Boat Maintenance

How to Tap and Rivet Into A Sailboat Spar

Tapping holes is a skill that requires some practice. Start with a piece of scrap metal, because mistakes in a spar are impossible to...

Deft Theft: Make & Find Your Own Marine Gear

Heres a bet: Someone at the next boat show will try to sell you something you already have. With more time than money on...

The Penny-Pinching PhD Sailor

For more than 30 years, Practical Sailor has provided serious sailors and DIY boat owners an unbiased source of evaluations. We've done our best...

Anti-Corrosion Bags Live Up to Claims, But So Does Ziploc

Our test of anti-corrosion bags presented conditions far more rigorous than what one might typically encounter for equipment stored on a boat. Our testers estimated...

Reviving Fuel Filter Beads – Again and Again

A few years back, we introduced fuel tank vent filters as a simple step toward drier fuel (see Practical Sailor January 2013, EPA Mandate...

No-Rust Bags? A Bit of a Bust.

Your boat and fittings may be made of corrosion-resistant materials, but not your electronics, spare electrical components, and many engine parts and bearings. They...

Clearing the Air Around Odor Testing

Drew Frye After several rounds of chemical testing for holding tanks, we have got this stink detection down to a science. Because the masking chemicals are...

Controlling Porta Potty Odor

We were kind of hoping to never revisit the whole holding tank/hoses/chemical topic again. Several memorable years were spent playing with iguana poo, researching...

Mailport: Tourniquets at Sea

Tourniquets at Sea Anthony Foglio I'm an emergency medical technician with a local volunteer fire company and wanted to comment on your recent Inside PS blog...

What You Have Now is Probably Enough

This old poster, circulated by the U.S. Government in 1943 to inspire thrift during World War II, stood out among the boat photos sent...

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...