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...

Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East...

In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a deep look at the Downeaster 38, also known as the Down East 38, a classic...

Latest Sailboat Reviews

C&C 40 Used Boat Review

While C&C did not invent the racer/cruiser, the Canadian-based company has remained dedicated for two decades to the concept of the dual-purpose boat. With the notable exception of a few pure cruisers-the relatively low-performance Landfall 35, 42, 43, and 48-a racer-based cruising boat (the Landfall 38), and a real oddball (the Mega 30), most C&Cs have paid at least lip service to contemporary trends in racing boats.