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....
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...
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...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
This month we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: Morgan 44 Review – The Catalina Cruiser Everyone Forgot
The 1989 Morgan 44 is a big center-cockpit cruising sailboat with Catalina DNA—but it may be one of the most overlooked boats of its...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Bayfield 32 Used Boat Review
At first glance, the Bayfield 32 looks less like a fiberglass production boat from the 1980s and more like somebody shrank a traditional sailing...
