Practical Sailor

The Bristol 39 and Bristol 40 are basically the same boat, even though the specifications state that the Bristol 40 is nearly a foot longer than the Bristol 39. If you like traditional yachts, you'll find the Bristol 40 appealing. The boat has the long overhangs, lovely sheerline, low freeboard, narrow cabin trunk, undistorted hull shape, and narrow beam we associate with the beautiful yachts of the past. The trade-off for these traditional good looks is a boat with a small interior compared to today's 40-footers.

2025 has not been a good year for U.S. sailboat manufacturing. Com Pac Yachts closed its doors in May and, as explained in this Practical Sailor video, the future of Catalina...

I never thought that I could get so excited about a toilet. When we first installed our new Nature’s Head composting toilet aboard our 40 ft. Ocean Alexander Quetzal two years...

Even the most laid-back cruiser has days when he would like to get there an hour sooner. But speed is not the only reason to fine-tune sail trim. Proper sail trim can often eliminate the noise of motoring. Properly trimmed sails last longer.

Stroll down the docks at any boat show, and youll see a surprising number of boats equipped with expensive, stainless-steel swivels between the anchor and the chain. Almost all of these swivels are highly polished, machined and/or welded gems that cost anywhere from $80 to $200 or more. By comparison, a galvanized anchor shackle rated to withstand the same or greater loads as the chain rode we rely on costs less than $15.

This Sparkman & Stephens classic, built for a dozen years in fiberglass (and built to take it), has kept its value and a fervent following.

A tour of the 2025 Annapolis Sailboat Show showed signs of progress on the electrification of auxiliary power. Particularly notable was the emergence of hybrid propulsion options, with at least four...

When we think of anchoring a yacht we think of the obvious—deploy and set an anchor from the bow with a single rode. Our yachts (and most vessels) are geared up...

Cam cleats are a marvel for their ability to quickly hold and then release lines under moderate tension. They are found on the simplest of dinghies, Olympic sailing machines, family cruisers...

How frequently do you bother removing spreader boots and taping to check the condition of the spreaders and rigging? No matter how well the spreader ends are protected, and whether you use ready-made vinyl spreader boots or conventional rigging tape, water will get through to the fittings inside. On a boat used in salt water, the atmosphere's corrosive nature can cause rapid disintegration of aluminum fittings (nevermind the fact that the spreaders might be 25 feet or more off the water). The thorough taping job you did on the spreader ends may actually accelerate the problem by holding in water.