Handbearing Compasses: Plastimo Iris
One of the most time-consuming chores at Practical Sailor is finding, selecting and assembling the products to be tested. Even before we figure out...
Offshore Log: An Evolution in EPIRBs
Sailing shorthanded makes you think a lot about safety. Even after you develop confidence in your boats ability to take what the ocean hands...
Chandlery
Fire & Flame GuardIt's a clich but also true that theres nothing as scary as a fire on a boat, or anywhere else for...
GPS 406 MHz EPIRBs: ACR vs. NAT
The prime electronic rescue device has for many years been the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).The original concept of the EPIRB was a...
Safety Harness Tests
Practical Sailor is pleased to present the results of destructrive and practical testing of safety harnesses and tethers by the Sailing Foundation of Seattle,...
Top 10 Products for 1999
Choosing the best gear for sailboats isn't easy. But at Practical Sailor were used to doing just that. The job is easiest when empirical...
Hurricane Watch
When I moved from Michigan to Rhode Island in 1980, sailing my old Pearson Triton through the lakes, canals and Hudson River, it never...
Safety Harness Tether Test
In 1998, the Safety at Sea Committee embarked on a program to evaluate common safety harnesses and tethers used in sailing. Most testing for...
Not Quite A Life Raft
by Douglas S. RitterWhen is a raft not quite a life raft? When it’s an “inshore” raft lacking significant capabilities or features normally found...
Life Raft Materials, Construction and Servicing
One of the biggest points of contention among those selling life rafts, and a point of confusion among those buying them, is what they...
A Rival for Island Packet, Made in China – Outbound 46...
Like Kraken Yachts and some Passport sailboats, Outbound Yachts are made in China. It's heavy like an Island Packet, but fast like a Beneteau....
Latest Sailboat Review
Pearson 303 Used Boat Review
The Pearson 303, introduced in 1983, is a fairly typical example of the kind of work Pearson was doing in the mid-1980s, continuing until...