Products and Tips to Stop Wood Rot

Wood has lot going for it. It is strong and stiff per unit weight, easy to work with, attractive, and economical. Teak decks provide...

Digital Diagnostic Tools

In addition to a considerable inventory of tools, materials, parts, and old test inventory, we’ve collected a variety of laboratory and field testing equipment....

Even 2020 Yielded Some Great Gear

Once more, the bulk of the past year’s testing focused on maintenance products, safety essentials, and do-it-yourself substitutes for higher priced marine gear. Part...

Making Sailing Affordable

Every sailboat occasionally needs to leave the water. Sometimes it’s more of an emergency room visit, caused by a grounding, collision or rigging failure....

Epoxy Barrier Coat Update

There’s more than a little irony in the need to keep a fiberglass boat away from water. The reason revolves around chemistry and the...

Boat Disposal Options

Once upon a time, old wooden boats had the good sense to rot away. Not that I’m anti-wooden boat—there are some lovely examples in...

Mailport: Alexseal Topside Paint

Caution Aloft Regarding your recent “PS Advisor” on going aloft (see PS July 2020, “Simple Tricks on Going Aloft”), I don’t go aloft without a...

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...

Performance Sailing – Beneteau First 44 Review

The Beneteau First 44 Performance is not just another modern cruiser. In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a close look at the...

Latest Sailboat Reviews

Tartan 395 Boat Review            

Co-founded by Charlie Britton in the early 1960s, Tartan Yachts was established on the shores of Lake Erie in Grand River, Ohio. The original...