Practical Sailor

One of the most common questions we get regarding marine varnish is what kind of finish is best for a mast. Even though aluminum has long since replaced Sitka spruce as the material of choice for a sailboat mast, there is no shortage of boats that still have wooden masts. Many of the Taiwanese-built boats of the 70s and 80s had wooden masts, and of course, a wide range of U.S.-built classics still have their original wooden masts.

My old home island of Guam got whacked by a Supertyphoon Mawar on Wednesday. Power is still out, so still no word from friends....

Away we go. A well earned summer of sailing is fast upon us. If your boat isn't already in the water, it will be soon. Amid all the excitement of launch day—your desire to be back in the water, and the boatyard’s eagerness to make room for another client (cha-ching)— there’s a chance something might get missed. A pre-launch checklist can help avoid spoiling the big day.

We recently received a letter from a reader asking us which acids might be used to clean a bronze propeller. Although we’ve found it...

Volt meters, ammeters, and bank monitors can all give you part of the story, but only a draw-down test, performed over 6-24 hours will...