The Scraper-only Approach to Bottom Paint Removal
Spring is just around the corner. For many sailors, especially those with boats on the hard, it’s good time to consider the advantages of...
Real World Antifouling Testing
In addition to our panel testing of dozens of paints, we applied six different antifouling paints to our test boat, a Corsair F-24 trimaran....
Antifouling for Brackish Water
For two years, we’ve been soaking both our test boat and 11 test panels with 30 different antifouling paints in Rockhold Creek, a brackish...
Bottom Paints for Brackish Water at 1 Year
For more than four decades, Practical Sailor has been testing bottom paints, although for the first few years, the topic really didn’t draw much...
Bottom Paint Removal Decision Time
Tempis fugit . . . times a-waistin’ . . . fast flies the irreparable hour . . . However you choose to use your...
Bottom Paints for Brackish Water
Prior PS bottom paint testing focused on saltwater locations in Florida and Massachusetts. This time we’ve moved our testing racks to the brackish waters...
Exterior Wood Finish Update at 2 Years
Boxed and stored as PS went through three office moves in a short time frame, the wood samples we varnished in late 2015 finally...
Even 2020 Yielded Some Great Gear
Once more, the bulk of the past year’s testing focused on maintenance products, safety essentials, and do-it-yourself substitutes for higher priced marine gear. Part...
Four Solvents for Nearly Every Boat Job
As with cleaners (see One Bucket Cleaning Kit, May 2017) its easy to be over-specific with solvents. Pretty soon, we end up with a...
Making Sense of Solvents
The paint aisle is crowded with products to thin or clean up everything. Your dockmate suggests that X is the stronger solvent, that Y...
Abandon Ship! Coast Guard Rescue Beneteau 523 in the Atlantic
What would cause the captain and crew to abandon ship in the Atlantic ocean? There was no sailboat disaster here, but a coast guard...
Latest Sailboat Review
J/109 Used Boat Review
The J/109 is a 35-ft. boat that races well and has some comforts for short term cruising. It is a true racer/cruiser. The first...