Boat Maintenance

Building a Faster Rudder

We’re cruisers not racers. We like sailing efficiently, but we’re more concerned with safety and good handling than squeezing out the last fraction of...

Bottom Paint Update

I’ve been aware of Propspeed (a New Zealand product) for many years having been based in Auckland off and on since 1979. Propspeed, is...

Bottom Scrub Tips to Live By

This month’s report on alternative bottom paints called to mind Drew Frye’s report (see Bottom Cleaning PS April 2018) on bottom cleaning, a practice...

Workbenches for Cruising Sailors

So you’ve got a locker full of tools and materials and the skills to take on anything. But what do you work on? Spill...

The Unsung Hero of Canvas Work

You can cut cloth, carpet, and rope with scissors or a knife, but the result is a frayed mess, as soon as the item...

4 Years Later Sail Repairs Hold Well

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...

Bent Rudder Remedy

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

Are You Ready to Kludge Your Way Home?

The first use of the word kludge is attributed to Jackson W. Granholm in 1962, describing an ugly programming solution that was “an ill-assorted...

Tough, Versatile Coosa Board Suited for Various Projects

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

The Multipurpose Core

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

Why Is This 46 Foot Sailboat So Cheap? Hunter 460 Review

Is the Hunter 460 really one of the best-value cruising sailboats on the used market? In this video, we take a deep, honest look...

Latest Sailboat Review

Irwin Citation 38 Used Boat Review

As the largest of the Citations, the Irwin Citation 38 is probably the best looking, handling the high-sidedness better than her smaller sisters. The boat has three windows set in the sheer stripe on each side, so they are not very noticeable. Like the other Citations it is distinctly modern-looking not pretty, but not ugly either.