The Get-Home Sailboat Tool Kit
The tools and materials required to maintain and repair everything on a boat will barely fit in a room. Just the kit required to...
Welds on Your Boat Require Special Care
The irregular shape of welds makes them difficult to inspect using ultrasound technology. Visual inspections can also be deceiving-especially with new welds. The prettiest...
DIY Materials Testing
While many potential failures are easy to spot, some flaws are hidden under paint or within the structure, or are so small that a...
Deft Theft: Make & Find Your Own Marine Gear
Heres a bet: Someone at the next boat show will try to sell you something you already have. With more time than money on...
The Penny-Pinching PhD Sailor
For more than 30 years, Practical Sailor has provided serious sailors and DIY boat owners an unbiased source of evaluations. We've done our best...
Anti-Corrosion Bags Live Up to Claims, But So Does Ziploc
Our test of anti-corrosion bags presented conditions far more rigorous than what one might typically encounter for equipment stored on a boat.
Our testers estimated...
Reviving Fuel Filter Beads – Again and Again
A few years back, we introduced fuel tank vent filters as a simple step toward drier fuel (see Practical Sailor January 2013, EPA Mandate...
No-Rust Bags? A Bit of a Bust.
Your boat and fittings may be made of corrosion-resistant materials, but not your electronics, spare electrical components, and many engine parts and bearings. They...
A Stronger Screwhole Repair
The fastest way to attach light hardware to a cored deck is a self-tapping screw. It is also the fastest way to have hardware...
Snap Extenders for Old Canvas
Sunbrella does not shrink. That is the mantra, and for covers and dodger that are left in place, it seems to be the true....
The Great Loop – The Basics
Join us this week as we discuss taking a sailboat around North America's great boating adventure - The Great Loop. We discuss advice from...
