Preparing a Marina-Bound Boat for a Tropical Storm
Practical Sailor has covered storm preparation on several occasions. The two most extensive articles appeared in July 2008 Gear for Battening Down Ahead of...
Inflatable PFDs: Know the Ins and Outs
The following is an updated advisory regarding the care and use of personal flotation devices. It's a relatively long post, but if you depend...
Sailing Helmets and the Risk of Head Injury
Should sailors wear helmets? As we gain greater awareness of the risks of long-term brain injury linked to concussions in various sports, it is...
Installing and Maintaining A Watermaker
Installing a watermaker can be a serious project, and its not to be taken lightly. First, you need to find a suitable location for...
Do-It-Yourself Bird Deterrents
As we found in our last major test of bird deterrents, there is no perfect solution for every bird problem, but we've come across...
Choosing a Bottom Paint
It's easy enough to choose the most effective paint from our bottom paint reports, but that paint might not always be the best for...
A Diaper Cream Cure for Barnacles?
Every now and then, I find myself dialing back the way-back machine and diving into the Practical Sailor archives.
Some of my favorite tests are...
Coast Guard Nav Light Safety Alert
The U.S. Coast Guard has determined that an increasing number navigation lights being used on sailboats do not meet the basic requirements for these...
When Splicing Isn’t an Option
My previous blog post on rig inspection prompted a question about how to splice old ropes, specifically ropes that need to be shortened to...
Striving for a Stronger Boat Cleat
Casting metal parts has been a technology in use for at least 6,000 years, and it remains the preferred approach when it comes to...
The BEST and WORST Boat Washing Machines
Are you looking into how to wash clothes on a boat? I set out to figure out which washing machine to install on my...
Latest Sailboat Review
Cape Dory 30 Used Boat Review
When the Cape Dory 30 entered production in 1976, it was the largest boat in the expanding line of the Taunton, Massachusetts boatbuilder. In...