Practical Sailor

We’re looking at a boat that sounds like a German electronics band but is actually a 43-ft. cruising sailboat—the Hanse 430e. If you’re shopping that 40-ish foot production cruiser universe, you...

Dorade vents are the best solution to keep the cabin fresh in bad weather or offshore. They let air in but keep water out in a way that nothing else does....

We love marine books at Practical Sailor, but we recognize their shelf life can be limited. After you’ve read, enjoyed and absorbed, they might sit on a bedside stand, then migrate...

This is a three-part series detailing the installation of an inboard diesel engine into my modified Cape Dory 36 Far Reach. I rebuilt Far Reach from bare hull over a six-year...

Sail repairs are a fact of life for the sailor. A stray cotter pin can shred a spinnaker. Perhaps the mainsail luff could use some chafe protection, or the genoa sun cover is flapping. Often, a trip to the sailmaker isn't justified for these repairs. The sail is too old to take stitching without further weakening the material, or you simply want to delay that repair until the end of the season. Perhaps youre on a cruise and would rather wait. A sewn repair is generally the gold standard, but some tears better-fixed with a patch.

The early 1970s was the heyday of the Tartan 30' racer/cruiser. In all, no less than two dozen boats of a similar size and type were introduced in just three years, many of them to become highly successful among sailors eager for the performance and amenities of big boats at a modest price. Among the most noteworthy and enduring of the 30-footers from this era has been the Tartan 30.

“This anchor has a hole instead of a slot like the others. Is that OK?” A fair question. Surprisingly, perhaps, name brand anchors can go either way. Most anchors have a slot;...

We’re sailors and we know our knots. We don’t use bungees to avoid lashings or because we don’t have enough old rope lying about to tie things down. We’ve had too...

The world is chock-a-block full of stunning, postcard-worthy cruising destinations. But pleasant aesthetics and comfort didn't guide my good friend Bruce Maunsell. Instead, he chose to sail a circuit to find...

Noted seamanship authority John Rousmaniere offers a problem-focused approach to determining and selecting basic but essential safety equipment for the coastal cruising vessel.