How To Extend Your Canvas’ Lifespan
Protecting your canvas will extend its life as well as provide you and your crew protection from the sun and elements for many years....
How To Streamline Your Maintenance Program: A Beginner’s Guide
Owning and using a boat is all about maintenance. While maintenance is not fun—it can be filthy and arduous—it must be done if you...
Dirt-cheap Winter Insulation for Liveaboards
Insulation is a greater energy-saving expedient; if our heater or air conditioner is undersized, fixing drafts, shading or insulating windows, and insulating non-cored laminate are all ways to reduce the thermal load. For boaters, however, that is only half of the equation.
Lessons from a Harbor Master
I’ve been a member of my yacht club going on over 35 years now and spent 16 of those years as Harbor Master. Now,...
Krypton Antifouling Paint: Two-Year Follow Up
After two years of panel and on-boat testing on the mid-Chesapeake Bay, we settled on Total Boat Krypton, one of the top performing copper-free...
Repurposing Chain
When a rope is no longer fit for purpose, for example a halyard with a chafed spot, we either keep it for future might-needs...
Additives Fight Urine Odor
Some will claim urine is sterile and doesn’t smell. Horse hockey. No matter how careful you are, urine is loaded with nitrogen (urea) and...
DIY Bulkhead Replacement
Many of the fiberglass sailboats constructed during the 1970s and 1980s are still in existence, though often in varying states of disrepair. These vessels...
How To Maintain A Small Boat’s Electrical System
Well intentioned friends and relatives often make comments along the lines of, “Aren’t you scared of being out on the ocean, all alone, in...
Stickier Sail Tape with 3M Primer
Self-adhesive hardware-store hooks don’t stick well to bare fiberglass. Just last week we had one wash into the bilge-pump strainer on our test boat....
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works
What makes a small sailboat truly seaworthy? In this video, we take a deep dive into the Pacific Seacraft Orion 27, a rugged, long-keel...
Latest Sailboat Review
Island Packet Estero Used Boat Review
Florida-based Island Packet targets a relatively narrow niche, so the toughest competitors to its new boats are often older Island Packets. Introduced in 2010, the 36-foot, shoal-draft Estero is the company’s latest attempt to introduce a distinctive model that doesn’t stray too far from the company’s proven formula for success: moderate displacement, full-keel cruisers designed to be lived on, sailed far and in comfort, and endure the bumps, scrapes, and storms that cruising boats inevitably encounter. After sailing the Estero on Florida’s Sarasota Bay and inspecting its interior, construction, and systems, Practical Sailor testers noted that the shoal-water cruiser will appeal strongest to Island Packet fans who’ve been waiting for a shoal-draft, easy-to-sail boat that compares to the IP37 in terms of interior space. These strengths will be most apparent on intracoastal or riverine adventures like the Great Loop.