Issue Overviews

An abbreviated look at the contents and an article from selected issues of Good Old Boat magazine, in PDF format.

September 2017

Cover, table of contents, "Lessons from a rigging failure" by Tom Alley. A story about a crew of well-drilled junior sailors that help save a mast. Read More

July 2017

Cover, table of contents and "First things last", Robin Urquhart gets to the bottom of a puzzling overheating cause -- what he found surprised us all, from the July/August 2017 issue. Read More ›

May 2017

Cover, table of contents and "Insights on Sidelights", a tour of various sidelights found in marinas, their placement, and insights for installation by John Churchill, from the May/June 2017 issue. Read More ›

March 2017

Cover, table of contents and "Night Passages", tactics and tricks to make that overnighter sail go safely and smoothly, and without mishap, by Fiona McGlynn, from the March 2017 issue. Read More ›

January 2017

Cover, table of contents and "New and cool underfoot", an article by Terry Kotas about a substantial refit involving removing the aging teak deck and rebuilding the underlying fiberglass non-skid surface, from the January 2017 issue. Read More ›


November 2016

Cover, table of contents plus Drew Frye's article about trays to recover lost space from the tops of deep lockers, "A Topping Idea for Storage", from the November 2016 issue. Read More ›

September 2016

Cover, table of contents and Joe Cloidt's article, "Singlehanding the mainsail," about his traveler controls that allow him to make adjustmenets to the mainsail without leaving the wheel. Read More ›

July 2016

Cover, table of contents and Ed Zacko's article about an indispensible roll-damping device to combat swells at anchor. It's simple, inexpensive and compact, and read all about it in our July 2016 issue. Read More ›

May 2016

Cover and table of contents, plus Durkee Richards tells us how to safely dispose of those neglected flares that have been down below for way too long, from our May 2016 issue. Read More ›

March 2016

Cover, table of contents plus "Boayard Awning," by Shirley Carter, where details design and construction of a shady, rain-proof whole-boat shelter, from our March 2016 issue. Read More ›

January 2016

Cover, table of contents plus Linus Wilson shows us how to build and use a dinghy bladder to ferry water out to your boat in "Weightless Water," from our January 2016 issue. Read More ›


November 2015

Cover, table of contents plus Ed Zacko's article about a daily duty aboard – "The Ship's Log," from the November 2015 issue. Some are as simple as weather reports, some are elaborate scrap books. What treasures would you find in yours? Read More ›

September 2015

Cover, table of contents plus our September 2015 Review Boat, the Cape Dory 27, by Tom Wells. A Carl Alberg design boat introduced in 1977, she's a thoroughbred on rivers, lakes and oceans. Read More ›

July 2015

Cover, table of contents and "Saved from extinction," Peter Thelin's tale of the near-death experience of a Pacific 30, and how his refit brought it not only back to life, but made her "a dream to sail." Read More ›

May 2015

Cover, table of contents plus David Lynn's article, "Electrical Soldering," covering the basic steps for making reliable connections, from our May 2015 issue. Read More ›

March 2015

Cover, table of contents plus "An Engine With a Fever," by Ed Zacko, where Ed investigates the mystery of engine failure while cruising a river in France, from our March 2015 issue. Read More ›

January 2015

Cover, table of contents plus how Roger Hughes solved some line-leading issues on his multilevel deck with "Over-the-top Blocks", from our January 2015 issue. Read More ›


November 2014

Cover, table of contents plus "Here are some 'roads not taken' that have allowed me to afford to own and sail a really great good old boat on a modest budget", John Brooks' November 2014 article, "10 Ways". Read More ›

September 2014

Cover, table of contents plus our September 2014 article, "One Brain, Six Hands," by Karen Sullivan. "The fundamental rule for going solo is to plan ahead." Being prepared, methodical, and keeping a good lookout is what's needed to be a solo sailor. Read More ›

