Inside Practical Sailor

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...
The Mustang Hit Hydrostatic Inflatable PFD with tether point. Choosing a PFD with a tether point is key if you're planning on sailing offshore. Photo courtesy of Mustang Survival.

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...

Lagoon’s WILD NEW 43 Footer is Replacing the 42!

Are you interested in chartering a catamaran sailboat? This is Lagoons new entry level cat. The 43, and while you can still buy a...

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...