Repair, Tools & Materials

Deep Cleaning the Supremely Dirty Boat

One reason for my aversion to scrubbing is that a Corsair F-24 trimaran is a folding trimaran, making it a nightmare to clean. Comprised...

Protecting Against Boatyard Fire

The 1666 London Fire. The 1871 Chicago Fire. The 1906 San Francisco Fire. Common factors shared by all of these disasters were inadequate spacing...

Dodging the Marine Chandlery Trap

The marine environment is demanding, so sacrificing quality is often a mistake. But marine supply stores, and even online “discount” marine retailers can feel...

Bungee Lanyards Take the Shock Out of Tools Dropped from the Mast

Iput a nice dent in the deck several decades ago when I dropped a wrench from the masthead. It scared the crew too. I haven’t...

Boat Repair in the Age of Plexus

Historically, fiberglass boat hulls and decks were molded separately, and then bonded at the deck seam. Bulkheads were added either with polyester or epoxy...

Choosing the Right Boat Glue

Any time I start researching glues, I can hear the voice of Old Man Parker from the classic film “A Christmas Story,” ringing in...

Are Boatbuilders Expecting Miracle Glues?

Don’t ask an adhesive to do more than it can. If a bolt breaks, we accept it as deterioration or faulty design, not a...

Bottom Paint Removal Decision Time

However you choose to use your scarce time, we’ll wager that you’d rather not spend it removing bottom paint. If you are an owner of an older boat with a decade of accumulated hard bottom paint that is flaking and cracking, now is a good time to start weighing your options for removing the old paint. Should you do it yourself, or hire the professionals—or a bit of both? Our experts break down the different approaches to removing old antifouling and the compare the estimated costs of each.

Making the Dinghy Decision

Spring and fall on the Chesapeake Bay delivers cruising at its best. Last fall, we were ready to go, the crowds were gone, along...

Non-Skid Ten Years After

Boat decks take a beating from sun and salt that eventually take their toll on factory-molded nonskid. Once nonskid loses its grip, resurrecting it...

The Tartan 365: A Modern Cruiser with Performance Pedigree

Welcome aboard the Tartan 365, a modern performance cruiser that blends innovative design, speed, and luxurious comfort. In this video, we take a detailed...

Latest Sailboat Review

Nonsuch 30 Used Boat Review

The Nonsuch 30 is an oddity. She is a fin keeled, spade ruddered boat with an unstayed wishbone cat rig. Weird. She is the concept of retired ocean racer Gordon Fisher, the design of Mark Ellis, and the created child of Hinterhoeller, who is one of the few production boatbuilders with the legitimate title Master Boatbuilder, earned the hard way through apprenticeship in Europe.