Boat Maintenance

Our topside-paint test panels have endured three full years of 24/7 exposure to the elements. Testers have regularly scrutinized the paint samples and rated the topside coatings on gloss retention, flow out, scratch resistance, and anti-oxidation ability. In this final round of evaluating, we also compared the panel results with the products real-world performances aboard our test boats over the last three-plus years. Top performers in the Practical Sailor tests included one-part urethane paints from Interlux, Epifanes, and Pettit, which all delivered handling convenience and a surprisingly long-lasting finish. The best two-part hull paints offered the most durability; picks in this group included coatings from Awlgrip, Interlux, and Sherwin-Williams, a good choice for the budget conscious boat owner.

We got a half-taste of your Florida hurricanes here in New Jersey. I had my boat hauled out a few days before super-storm Sandy arrived. The yard blocked her with just four jack stands and a bow jack stand. I asked for four more for the hurricane, and they said no, so I built my own midship stands for $16! I wanted to share the how-to since they worked so well.

My wife and I bought a Vesper Watchmate 850, and after delaying the installation a few months, we finally got it in and powered it up. After it ran fine for several hours, it gave us a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio error. (VSWR is basically an efficiency measurement of the antenna system.) After some troubleshooting, I sent a note to Vesper Marine in New Zealand (www.vespermarine.com). There was a prompt and very thorough reply to all my questions. I had a very informative conversation with Jeff from Vesper, and I tried his troubleshooting suggestions. The problem certainly did appear to be the antenna, but after using another antenna and cable, Jeff said to send him back the unit and they would analyze it to be certain.

Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Ideal Galley, Spilled Cetol, Power Plug Search, and More!

Practical Sailor is simultaneously field-testing three sets of ablative and hard bottom paints in the high-fouling waters of Sarasota, Fla. One test panel has been in the water 36 months, another for 20, and a batch of new and eco-friendly paints has spent nine months submerged. This article covers the results of all three tests and highlights the best bottom paints in each test field, including Practical Sailors picks for aluminum-friendly paints, water-based paints, eco-friendly paints, racing paints, and budget-priced antifouling paints. The test field included dozens of bottom paints from Blue Water Paints, Interlux, Epaint, Pettit, Sea Hawk, Flexdel, and Boero.

In late 2011, Practical Sailor launched a test that focused exclusively on new antifouling paints that had been introduced in the previous year or that we had never tested before. Along with regular test participants Blue Water, Epaint, Flexdel, Pettit, and Sea Hawk, several newcomers signed on, including Specialty Marine Solutions, a Massachusetts company that has developed paints using Sea-Nine 211, a marine antifouling agent from Dow Chemical; Boero, an Italian company with a long history in Europe; and Luritek, a company based in West Chester, Penn.

In late 2011, Practical Sailor launched a test that focused exclusively on new antifouling paints that had been introduced in the previous year or that we had never tested before. Along with regular test participants Blue Water, Epaint, Flexdel, Pettit, and Sea Hawk, several newcomers signed on, including Specialty Marine Solutions, a Massachusetts company that has developed paints using Sea-Nine 211, a marine antifouling agent from Dow Chemical; Boero, an Italian company with a long history in Europe; and Luritek, a company based in West Chester, Penn.

Letters to Practical Sailor, October 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Remote Mic Feedback, Bottom Paint Empathy, Lightning Protection, and more!

Letters to Practical Sailor, October 2012. This month's letters cover topics such as: Jabsco,Whale Pumps, Innovative Lighting& Edson, and more!

The cockpit of Tosca, the 32-foot Atkin ketch that my wife and I cruised on for 11 years, was dominated by a trapezoidal chasm in the flush teak deck, euphemistically referred to as a cockpit well.