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The Boat Galley

making boat life better

 

Boat DIY Tips
Boat DIY Tips
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Owning a boat turns everyone into a DIY-er! Sometimes, there's just no one else to do the job.
 
Along the way, we've learned how to do many things a little more easily and here we share it all with you.

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Don’t Let Bugs in the Thru-Hulls

Published on September 21, 2026; last updated on September 21, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Keep bugs out of your boat with this easy, low-cost way to prevent ants, mud daubers, spiders, and cockroaches from entering thru-hulls when in a boatyard.

Pulling Boat Electrical Wires

Published on September 1, 2026; last updated on September 1, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Installing new equipment on a boat often requires new electrical wiring. Two tips for running that wiring in tight spaces.

How to Clean Epoxy From Your Hands

Published on August 20, 2026; last updated on August 20, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Hands coated with epoxy

Using acetone to clean up after nasty messy projects such as epoxy or sealant? There’s something that works better, is cheaper AND is less toxic!

Clean Your Dinghy Bottom More Easily

Published on August 17, 2026; last updated on August 20, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Dinghy bottom with cleaning products

We’ve finally found a product that significantly cut the time to clean the bottom of the dinghy. Even better — it’s cheap!

My Favorite Boat Bottom Scraping Tool

Published on July 16, 2026; last updated on July 16, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

This inexpensive tool made the scraping SO much easier without gouging the gel coat. And we’ve used it for lots of other projects as well.

Hauling Out Your Boat – What to Ask to Protect Yourself

Published on July 2, 2026; last updated on July 2, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Do you know the right questions to ask before hauling out? Here are a few to get you thinking. Picking the right boatyard is important.

12 Volt Wiring Size Chart

Published on April 30, 2026; last updated on April 30, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

A man's hands using red-handled wire crimpers to crimp a connector onto a red wire, with The Boat Galley 12 Volt Wiring Size Chart laid out on the table next to him showing voltage drop tables and a battery state of charge chart, along with a small parts box of wire connectors and Klein wire strippers nearby.

Marine product: A waterproof, grease-proof 12V DC wire size chart with 3% and 10% voltage drop tables for both regular and engine-room installations. Also includes a battery state of charge chart for flooded lead acid, AGM, and lithium batteries plus a watts/volts/amps conversion chart. Compact enough for the toolbox or engine room.

How To Make Lazy Jacks Easy To Use

Published on March 23, 2026; last updated on March 20, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Sailor working with mainsail and lazy jacks at the mast on a sailboat

Tired of wrestling battens past lazy jacks? Here’s the $100 DIY fix that makes raising the main frustration-free.

Find a Fuel Problem on a Boat

Published on February 25, 2026; last updated on March 3, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

How to find the cause of a fuel problem on a boat. Symptoms and possible causes, plus step-by-step strategies for finding it.

Check Your Boat Refrigerator Seals

Published on February 12, 2026; last updated on February 11, 2026 by Carolyn Shearlock

Refrigerator (or ice box) seals help keep the cold air from seeping out the cracks around lids and doors. But are yours really doing the job?

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Welcome

Carolyn Shearlock

Hi! I'm Carolyn Shearlock. My husband and I have been living on a boat and cruising over 17 years and 13,000 miles, first on a Tayana 37 monohull and then on a 34' Gemini catamaran. Along the way, we sold pretty much everything we owned (twice!), gained a great boat dog, had a bunch of wonderful times and some adventures . . . and learned a ton about what does and doesn't work!

How Can We Help You?

I'm curious about the cruising life What is it, who does it, and what's it really like day to day?
I'm tempted — but is it realistic for my situation? My budget, my health, my partner, my life, my skills (or lack thereof)
I'm getting ready to go Buying a boat, getting insurance, planning to move aboard
I'm aboard and navigating the learning curve How do I make it the life I dreamed of?

Latest Articles

Six strategies to get more from solar panels on a boat. None are hard to implement and can provide 10% or more extra charging power each day.

More From Your Solar Panels

September 21, 2026

We got 90% of our power from solar. Here are a few simple adjustments to help you get the most from your solar panels, even on cloudy days.

Don’t Let Bugs in the Thru-Hulls

September 21, 2026

Keep bugs out of your boat with this easy, low-cost way to prevent ants, mud daubers, spiders, and cockroaches from entering thru-hulls when in a boatyard.

Boat Maintenance: O-Rings

September 18, 2026

Why replace o-rings annually, even if they don’t appear to be cracked? Contaminated fuel and engine damage are only a few of the problems you’ll avoid.

Living on a boat

There's no shortage of sailing and navigation courses. But who teaches you how to provision, store everything, stay cool, prep for hurricanes, and actually live on a boat? We do.

Master Life Aboard with
Our All-Access Pass

11 courses covering every aspect of life afloat — from deciding if cruising is right for you, to moving aboard, provisioning, storage, tiny fridges, VHF radio, hurricane prep, cruising the Bahamas, boat dogs, and more.

$519  $199  SAVE 62%

See the All-Access Pass →

Prefer just one topic? Browse individual courses

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