Brazing Repairs
Unless you’re a welder by trade, mechanical fasteners are the best bet for repairing metal failures on a boat. This includes through bolts, taping...
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...
Affordable AND Good? Sabre 34 Mk II Review
Can you buy a good sailboat for $25,000? In this video we take a deep dive into the Sabre 34 Mk II, a proven...
Latest Sailboat Review
Hanse 430e Boat Review
We’re looking at a boat that sounds like a German electronics band but is actually a 43-ft. cruising sailboat—the Hanse 430e. If you’re shopping...