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...
Online Help for Autumn
It's getting to be that time of year, when many skippers haul out or head south. Fall also heralds the beginning of boat show...
Choosing and Using Jackstands
Were guessing 90 percent of sailors have their boat hauled by a yard. A travel lift or crane plucks the boat from the water,...
Mailport: Cold Weather Suits
Regarding your recent Inside Practical Sailor blog post Drysuits vs. Survival Suits, I raft the Colorado river in Grand Canyon where water temps are...
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...
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...
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...