Screw-on Rigging Terminals
Standing rigging has been evolving ever since natural fiber lines were lashed, knotted, or spliced to wooden spars, and led down to crudely fashioned,...
Step By Step: Threaded Terminal Fittings
Each manufacturer offers specific guidance for terminal assembly, and some do a better job than others. The following is a generic description of the...
A Decade-long Norseman Fitting Sea Trial
A couple of months ago, PS Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo disassembled a headstay that he had used aboard his Ericson 41 sloop, Wind Shadow,...
Hidden Causes of Rig Failure
Pictured here is a Norseman fitting on a big charter catamaran. Note the diagonal crack right across the top. This was hidden because it...
Mounting an SSB Antenna on a Gaff-rig boat
Any suggestions for an SSB-radio antenna installation on a 32-foot boat with a gaff rig and no backstay? Also, the hull ismild steel, and...
Rig Tips that You Can Use
This issue of Practical Sailor offers a wake-up call for owners of sailboats with rigs of an indeterminate age. But it also offers some...
Manson vs. CQR Sea Trials
Photos by Ralph Naranjo
When the forecast turns bad, and its time to find shelter in a new cove or harbor, questions arise about the...
Managing the Manson as a Working Anchor
The Manson Supreme is also quite willing to rotate into a fluke-down, ready for the roller, alignment. I prefer to avoid the use of...
Is Hand-stitched, Nylon Webbing Strong Enough?
Photos by Drew Frye
Rope is the mainstay of sailboat rigging, and knot-craft and splicing are the marks of a seaman. Sewn joins are also...
Going Soft on Shackles
Fiber shackles have been in use for centuries-the simple knotted toggles provided all manner of service on square-riggers and even older craft. When made...
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...