July 2014

Cover, table of contents plus "Lifeline Security," by Frank Lanier, a July 2014 article laying out the things to watch for to maintan your boat's lifelines, because their condition and upkeep can be critical to the safety of everyone aboard. Read More ›

May 2014

Cover, table of contents plus Annie Hill's article, "Strength Savers," on the many things you can do to ready your boat for sailing her single handed, from our May 2014 issue. Read More ›

March 2014

Cover, table of contents plus "Fix It or Nix It," by Carl Hunt, an article on boat buying comparing the cost of repair with the cost of replacing your good old boat, from our March 2014 issue. Read More ›

January 2014

Cover, table of contents, and one more article in the January 2014 issue: "On Watch in All Weather" by Ed Zacko. Ed was taken by the comfort in a watch-standing seat that straddles the companionway entrance. He shows us how to build our own. Read More ›


November 2013

Cover, table of contents, and a great refit article by Susan Peterson Gateley: "Sophie Twice Revived." This boat's had several ups and downs in her life and she's going strong. All this and more is in the November 2013 issue.Read More ›

September 2013

Cover, table of contents, and one article from our September 2013 issue: "Defining a Pilothouse" by Rob Mazza. Rob discusses the differences between pilothouse and motorsailer and all the design variations in between.Read More ›

July 2013

Cover, table of contents from our July 2013 issue, and an article by Richard Toyne about making Dorade boxes. With limited tools, Richard makes lovely bases for the vents and shows how to make one fit snugly on a cambered deck. Read More ›

May 2013

Cover, table of contents plus "Mast-raising Magic" by Rob Mazza in our May 2013 issue. In this article Rob describes a great method of raising and lowering a mast with limited strength and few or no helpers. Read More ›

March 2013

Cover, table of contents plus "Making new lifelines" by David Lynn, research and construction of new lifelines from new materials, from our March 2013 issue. Read More ›

January 2013

Cover, table of contents plus "Learning What You Love" by Kegan Ambrose, the story of how a project boat helped a young man set his life's course, from our January 2013 issue. Read More ›


November 2012

Cover, table of contents and an article by Robert Perry about the yacht design legacy of Bill Tripp. Read More ›

September 2012

Cover, table of contents and an article by Jane Lothrop on making an easy cover to protect an inflatable dinghy, from our September 2012 issue. Read More ›

July 2012

Cover, table of contents and an profile by Cindy Christian Rogers of author Bill Hammond and his latest historical novel, A Matter Of Honor, from our July 2012 issue. Read More ›

May 2012

Cover, table of contents and an article by David Lynn on making and installing clear resin deck prisms to let light into your cabin without being a hazard on deck, from our May 2012 issue. Read More ›

March 2012

Cover, table of contents and Leslie Linkkila and Philip DiNuovo tell us about Bacio, their two-part nesting dinghy based on a Danny Greene design, from our March 2012 issue. Read More ›


January 2012

Cover, table of contents plus "Learning What You Love" by Kegan Ambrose, the story of how a project boat helped a young man set his life's course, from our January 2012 issue. Read More ›

November 2011

Cover, table of contents and an article by Robert Perry about the yacht design legacy of Bill Tripp. Read More ›

September 2011

Cover, table of contents and two articles from our September 2011 issue on making the most of your galley: Tony Allport writes about galley improvisations, and Bruce Bingham describes how to make "canny use of nooks and crannies." Read More ›

July 2011

Cover, table of contents and two articles on boat desgn, one by Ted Brewer on the problems that can arise in the process of taking a yacht design and actually building it, and one by Dave Gerr on his obessive noodling with boat designs, from our July 2011 issue. Read More ›

May 2011

Cover, table of contents and an article by Joe Steinberger on converting his boat to a solar-powered electric engine, from our May 2011 issue. Read More ›

March 2011

Cover, table of contents and an article by Tony Allport on installing a diesel heater to keep your cabin warm wherever you are, from our March 2011 issue. Read More ›