Make A Tie-down Strop
After hundreds of years of seafaring, there shouldn't be any new rope tricks. Then new high-strength materials like Amsteel came along, suggesting new applications...
DIY Fishing Gear for Sailors
We reviewed clamp-on rod holders a few years in the past, but found them expensive (see PS October 2006). Fortunately, there are alternatives that...
Simple Sail Repair
Often an old sail won't hold stitches, and some sailors hate to sew. A number of products proved strong enough and flexible enough to...
Make a Mini Dodger
A companionway slider and hatch boards are the most common type of cabin entry on sailboats. Its seaworthy, lightweight, and inexpensive. Unfortunately, you can't...
Reliable Chain Connections
We often get asked about joining two shots of chain together without compromising strength. You have a number of options-including some that are just...
Carving Out Cores
A modified roofing nail is perhaps the most versatile tool for removing core when sealing fastener holes. It is much easier to control than...
Elastic Mooring Systems
When Hurricane Irma plowed through the Florida Keys, it left behind both a trail of destruction and a wealth of information for us to...
Screw types prove their mettle in load testing.
The mechanics at work at the other end of your mooring line matter as much as the mooring line and pendant. In 2009, Practical...
Most well-made cleats fit the bill, but beware.
In the 90s, the Boat US Foundation performed a study of deck cleat strength. Testing was performed using 6-inch cleats of a number of...
Adding Yarn Telltales to Your Sail
Fixed wind indicators tell the direction of the wind relative to the boat, but it is the flow within a few inches of the...
The History of Cape Dory Sailboats
Cape Dory Yachts was founded in 1963 by Andrew Vavolotis in East Taunton, Mass. In the following 28 years, the company built over 2,800...
Latest Sailboat Review
Catalina 22 Used Boat Review
In its 10th anniversary issue in 1980, Sail magazine named the Catalina 22 the boat that had represented the breakthrough in trailer/cruisers in those...