Caring for Seacocks
Considering the excitement a failed seacock can generate, the lack of attention they typically receive is almost criminal. Tucked away in the dim recesses...
The Worry-free Bilge Pump
Due the lack of maintenance they receive from the average sailor, I often refer to bilge pumps as the Rodney Dangerfield of boat equipment,...
How to Measure Boat Humidity: Psychrometric Charts Do It Right
Insulation is a greater energy-saving expedient; if our heater or air conditioner is undersized, fixing drafts, shading or insulating windows, and insulating non-cored laminate...
Plastic Through-hull Warning
Photos by Frank Lanier
Cracked nylon thru-hulls are a common problem, as a walk in almost any boatyard will bear out. Unlike fittings constructed of...
Best Marine Toilet Papers
When testers dismantled Practical Sailors test holding tanks-the site of years of experiments with holding-tank chemicals, sanitation hoses, and vent filters-we hoped that it...
Hose Fitting Tips
Pulling hoses is generally low on the fun list. They are in bad places, jammed onto crusty hose-fitting barbs, and have stiffened over the...
Tap Water thats Better than Bottled
If youve followed the first two installments in this three-part series on ensuring safe, fresh-tasting drinking water onboard, youve cleaned your freshwater tank, pre-filtered...
Making Sense of Water Filter Certification
Only a few states require National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certification for water filters, and the requirement applies only to a small number of original...
Preventing and Treating the Tainted Tank
Foul tank water is completely preventable. Here are some dos and don'ts for a healthy water tank. Dont place glycol or other winterizing agents...
Water Testing Tools
Swimming Pool Test KitWithout a TDS meter and microbe test kit, there is no way of knowing what is being washed from the clouds,...
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....
Latest Sailboat Review
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...