SNADs: Snaps Without Screws
No one likes drilling holes in their boat, and to drill holes for a simple snap seems like overkill. I love snaps for window...
Stickier Sail Tape with 3M Primer
Self-adhesive hardware-store hooks don’t stick well to bare fiberglass. Just last week we had one wash into the bilge-pump strainer on our test boat....
F-24 Portlight Replacement
The windows on our Corsair F-24 trimaran were obviously damaged by UV radiation. All we could see through them were shapes of objects that...
PS Advisor: Combatting Mildew on a Moored Boat
In your recent report “Understanding Dew Point to Prevent Mildew,” (see Inside Practical Sailor blog) there is the comment, “curiously, the best way to...
Synthetic Teak Durability Test
Alot of water has rushed over the bridge since we last looked at synthetic teak decking materials—eight years worth. Since that last report (see...
PS Advisor: Using Acids to Clean Propellers
We recently received a letter from a reader asking us which acids might be used to clean a bronze propeller. Although we’ve found it...
Cockpit Drains on Race Boats
The ability for an enclosed cockpit to drain rapidly has long been a concern among yacht designers, and safety guidelines have been in place...
The Best Boat Bucket You Can Buy
A recent test report reacquainted me with an age old problem, that has not yet fully been solved: How can one person, absent a...
The DIY Bulkhead Rebuild on a Production Charter Cat
In 2021 I bought Epic, a 2013 Lagoon 450 catamaran, and soon learned the boat’s forward bulkhead, along with other important structural components, were...
Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part V
This is Part V, the final installment of a five-part series on rebuilding and modifying our Cape Dory 36 from a bare hull into...