Kayak Test Update
Our previous favorite kayak in this category was the Walker Bay Airis, which we reviewed in two different evolutions (PS July 2008 and October...
PS Looks at DIY COVID-19 Mask Options
At present, the masks that are certified to provide reliable protection against COVID-19 (minimum rating N95) are in short supply, so we have to...
PFDs for Extreme Events
Seldom does one size fit all, and the same goes for whether or not one type of life jacket can meet all lifesaving needs.
The...
Rhumb Lines: Cruising in the New Normal
The Valiant 40 on the cover of this month’s issue belongs to longtime contributor the late Patrick Childress and his wife Rebecca. Patrick was...
The Ups and Downs of Shoal Draft Boats
As a longtime multihull sailor I’m often told that it must be wonderful to anchor wherever I want and tuck into the smallest of...
Making the Most of Centerboards
A deep, ballasted keel does a lot of good things. It lowers the center of gravity, provides lift to windward, and stabilizes the boat....
Rhumb Lines: The Sailing Cure
This summer is shaping up to be a strange one—a pandemic moving through the land and an economy reeling from its strains. And now...
Rhumb Lines: Is Sailing Essential?
Let’s take away all the boats. Not the ships engaged in essential commerce, not the barges hauling goods, not the net boats catching fish....
Insuring Old Boats
Editor’s note: Our recent article on marine insurance (see “Consequential DamageCoverage,” PS Jan. 2020) prompted many questions from readers regarding insurance for older boats. For answers, we...
Steering Our Way to Safer Passages at Sea
With so many conveniences aboard the modern cruising boat, it’s easy to forget that the bare essentials required to get us from here to...
Before You Buy a Beneteau Watch This First – Hanse 430E...
Thinking about buying a 40–45 foot cruising sailboat? Before you default to a Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, or Hunter, this in-depth Practical Sailor review takes...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!