#1/The Blanket. Special Refitting. Time for change. Ten questions in ten episodes.

Having a boat means never having a moment to be bored. With the good season over, summer cruises and fall weekends still warm, now is the time to enter the winter phase, which for every shipowner means one thing: tune-ups, checks, optimization, in a word refitting, getting back in shape. Thus begins the season in which most weekends are spent on the boat doing “chores” that, while they can often be “do-it-yourself,” just as frequently require the help of an expert in the field who will intervene on board with his or her experience and advice. So we decided to put ourselves in your shoes and offer you a series of questions that every boat owner should ask himself every year at the end of the season and thus have plenty of time to prepare and settle the boat for the following spring. But not only that, the questions are followed by answers in which we have tried to summarize, as much as possible, the guidelines for a proper refit of your boat. We can already see you on board with a nice thermos of hot tea looking up as you ponder some of these questions we propose.

1. How can I simplify maneuvering on deck?

   You have taken a ride on a friend’s boat and noticed that maneuvering aboard his boat is easier and faster, which can be done even in two, and that order and cleanliness reigned on deck, with no obstacles in the way of maneuvering. is the right time to change something aboard your boat as well. In fact, the deck is the area where a real revolution can take place: if the boat already has several miles of sailing behind it, redundant winches can be removed and replaced with stoppers to have a cleaner deck and larger relaxation areas.
   
   In fact, the trend today is to have a few well-sized and powerful winches on deck (six in most cases): two for halyards and staysail, the two most powerful with self tailing for the headsail, two for spi, mainsail and any flying rigging. The reduction in the number of winches on deck is also thanks to the use of stoppers that allow the sheets and lines upstream of the winch to be locked in place, freeing it up and making it usable for other maneuvers. You may also consider replacing the original winches with electric ones.
   Another very popular and impactful intervention in revolutionizing a boat’s deck is the change of the skylights: buying new ones is a great opportunity to improve the boat’s appearance and functionality. Ocean portholes can be replaced with Low Profile models flush with the deck: again, the result will be a cleaner, clutter-free deck. You can then choose glass, acrylic, or plexiglass skylights of different colors to reduce the glare of ultraviolet rays below deck or reinforced with solid handles if you are sailing medium/long distance. Remember that some structural changes are necessary if you widen a skylight a lot or if you install one where there was none before. The surface of skylights is then often slippery: however, there are several types of non-slip adhesive tapes, including transparent ones, to put on top to prevent slipping.
   
   Finally, carabiners and shackles can be replaced by dyneema loops: systems for securing halyards or connecting blocks to eyebolts, which have the advantage of being lighter and carrying a higher workload than steel shackles.
   

FIND OUT WHO TO TURN TO FOR REFURBISHING YOUR BOAT

ARE YOUR SAILS COOKED? DISCOVER THE BEST OF SAILMAKERS