Slippin’ and Slidin
A good DIY nonskid offers effective traction (obviously) and is easy to apply, easy to clean, durable, and gentle enough on knees and elbows...
Bottom Paint Stripping
My husband, Ken was in the fiberglass business for over 25 years. We intend to take off all of our boat’s bottom paint (about...
25 Paints Make it Past the 24-month Mark
In July 2009, 61 samples of antifouling paints, including several new formulas, went into the water in Sarasota, Fla., for testing. This report and...
Semi-Annual Antifouling Paint-Test Checkup
EpaintEpaint has been doing well in PS tests recently. The company’s antifouling paints contain no copper, and historically no-copper paints have done well in...
Rating Paint Panels
The paint samples were applied to 6-foot-by-2-foot fiberglass panels for testing. Testers follow the makers’ instructions for preparation and application. There were 11 samples...
Baked-on Prop Coating Still Repelling Barnacles
Last November, we began field trials of Mussel Buster, a baked-on powder coating that relies on its slick, hard coating to prevent barnacles from...
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...
A Mathematical Decision-maker
An easy way to compute the do-it-yourself labor commitment involved is by timing how long it takes to scrape clean two 1-square-foot patches. The...
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...
Bavaria C42: What You Should Know | Boat Tour
Looking to buy a 40-45 foot sailboat? Considering a Bavaria C42? See a Bavaria 42 for sale? What are the pros and cons of...
