Other Methods to Control Yaw
Yawing is the result of imbalance between windage (you want it aft) and underwater resistance (you want it forward). If the center of windage...
Rethinking Anchor Snubbers
Anyone who has spent a night pitching in an exposed anchorage would not be shocked to learn that in many dragging incidents the snubber parted, or was stretched to its limit, allowing the chain and boat to absorb some teeth-rattling shock loads before something finally gave. Recently, PS testers have devised a series of tests to determine what the ideal snubber looks like. Some of our findings run contrary to popular assumptions. Some will surely surprise you, and may even-one day-save your boat. What does your snubber look like?
Spring Check: Are Your Onboard Alarms Actually Working?
The sailing season is here again and everyone is doing their spring checks. Something that is often overlooked are the alarms that may one...
Protecting Against Boatyard Fire
The 1666 London Fire. The 1871 Chicago Fire. The 1906 San Francisco Fire. Common factors shared by all of these disasters were inadequate spacing...
A Walk Through the Thomson Ship Collection
The waters roared off the coast of Sicily as the Grafton, Captain, and Breda closed in. They had set sail from England almost two...
Rendez-Voile: Quebec Sailors Launch Their Own Show
For many years now, the large and active Quebec sailing community has felt somewhat let down by the annual Montreal Boat Show, which gives...
Raising Sail in the Digital Age: Attracting the Next Generation of Sailboat Buyers
Walk the docks at most marinas or check out the bars at your local yacht club and it’s obvious that the average boat owner...
A Marine Book with Staying Power: Book Review
We love marine books at Practical Sailor, but we recognize their shelf life can be limited. After you’ve read, enjoyed and absorbed, they might...
Giving Old Winches New Grip
On Natasha, our 1978 Islander Bahama 30, the Barient two speed sheet winches were showing their age—a dull chrome surface and the drum were...
Engineless and Adrift in Panama: How Seamanship Saved Atlas IV
“Is everything okay? Your EPIRB was set off.”
It’s a call no sailor wants to receive.
For Josh Verstoep and Sierra Grant, that call set off...
The $89k 55 Foot Bluewater Yacht That Got Cheap Enough to...
The Tayana 55 is one of the most tempting used bluewater cruising sailboats on the market: a 55-foot center cockpit offshore yacht with serious...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Luders 33 Used Boat Review
The Luders 33 was designed by Bill Luders and built by Allied Yachts of Catskill, NY, from 1966 to 1974. The builder of the Luders 33, Allied Yachts, had a troubled existence, struggling for survival from the early 1970s until the firm finally succumbed for good in 1981. Throughout its nine year production run, a bit more than 100 Luders 33s were built. Still, like such similar boats as the Alberg 30, the relative scarcity and traditional styling have made it a bit of a cult object.
