Spinlock’s PX Power Cleat Releases Under Load
Perhaps nothing on boats has developed as steadily and soundly as line-holding devices—cams, clams, jams, clutches, stoppers and plain old horned cleats.There were some...
Spinlocks PX Power Cleat Releases Under Load
Perhaps nothing on boats has developed as steadily and soundly as line-holding devices—cams, clams, jams, clutches, stoppers and plain old horned cleats.There were some...
Color GPS Chartplotters: Si-Tex Nautilus is a Best Buy
Of seven models, the Si-Tex Nautilus earns a Best Buy, but the Shipmate CE40 is the one we’d most like to own.
Belt Tension Gauges
Practical Sailor’s editor-at-large, Nick Nicholson, writing in the Offshore Log in the May 1999 issue, discussed a breakdown of Calypso’s high-output alternator.Because such alternators...
Color GPS Chartplotters: Si-Tex Nautilus is a Best Buy
Of seven models, the Si-Tex Nautilus earns a Best Buy, but the Shipmate CE40 is the one we’d most like to own.
Nav Software: Visual Navigation Suite vs. The Cap’n
A close examination of each charting program favors Visual Navigation Suite’s vector charts over The Cap’n’s raster charts.
Nav Software: Visual Navigation Suite vs. The Capn
A close examination of each charting program favors Visual Navigation Suite’s vector charts over The Cap’n’s raster charts.
Offshore Log: Essential Forecasting Tools
Our years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean, with their stable, predictable weather patterns, left us ill-prepared to deal with the vagaries...
Light Dimmer and Motor Controller
Occasionally, there are times when you would like to control the lighting brightness in the cabin-intimate settings, night sailing without adequate red lights in...
Small Boat, Big Keel Why This 27 Footer Works
What makes a small sailboat truly seaworthy? In this video, we take a deep dive into the Pacific Seacraft Orion 27, a rugged, long-keel...
Latest Sailboat Review
Island Packet Estero Used Boat Review
Florida-based Island Packet targets a relatively narrow niche, so the toughest competitors to its new boats are often older Island Packets. Introduced in 2010, the 36-foot, shoal-draft Estero is the company’s latest attempt to introduce a distinctive model that doesn’t stray too far from the company’s proven formula for success: moderate displacement, full-keel cruisers designed to be lived on, sailed far and in comfort, and endure the bumps, scrapes, and storms that cruising boats inevitably encounter. After sailing the Estero on Florida’s Sarasota Bay and inspecting its interior, construction, and systems, Practical Sailor testers noted that the shoal-water cruiser will appeal strongest to Island Packet fans who’ve been waiting for a shoal-draft, easy-to-sail boat that compares to the IP37 in terms of interior space. These strengths will be most apparent on intracoastal or riverine adventures like the Great Loop.