Mailport & PS Advisor

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),...

How Long Do Sails Last?

How long do sails actually last? Sailmakers often say cruising sails last around 10–15 years, but what happens when you discover a sail that’s...

Latest Sailboat Review

Jeanneau 55 Boat Review

This recent sailboat from Jeanneau may as well be a spaceship. They’ve taken all the time-honored designs of a monohull aft cockpit and turned...