The Unsung Hero of Canvas Work
You can cut cloth, carpet, and rope with scissors or a knife, but the result is a frayed mess, as soon as the item...
4 Years Later Sail Repairs Hold Well
After four long years in the sun, we’re finally taking our polyester (Dacron) sail repair samples out of the elements for good. Even glued...
Bent Rudder Remedy
A few years ago while sailing my PDQ catamaran, we struck something hard and bent the rudder so badly that the top of the...
Are You Ready to Kludge Your Way Home?
The first use of the word kludge is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm in 1962, describing an ugly programming solution that was “an ill-assorted...
Tough, Versatile Coosa Board Suited for Various Projects
Cosa board is a closed cell panel that is reinforced with glass fiber, giving it both shear strength and compression strength. Compared to the...
The Multipurpose Core
Solid fiberglass is strong and durable, but it weighs a ton. Even boats with solid hulls generally have cored decks, cabins, stringers, and bulkheads....
Foam Filters Make Little Sense for Air Intake
Probably the biggest takeaway from our report is the surprising prevalence of deteriorating foam oil filters on sailboats.
More than one-third of the sailors we...
Adhesion and Opacity Varies Widely
Ahesion was a key characteristics we sought in a sail paint, but we were also interested in opacity.
After six months, Benjamin Moore paint...
A Few Tips on Patching or Masking with Tape
Tape seems like simple thing to manage. How complicated can it get? But as webe found in multiple past tests at Practical Sailor, the...
Test Boats Painted Jib Draws Zero Attention
Whats that they say about the 10-foot paint job? Sure, if you look closely, it is clear that something is different with the genoa...
Jeanneau Yachts 65 Full Tour and Review
Choosing between a monohull and catamaran was already hard, but Jeanneau just made it even harder. The new Jeanneau Yachts 65 is a monumental...
Latest Sailboat Review
Islander Bahama 30 Used Boat Review
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...