Abrasion and Break Testing
Testers first task was to determine whether any of these coatings could weaken line in the near term. To do this, we formed 20-inch...
Survey: Mainsail Track Hardware
It has been almost 10 years since Practical Sailor weighed in specifically on mainsail track hardware (see Practical Sailor, Feb. 1, 2005 online). At...
Top Whipping Twines
How we testedTo determine strength, each twine was pulled to failure by wrapping it around a 1-inch drum and pulling four to 16 strands...
Rope Clutches Tighten Their Grip
Ronstan ConstrictorLike a turbo-charged update of the old finger handcuff, the novel Ronstan Constrictor clutch relies on cordage, rather than cam-induced pressure, as a...
Higher Loads Call for Careful Installation
Rope clutches are a great innovation that can help sailors better control the lines that lead aft to the cockpit and those that cluster...
Stitching Instead of Splicing
Splicing is king in any discussion of line termination. By carefully tucking cover and core back into the line, or weaving strands in laid...
Break and Break Again
All lines were broken once to determine approximate breaking strength without a stitched eye. A simple chain fall and load cell provided a means...
Other Stitching Techniques that Work Well
We principally looked at three means of seizing an eye without splicing-basting, round-stitching, and seizing-used alone and in combination. Round stitching is described in...
Mainsail Halyard Shackles
A mainsail halyard shackle needs to be as reliable as an on/off switch on a table saw. Its a one-act pony thats counted on...
A Look at Silicon Bronze Versus Stainless Steel
As we embarked on our extensive test of halyard shackles, we were reminded of the longevity of silicon-bronze hardware. Silicon bronze should not be...
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....
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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...