Caring for Clear Plastics on Your Boat
There are three basic types of transparent plastics used on boats: clear vinyls, acrylics (the best known is Plexiglas), and polycarbonates (the marine standard...
Sailboat Design Conference Part I
We interviewed five leading designers of recreational and cruising boats to better understand the way they view the market and what considerations reside behind...
Do-It-Yourself Fender Boards
Without fender boards, no matter how you position and secure your boat and fenders, the movement of the tide and the boat will invariably...
User Report: Lasdrop Shaft Seal
On my 40’ wood boat Daybreak I had a stuffing box problem. The gland leaked worse and worse, especially when motoring. It is very...
Mast Support for Trailerable Boats
The transom support is a simple design. It is merely a 1" x 8 " board of a convenient length fastened to the rudder...
How to Prevent Head Odors Aboard Your Sailboat
While permeation of waste gases through flexible sanitation hose is a major source of odors in the head, it is not the only one....
Winterizing the Engine: Maintenance that Is Truly Preventive
Winterizing an inboard engine installation means a lot more than filling the cooling system with antifreeze and stuffing a rag in the exhaust outlet....
Checking and Replacing: Keelbolts, Part 1
Nevertheless, this safety margin does not guarantee eternal life for keelbolts. Corrosion takes its toll, sometimes more quickly than you might think. It is...
Maintenance of Interior Teak
With resistance to weathering as its primary virtue, however, teak makes less sense for use as trim below. Nevertheless, the simplicity of finishing teak,...
Can You-Should You-Build Your Own Fiberglass Tanks?
These tank makers are no doubt familiar with the construction, installation, and testing recommendations (including pressure-impulse strength tests) published in the American Boat &...
The UNIQUE Maxus 26 Lifting Keel Trailer Sailor
What is the best trailerable sailboat? One big feature is the mast stepping system. Today we look at trailer sailors like the Catalina 275,...
Latest Sailboat Review
Beneteau 40.7 Used Boat Review
Beneteau began building boats in France in 1884 when Beneteau opened shop for the purpose of constructing trawlers at Croix-de-Vie. Eighty years later, under...