Deck Gear Clamp-down: Cam Cleat vs. Self-tailing
To hold a line upstream of a winch you need a jammer or clutch. Rope sizing is important. Small lines slip, big lines won’t...
PS Advisor: Tank Monitor and Camera Mount Hacks
Fuel tanks typically have a mechanical gauge, but water tanks can cause corrosion and waste tanks will foul the typical mechanical flat mechanism. As...
Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part IV
This is the fourth article in a five-part series describing the rebuild of our 1982 Cape Dory 36 and how we turned it into...
Bottom Paints for Brackish Water at 1 Year
For more than four decades, Practical Sailor has been testing bottom paints, although for the first few years, the topic really didn’t draw much...
Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part III
This is Part III of a multi-part series describing the rebuilding of our 1982 Cape Dory 36. In Part I (PS November 2022), I...
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...
Dodging the Marine Chandlery Trap
The marine environment is demanding, so sacrificing quality is often a mistake. But marine supply stores, and even online “discount” marine retailers can feel...
Mailport: Dinghy Rollers, Prop Paints, Bosun chairs
DINGHY BEACH ROLLERS
Regarding your Inside PS blog, “Building a Better Boat Fender,” inflatable dinghy beach rollers also work great as fenders. They serve two...
Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part II
In Part I of this series, I described the steps we took to set our rebuild up for success. Part II describes our gutting...
Mailport: Headsets, Factory AC, Cowboy Coffee
PRAISE FOR EARTEC
A few months ago we purchased the Eartec UL2S UltraLITE Wireless Microphone System. We tested them at home and detected a slight...
Why Sailors Love to Hate the MacGregor 26
The MacGregor 26 might be the most controversial sailboat ever built. Half sailboat. Half powerboat. Water ballast. A 50-horsepower outboard. Capable of sailing… and...
Latest Sailboat Review
Catalina Morgan 440 Used Boat Review
The Catalina Morgan 440 is a massive ocean-capable design from the drafting board of Gerry Douglas, a prolific designer for Catalina Yachts for over...