Boat Maintenance

After four long years in the sun, we’re finally taking our polyester (Dacron) sail repair samples out of the elements for good. Even glued...

A few years ago while sailing my PDQ catamaran, we struck something hard and bent the rudder so badly that the top of the...

The first use of the word kludge is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm in 1962, describing...

Cosa board is a closed cell panel that is reinforced with glass fiber, giving it both shear strength and compression strength. Compared to the...

Solid fiberglass is strong and durable, but it weighs a ton. Even boats with solid hulls generally have cored decks, cabins, stringers, and bulkheads....

Probably the biggest takeaway from our report is the surprising prevalence of deteriorating foam oil filters...

Presumably, air cleaners are about dusty environments, and dust is a rare thing on the water....

Tape seems like simple thing to manage. How complicated can it get? But as webe found in multiple past tests at Practical Sailor, the type of tape you choose, and how you use it determines the quality and durability of your work.

[IMGCAP(3)] Anti-Bird StrategyFlorida is hard on boats from sun damage, mildew, bottom blisters and birds. I keep the ospreys from perching on my tricolor light by fitting a clear plastic container over it with tacks on its bottom. I have sunbrella deck covers that keep poo from the smaller birds off the deck and also shade the boat to keep it cooler, the paint protected and mildew free. Then, for the pelicans that pooped on my…

Instead of requiring 30 random cleaning products, you would need only four or five with carefully targeted chemistry. Thats it-no more than five cleaners to serve most purposes. Here are the basics to building your own kit.