Boat Maintenance

Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part V

This is Part V, the final installment of a five-part series on rebuilding and modifying our Cape Dory 36 from a bare hull into...

Deck Gear Clamp-down: Cam Cleat vs. Self-tailing

To hold a line upstream of a winch you need a jammer or clutch. Rope sizing is important. Small lines slip, big lines won’t...

Simple Tips on Servicing Your Sailboat Winches

We continue to knock down the list of boat projects in anticipation of launch day in the northern hemisphere summer (yes, Florida and Caribbean...

PS Advisor: Tank Monitor and Camera Mount Hacks

Fuel tanks typically have a mechanical gauge, but water tanks can cause corrosion and waste tanks will foul the typical mechanical flat mechanism. As...

Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part IV

This is the fourth article in a five-part series describing the rebuild of our 1982 Cape Dory 36 and how we turned it into...

Bottom Paints for Brackish Water at 1 Year

For more than four decades, Practical Sailor has been testing bottom paints, although for the first few years, the topic really didn’t draw much...

Rebuilding a Cape Dory 36 Part III

This is Part III of a multi-part series describing the rebuilding of our 1982 Cape Dory 36. In Part I (PS November 2022), I...

Protecting Against Boatyard Fire

The 1666 London Fire. The 1871 Chicago Fire. The 1906 San Francisco Fire. Common factors shared by all of these disasters were inadequate spacing...

Dodging the Marine Chandlery Trap

The marine environment is demanding, so sacrificing quality is often a mistake. But marine supply stores, and even online “discount” marine retailers can feel...

Mailport: Dinghy Rollers, Prop Paints, Bosun chairs

DINGHY BEACH ROLLERS Regarding your Inside PS blog, “Building a Better Boat Fender,” inflatable dinghy beach rollers also work great as fenders. They serve two...

Beneteau 423: What You Should Know | Boat Review

Looking to buy a 40-45 foot sailboat? Considering a Beneteau 423? See a Beneteau 423 for sale? What are the pros and cons of...