Liveaboard Sailors’ Laundry Hacks
At home, laundry is about removing grease, grass, and coffee stains without damaging the fabric of the clothing. Energy and water efficiency only matter in a secondary sense. Rinse water is plentiful, and the only water quality consideration is that it is sufficiently soft to avoid interference with the detergent and calcium build-up in the clothes.
Protecting Your Nose from UV
Two weeks ago I had a good sized lump of skin cancer taken off my nose. Fresh incisions must be carefully protected from UV,...
The Day Sailor’s First-Aid Kit
As a former ER nurse and a current family practice clinician, one of the topics I get asked about most frequently by my sailing...
Five Best Ways to Keeps Your Stuff Dry
I love sailing and kayaking, and while some stuff is meant to get wet, sandwiches, cell phones and spare clothes would rather stay dry....
The Get-Home Sailboat Tool Kit
The tools and materials required to maintain and repair everything on a boat will barely fit in a room. Just the kit required to maintain vital systems will raise the waterline of a large boat and is impractical in a smaller boat. Fortunately, when day sailing and even cruising locally, all we really need to do is get back to the dock...any dock.
Marine Binoculars Guide
Regardless of your vessel type or size, having access to a clear, magnified view of your surroundings is one key to safe boating. The...
Five Best Cheap Clothing Options for Cold-Weather Sailing
Some of us go sailing in the rain in warm weather. Some go sailing in the winter. But day sailors—and that’s most of the...
How to Scuba from Your Boat
With all of the logistics, specialized knowledge and costs involved, you may be asking yourself “Why would I want to go diving?” This is...
Compact Scuba Kits for Sailors
In general, many cruisers prefer the freedom of snorkeling to scuba diving, yet there are situations when extending the time you can spend underwater becomes a safety issue.
Cold Weather Clothes to Extend the Sailing Season
Whether you want to cruise the higher latitudes or extend your sailing season this winter, youll need to think about clothing. Over the years, Practical Sailor has published a number of tests and reports on garments that we can count on to keep us warm when the wind chill dips toward freezing. In this report, well take a broader look at the essentials, focusing on the first principles; under layers, accessories, how to wear them, and what materials stay dry.
Video: Why Are Sailboats So Cheap?
Why are sailboats so cheap right now? The used sailboat market is flooded with affordable boats from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Brewer 12.8/44 Used Boat Review
The Brewer 12.8 and the Brewer 44 are developments of the Whitby 42, a cruising boat from the board of Ted Brewer. Brewer is one of the great modern cruising boat designers. His boats are well-mannered, attractive and practical. To improve windward performance, a high aspect ratio centerboard extends through the bottom of the 12.8's shallow keel. Since the board is not ballasted, it does not affect stability, but can be used when reaching to shift the center of lateral resistance.
