Non-Skid Compounds and Paints
We continue our experiments in finding combinations of paint and non-skid compounds that provide more traction with less abrasion, and longevity without gnarliness.
Water Repellents for Sail Fabric
303 Fabric Guard outdoes our old favorite, Scotch Gard Heavy Duty, for about the same price. ReviveX is another top performer, but costs a lot per ounce.
Portable Oil Changers
Two Jabsco changers are tops among the electric units. Tempo and West Marine manual pumps are favored.
Barnacle Removers
The acid-based products from Star brite and Marykate worked best, but are nasty to work with. Start with non-toxic Marsolve, though it's less effective.
Gelcoat Restoration: Back From the Dead
We used hull restorers from Vertglas, Poli-Glow, and New Glass-2 to revive a beaten and battered powerboat, and included Collinite’s Fiberglass Boat Wax as part of the test, too.
Bottom Paint 2004
Interlux's Micron 66 takes the laurels this year, with Pettit's Trinidad SR and two E-Paints on its heels—and for less money.
Underwater Metal Coatings: Test Results
Most of the test samples fared surprisingly well. Some were easier to prepare than others. All will benefit from an occasional sponging-off.
Topside Paint Finale
At the end of two years, after a hard life and no protection from the elements, the paints on our 'Bracelet' are given a final rating.
Wax On
Collinite, Heller Glänz, Meguiar's, and West Marine waxes, and Poli-Glow hull restorer, are the shiniest, but we have only just begun.
Teak Treatment All-Stars After Six Months
Half a year in New England weather, '03 (cold and wet, followed by dank and muggy) has separated the contestants in the field.
This 24 Foot Sailboat Can Cross Oceans… Seriously
Can you really cross oceans or even live aboard a 24-foot sailboat? In this deep dive on the Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, we break...
Latest Sailboat Review
Bob Perry’s Salty Tayana 37-Footer: Boat Review
With several hundred boats sailing the seas of the world, the Tayana 37 has been one of the most successful products of the U.S.s Taiwan-built boat invasion that began in the early 1970s. Its shapely Baltic stern, scribed plank seams molded into the glass hull, and lavish use of teak above and belowdecks have come to epitomize the image associated with Oriental boats.