Mailport: Winch Maintenance, Painting Jib, DIY Mainsail Cover
BLANKET WINCH SERVICE
Regarding your blog post “Simple Tips on Servicing Your Sailboat Winches,” I do my winches every two years when the boat is...
PS Advisor: Tacking and Jibing with a Tiller Pilot
In very light winds the tiller pilot will make corrections that are too small and the boat will not turn quickly enough to complete...
Mailport: Charley Morgan, Locker Safety, Fast Bottom Paint
SALUTE TO CHARLEY MORGAN
Regarding your memorial to Charley Morgan and his enduring boat designs (see “Eight Bells for Charley Morgan,” PS February 2023), your praise for...
PS Advisor: Staying Safe in Confined Spaces Onboard
Does the locker have a self-locking latch? Would you ever crawl inside? Even with the l id open, the inside of a locker can...
Mailport: Propane Hose Chafe, Multihull Prices, Farrier F33XC
WATCH PROPANE HOSE CHAFE
Another boat owner told our owners’ group that he discovered his LPG hose at the stove went almost to the point...
PS Advisor: Tank Monitor and Camera Mount Hacks
Fuel tanks typically have a mechanical gauge, but water tanks can cause corrosion and waste tanks will foul the typical mechanical flat mechanism. As...
Mailport: Dinghy Rollers, Prop Paints, Bosun chairs
DINGHY BEACH ROLLERS
Regarding your Inside PS blog, “Building a Better Boat Fender,” inflatable dinghy beach rollers also work great as fenders. They serve two...
Mailport: Headsets, Factory AC, Cowboy Coffee
PRAISE FOR EARTEC
A few months ago we purchased the Eartec UL2S UltraLITE Wireless Microphone System. We tested them at home and detected a slight...
Dyneema Short Splice Versus Lashing
Have you ever experimented with, or tested, an Amsteel splice going both directions through the core? The photo below is of 7/16” Amsteel. I...
PS Advisor: North-up Versus Heading-up Navigation
When a vigorous debate broke out recently at a local boat show over the ideal orientation of a chartplotter (north up vs. heading up),...
$40,000 for a 40 Foot Cruiser? The Bristol 40 Reality Check
You can find Bristol 39s and Bristol 40s for around $40,000 — and at first glance, that sounds like one of the best deals...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!