Boat Maintenance

PS Advisor: A DIY Bucket with Perfect Fit

Perhaps one reason our buckets keep cracking is that we have to compress them a bit to fit them through the 10-inch rectangular hatch...

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...

PS Advisor: Combatting Mildew on a Moored Boat

In your recent report “Understanding Dew Point to Prevent Mildew,” (see Inside Practical Sailor blog) there is the comment, “curiously, the best way to...

Synthetic Teak Durability Test

Alot of water has rushed over the bridge since we last looked at synthetic teak decking materials—eight years worth. Since that last report (see...

PS Advisor: Using Acids to Clean Propellers

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...

Cockpit Drains on Race Boats

The ability for an enclosed cockpit to drain rapidly has long been a concern among yacht designers, and safety guidelines have been in place...

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...

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...

Hate Heeling? These Sailboats Stay More Upright

Do you—or someone you sail with—hate heeling? You’re not alone. For many sailors, excessive heel is the single biggest reason people feel uncomfortable on...

Latest Sailboat Review

Dragonfly 25-2 Boat Review

If you’ve ever dreamed of blasting across the water at 25 knots with the wind in your hair and the spray in your face...