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),...
Living on a Boat Off Grid: What No One Explains
Living on a boat off-grid sounds simple until you actually try it. No shore power. No marina hookups. No endless electricity. Just batteries, solar,...
Latest Sailboat Review
Union 36 Used Boat Review
While not the best boat for light-air sailing, the Union 36 is a good sailboat for the bluewater cruiser. It wont get you there fast, but it will get you there comfortably and in one piece. The boats teak decks and lavish use of interior wood is attractive but requires much upkeep and maintenance. A product of the Taiwan-U.S. boatbuilding industry, the Union 36 is a heavy-displacement, full-keel, cutter-rigged double-ender designed for ocean sailing. The Union 36 is nearly identical to several other boats built during the same period: the Hans Christian 36, Mariner Polaris 36, and the EO36. According to well-known naval architect Bob Perry, the Union 36 and its cousins are all based on the design of a 34-footer that Perry was commissioned to create back in the early 70s.