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Keeping Cool: AIM’s Marine Group and the MyBoatWorks team embark on replacing the air-conditioning units aboard our Grand Banks 42 project boat.

Back in 2001, we had just finished up chartering season and my crew and I were doing what we call a “fun trip.” We go

Engine-room fires and other related mishaps are rare but by no means inconceivable. So while you’re keeping that sharp eye out for pirates and hurricanes, don’t forget also to check on your engine room.

The ABCs of Marine Batteries. You need to know the differences between battery types before you can pick the right setup for your boat. Here are a few tips to get started.

The marketing side of our industry constantly racks its collective mind trying to figure out how to get that next generation on the the water. Could the real secret lie in a freshly varnished helm?

Connect Four (or More)! ‘GO’ almost anywhere you want—this satellite device from Iridium will allow multiple users to stay in touch beyond the reach of cellular and Wi-Fi.

As part of my research for a story I was writing, I once asked a fellow marine writer, who was also a well-known naval architect, to explain the basics of hull design. His answer was short and pithy. “Hull design is like sex: Everyone knows the basics; it’s the details that separate the good efforts from the bad.”

Renown power-cruiser and documentarian, Sprague Theobald, recalls one of his early cruising adventures, a race from Annapolis to Bermuda aboard a Nicholson 32, and how it almost ended before its time. It may have taken place aboard a sail boat, but there are lessons for all cruisers in this tale of how one man’s (his) adventurous spirit almost got snuffed out early by a rogue container ship.

Sometimes an electronics upgrade is in the cards before you even buy the boat. Maybe it’s not as obvious on your boat, until … you pay a visit to the pilothouse of your buddy’s boat, and come away with a condition that could be categorized as “screen envy.” Don’t go it alone: use the expertise and know-how of a trusted installer to refit your electronics the right way.

Man Overboard! Those are two of the most panic inducing words you can ever hear on a boat. But, fear not (really, don’t panic)! Here are some essentials for dealing with a MOB emergency and making sure everyone makes it back to the docks in one piece.