Professional BoatBuilder Magazine
August/September 2015
On the cover: A Mars Metal technician checks the interface between the keel and lead bulb as they're readied for shipment to Southern Wind Shipyard in South Africa. The Canadian company has evolved from a small local lead foundry in 1979 into a global supplier of custom finished keels and ballast bulbs in lead, iron, steel, and nickel-aluminum-bronze. Story on page 70.
Features:
24 Hooked on Networks: by Nigel Calder. While slow to catch on at first, NMEA 2000's proprietary protocols have expanded functionality and popularity of networked onboard electronics.
40 Flight Engineering by Doug Schickler. A design team exceeds conventional expectations and structural standards for cruising boats in creating Gunboat's new G4 foiling catamaran.
54 Back from Abandoned by Reuel B. Parker. Rebuilding the title and restoring a derelict, hurricane-damaged Chris-Craft Commander 27 are worth the grime and the grunt work.
70 The Keel Specialists by Rob Mazza. The Canadian Mars Metal Company, a major producer of lead keels for sailboats, has expanded into other markets, including radiation shields and counterweights.
