Passivating Stainless on Sails and Gear
Often stainless steel hardware on our sails will begin to rust under the cloth webbing, not only staining the fabric and webbing, but inviting...
Mailport: March 2022
NAVIGATION ADVICE
Regarding your recent blog post on navigating in poorly chartered waters, all of your tips, plus make use of the masses of very...
Must I Remove Mast Hardware to Paint?
Refinishing hulls, decks and masts has been revolutionized by epoxy primers and two part polyurethane top coat material. Their adhesive quality, durability, longevity and...
Mailport: February 2022
SPLIT MAINSHEET
Regarding your recent report on split mainsheets (see PS November 2020, “Do Twin Mainsheets Better Control the Mainsail?”), if you attach the preventers/...
The Orion 357 Electric Flare After 1 Year
In our report on the new electronic visual distress signalling devices (eVDSD) we mentioned in passing that a U.S. Coast Guard approved eVDSD might...
Mailport: January 2022
GORILLA GLUE AND UV
Regarding your report on repairing damaged core panels, “Can Glue Injection Fix Rotten Core?” The problem I have found is that...
Playing the Wind Shifts for Fun or Sport
When high-pressure dominates, it is normal for the wind direction to oscillate 15-20 degrees every 5-20 minutes. In theory, hitting the shifts correctly will...
Mailport: December 2021
IN PRAISE OF KOVER KLAMPS
Thanks for this great article on winter covers (see Inside PS blog, “What to Look for in a Winter Cover”),...
File Away Your Pipe Thread Problems
Thread restoring files cannot restore stripped or severely corroded threads, but they can work wonders on threads that have been distorted by impact, clogged...
Mailport: October 2021
PAEAN TO A NESTING DINGHY
Your recent Inside Practical Sailor blog post “The Great Dinghy Debate” about hard versus inflatables interested me and I thought...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026
In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...
Video: The BEST Sailboat You Can Buy for $35,000 – Catalina...
If you’re searching for a mid-30-foot sailboat, affordable cruising sailboat, liveaboard sailboat, first sailboat, or a capable used sailboat for coastal cruising, the Catalina...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review
Our story begins in 1970, with the introduction of the Cal 29. Looking for something similar but a bit smaller, the company asked designer Bill Lapworth for a 27-footer, which at first was the Cal 27, a fin keel, spade rudder design with a convertible pop top; another incarnation of this basic hull was the T/2. But the concept of the 29 found its full expression in the Cal 2-27, which began production in 1975 and continued to 1977, after which it was again modified and called simply the Cal 27...again. Production of it ceased in 1986.
