Crimp Connections: AMP Super Champ and Ancor Our Top Picks
One of the most nettlesome areas of boating electronics is making dependable wire connections that will last for years. Because marine elements are conspiring...
Hawkeye Scope: A Bird’s Eye View of Your Pistons
Ever wish you could see what the parts inside your engines combustion chamber look like? Now you can with the Hawkeye borescope. Whenever you...
Testers Check Epoxy Sandability, Adhesion, and More
Testers evaluated sandability, resistance to sag, cure time, and adhesion using sample fiberglass panels with 3-by-3-inch test swatches. The fairing compounds were applied and...
Whats In the Practical Sailor Toolbag?
Milwaukee M12 right-angle drill/driver kitBoring holes in hard to reach spaces often requires a right-angle drill, and this compact Milwaukee cordless tool fits the...
Wera: Stainfree with Stainless
According to German toolmaker Wera Tools, much of the corrosion we find in the cross-hairs of our Phillips-head and other stainless-steel fasteners is a...
Ralph’s Great Adventures in Laminating
Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo equates spare time with boat projects. His basement shop/test facility has spawned a wide range of boats, boards, and parts...
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...
Offshore Log:Winch Maintenance – Do It Now, Not Later
Maintenance aboard a cruising boat is truly never-ending. Twenty years of preparation for offshore racing have left us with an absolute fetish for the...
Power Tools for Restoring Gelcoat
In our test of acrylic-type gelcoat restorers, we polished one panel on a 1972 Oday Javelin with 3M Finesse-It II and waxed it.Practical Sailor...
Heavy-Duty Rubbing Compounds
Gelcoat provides a fiberglass boat with a hard, water-resistant protective shell. When new, its polished and waxed to a bright shine, but after a...