Sodablasting 101
Owning a boat is an exercise in perspective. A gale can make a sailboat feel like a canoe, while the prospect of bottom paint...
Past Adventures with Chemical Strippers
Our foray into sodablasting follows years of testing several different ways to remove bottom paint. Although you can simply attack the bottom paint with...
Practical Sailor’s 2011 Gear of the Year Picks
Pressure CookerOur Gear of the Year galley pick is the Kuhn Rikon Duromatic spring-valve pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are the cruiser’s answer to the...
Maintenance All-Stars
Multi-Purpose CleanersWe set out looking for one do-it-all cleaner, because really, who wants to buy every pricey specialty cleaner on the market? As it...
The Best Marine Varnish: Exterior Wood Finish Tests
Like spotting land after a long passage, were glad to say that the end of our long-term exterior wood finishes test is finally on...
Antifouling Test 18-month Checkup
PETTIT/WEST MARINEWith most of its tested paints still fighting hard growth, Pettit Paints—including the some newly reformulated blends it supplies for West Marine—are excelling...
It Takes a Tough Sailor to Make a Smooth Boat Bottom
Fairing in through hull fittings will go a long way toward reducing bottom drag in light air, but it won't really do the job...
Professional Advice for Do It Yourself Boat Blister Repairs
Earlier this year, reader and occasional contributor Fred Hatch found himself facing a quandary common among boat owners. The topsides of his 32-foot sloop...
Sparkling Brightwork: Careful Attention to the Details
It takes practice to produce a perfect, mirror finish on varnished wood, but it is not so much a difficult task as an exacting...
Upgrading the C&C 33 Part II
Part 2-For hull bottom and topside repair, we love our Porter-Cable random orbit sander and WEST System Microlight Fairing Compound. Micron CSC bottom paint...