhaul, downhaul, and mast bender to change the shape of the main sail.

10. Jib is fine for mild wind. For wind speed above 15 mph get a furler or a storm jib. Genoa for light winds. Spinnaker for long downwind legs.