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Upgrading Your Small Sailboat for Cruising

by Paul Butler

Practical upgrades for turning a small sailboat into a more capable cruiser

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Regular price $33.40 USD Sale price $23.38 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Practical upgrades for turning a small sailboat into a more capable cruiser

Paul Butler’s guide concentrates on the design and equipment decisions that matter when cruising space is limited. Its project-based approach addresses both seaworthiness and onboard livability, moving from rigging, flotation, and hull reinforcement to cockpit enclosure, ventilation, water storage, and interior sleeping and stowage arrangements. The scope is notably broad: it treats a small boat as an interconnected system, where structural changes, weather protection, and organization all affect time aboard. Geared toward improving existing fiberglass sailboats, the book frames compact-boat cruising as a matter of thoughtful adaptation rather than simply adding amenities.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Owners preparing a daysailer or pocket cruiser for overnight cruising
  • DIY sailors interested in boat-fitting projects and practical onboard systems
  • Small-boat cruisers weighing safety, storage, comfort, and weather protection

Themes

Small-boat cruisingSailboat modificationSafety and flotationOnboard storage and water systemsComfort in limited space

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

In view of the sky-high purchase and ownership costs of today's large yachts, more and more people are opting to cruise in smaller boats, ranging downward in size from 30 feet to as small as 15 feet. In a boat with limited space, forethought and good design are particularly important for both safety and comfort -- but all too often these are precisely the areas shortchanged in fiberglass production sailboats. Upgrading Your Small Sailboat for Cruising is intended to bridge that gap, with dozens of projects to make a daysailer suitable for cruising, or a pocket cruiser more suitable. The book offers improvements in every area: masts and rigging, flotation, strengthening fiberglass hulls, bow rollers, enclosed cockpits, stowage tanks, water systems, seating and sleeping arrangements, lockers, bulkheads, canvaswork, hatches, and ventilation. These and many other details, taken together, can make the difference between pleasure and misery when cruising in small sailboats.
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