Long-term Clear Vinyl Protection
When the clear vinyl on one of our multihull test boats began to crack and fade after approximately 10 years, the costs estimates for...
The Cruising Sailors Sail Repair Toolkit
If you're going to sail you'll be doing some stitching. No two ways about it. Don't jump into the $100 do-everything kit. Start with...
Fixing the Storm-Damaged Boat
With $655 million dollars marine vessel insurance claims from the 2017 hurricanes Harvey and Irma, there is no shortage of broken boats accumulating in...
Welds on Your Boat Require Special Care
The irregular shape of welds makes them difficult to inspect using ultrasound technology. Visual inspections can also be deceiving-especially with new welds. The prettiest...
DIY Materials Testing
While many potential failures are easy to spot, some flaws are hidden under paint or within the structure, or are so small that a...
The Get-Home Sailboat Tool Kit
The tools and materials required to maintain and repair everything on a boat will barely fit in a room. Just the kit required to...
Wrapping Stainless Steel for Better Grip
The very first project tackled on my new-to-me catamaran a decade ago was to wrap the helm wheel with line. Our delivery trip home...
Best Sailing Gear of 2018
3)]DebondersIn an update to our January 2017 wide-ranging test of adhesive removers, we zeroed in on 3M 5200, looking for an antidote to its...
Coast Guard Seeks LED Input
Back in 2010, Practical Sailor and others raised the alert that a conversion to LED navigation lights can have some unintended consequences, including distorted...
Inspecting Rivets and Screws for Trouble
Drew Fry
One of the interesting conclusions from our testing was the surprising strength among all of the test fasteners when loaded in the shear....
The History of Cape Dory Sailboats
Cape Dory Yachts was founded in 1963 by Andrew Vavolotis in East Taunton, Mass. In the following 28 years, the company built over 2,800...
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...