Windlass Replacement on an Island Packet 40
At first I thought that standing on the V-head toilet and climbing awkwardly into the chain locker was funny. I tried not to think...
Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew
How do you manage major sail repairs in remote locations? By using whatever you have onboard to get you home—or beyond.
After an easy three-day...
Fuel Lift Pump: Easy DIY Diesel Fuel System Diagnostic and Repair
As with all things in life, everything goes well until it doesn’t. It is an inevitable truth that something will go wrong eventually and...
Vinyl Boat Lettering DIY Application and Repair
One of the pleasures of boating, at least for me, is reading boat names! I enjoy the many humorous names and those that are...
Painting a New Bootstripe Like a Pro
Have you been wanting to add a bootstripe to your boat but aren’t sure how to do it? Perhaps you have a bootstripe already...
Mildew-resistant Caulks for Boats
Choosing a marine caulk for use above the waterline comes down to which product offers the best resistance to weathering, dirt, mildew, and ability...
F-24 Portlight Replacement
The windows on our Corsair F-24 trimaran were obviously damaged by UV radiation. All we could see through them were shapes of objects that...
The Best Boat Bucket You Can Buy
A recent test report reacquainted me with an age old problem, that has not yet fully been solved: How can one person, absent a...
The DIY Bulkhead Rebuild on a Production Charter Cat
In 2021 I bought Epic, a 2013 Lagoon 450 catamaran, and soon learned the boat’s forward bulkhead, along with other important structural components, were...
Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part V
This is Part V, the final installment of a five-part series on rebuilding and modifying our Cape Dory 36 from a bare hull into...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: If You See This on a Used Sailboat, Walk Away
If you’re searching the used sailboat market, comparing sailboats for sale, or learning how to inspect a sailboat before buying, these are the red...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review
Our story begins in 1970, with the introduction of the Cal 29. Looking for something similar but a bit smaller, the company asked designer Bill Lapworth for a 27-footer, which at first was the Cal 27, a fin keel, spade rudder design with a convertible pop top; another incarnation of this basic hull was the T/2. But the concept of the 29 found its full expression in the Cal 2-27, which began production in 1975 and continued to 1977, after which it was again modified and called simply the Cal 27...again. Production of it ceased in 1986.
