Safety & Seamanship

Offshore Log:More (Shore) Power To The People

Like most projects, our recent installation of a 240/120-volt stepdown isolation transformer turned into more of a task than we originally envisioned.Our transformer installation...

Looking for the Perfect Inflatable Pump

The time it takes to fill an inflatable with air to the proper pressure is a function not only of the size of the...

Quicksilver QS-230 Airfloor Inflatable

In late 1996, Quicksilver (the parts and accessories arm of Mercury Marine) came out with a new line of air-floor inflatables. We missed testing...

Johnson & Johnson and Orion Our Picks Among Marine Medical Kits

When we conduct used-boat inspections we look everywhere, including inside medicine cabinets. Especially on boats that are more than five years old, we are...

Offshore Log: Re-inventing the Wheel

Calypso was designed and built to be steered by a tiller. With her double-ended hull form and big outboard rudder, fitting a wheel system...

Offshore Log: Bermuda-bound Trial by Water

We never seem to do things the easy way. In late November, Calypso left New England once again, this time bound first to Bermuda,...

Offshore Log:Do You Know Where Your Emergency Tiller Is?

The great racing sailor, Paul Elvstrom, preferred the superior sensitivity of tiller steering to wheel steering even on larger offshore boats. Elvstrom, however, seems...

GPS Plotters: Trimble NT200D and Raytheon 620 Our Top Picks

GPS plotters, which combine satellite positioning and charting functions, make a vast amount of information instantly available to the navigator. Relatively new on the...

Is 88% A Good Number?

If you want a nice vacation, a boat charter seems close to a sure thing. Readers who responded to a survey published in last...

Lifesling Goes Throwable

Were safety conscious at Practical Sailor. Readers know that, from the numerous articles about our in-the-water and bench tests. We rarely fail to comment...

A Fast Small Sailboat from Saffier

If you're looking for a fast sailboat to use as a day sailer, then Saffier Yachts may have just the sailboat to buy. With...

Latest Sailboat Review

Grampian 26 Used Boat Review

The first fiberglass auxiliary sailboats were built in the late 1950s; for the record, the first was the 40-foot Philip Rhodes-designed Bounty II (1956),...