Field Testing Treatments
Approximately 150 feet of 7/16-inch rope will fit in a five-gallon bucket. This requires one 500-milliliter bottle (17 ounces) of Rope Proof or 4...
Is Titanium an Everyman Metal?
Through the commotion of a 30-knot squall, I heard the chainplate pop. It was not an unusually loud pop. The result was impressive, nonetheless....
Titanium in the Marine Chandlery
Titanium’s high price is only one thing that is keeping in the realm of mega-yachts and Cup boats. Some of the essential roles that...
Maintaining Stainless Steel
Most of a chainplate is hidden from view by a toggle and where the chainplate lives below deck level. In these areas, deterioration grows...
Practical Sailor’s 2011 Gear of the Year Picks
Pressure CookerOur Gear of the Year galley pick is the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic spring-valve pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are the cruiser’s answer to the...
West Marine Issues Rocna Spec Notice
In the wake of questions about the tensile strength of steel used in the shafts of Rocna anchors, West Marine has issued “product specification...
Anchor Chain Advice
I sail an Areodyne 38 in New England, primarily on weekends and a two-week annual cruise. I use 25 feet of 5/8-inch chain with...
Where Credit is Due: September 2011
Anchored out on our Cape Dory 30, my wife and I were just filling our coffee pot when we heard a large “pop,” and...
Practical Sailor’s Reader-recommended Sailmakers
GlobalDoyleEvolution SailsFar East SailsHalsey LidgardHood SailmakersIsland Planet SailsLee SailsMauri Pro SailingMauri SailsNorth SailsQuantum Sail Design GroupRolly Tasker SailsUK-HalseyUllman Sails CanadaNorth Sails TorontoTriton SailsNorth Sails VancouverNorth...
Buyers Guide: Choosing a New Cruising Main
The mainsail of our Chesapeake Bay test boat was intact, but, after exhausting every life-extending option available—including patches, repairs, re-stitching, and tune ups—it became...
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...