Practical Sailor - Practical Sailor

Where Credit Is Due: Citimarine Air Conditioner Customer Service

March 3, 2025

Electric Outboard Charging Tips

March 3, 2025

How To Prepare Your Boat for a Survey

Boat Maintenance February 24, 2025

You’ve decided to proceed with a pre-purchase survey for your potential sailboat and are working with the seller to get their lowest price. A pre-purchase survey is recommended to make sure...

Islander Bahama 30 Used Boat Review

Sailboat Reviews February 24, 2025

More than a few years ago my wife Carey and I were looking to move up from our O’Day 25 to something a little larger, “two-foot-itis fever” had set in. With...

House Battery Bank Replacement: What to Consider

Electrical February 24, 2025

Replacing a battery bank on a cruising sailboat requires a myriad of choices—driven by one overriding goal. What are you hoping to power with your new capability? And what's the best...

Anti-Seize Coatings for Spars

Boat Maintenance February 24, 2025

If you've ever been humbled by a single impossibly stuck fastener, or plan on adding hardware to your spar, running gear, or deck, this report on anti-seize protectants is right up...

Epoxy deserves its wonder resin status as a highly adhesive, water-resistant laminating resin. It is the secret sauce behind a shelf full of fillers, glues, and fairing compounds. The downside of this...

Non-Skid Refinishing with KiwiGrip

DIY Projects February 17, 2025

Like most sailboats from the heyday of factory production in the 70s and 80s, our 1978 Islander Bahama came with a textured non-skid gelcoat deck, with a pattern designed to provide...

Marine Binoculars Guide

Optics February 17, 2025

Regardless of your vessel type or size, having access to a clear, magnified view of your surroundings is one key to safe boating. The best way to achieve this magnified view...

Storing Diesel Fuel

Diesel Engines February 17, 2025

When it comes to storing a gasoline powered vessel, you are generally better off keeping tanks full, adding a corrosion-inhibiting additive, and installing a dryer on the fuel vent line. If...

Caliber 40 LRC Used Boat Review

Sailboat Reviews February 17, 2025

Brothers George and Michael McCreary, and Marshall Jones, formed Caliber Yachts Inc. as a backyard boatbuilding company in 1979. No strangers to the sailing world, the brothers grew up racing and...

Alternator Overheat: A Surprising Solution for Older Boats

Diesel Engines February 10, 2025

Over the years, and with two different small diesels working in the tight quarters of the engine compartment of our 1978 Islander Bahama 30, we have consistently suffered from “overheated alternator...