Offshore Log: A Pitch for Adjusting Pitch
We shouldn't take prop pitch for granted. The Max-Prop VP prop is adjustable underwater. It costs a lot, but so does a haulout.
406 MHz EPIRBs
The ACR Global Fix 406 with internal GPS is the top pick, followed by the Pains Wessex SOS Precision. The NAT Satfind lacks an integral GPS, but has a user-changeable battery.
PS Advisor: 07/01/03
Data, Displays, and the NMEAI currently own navigation equipment from three different companies, primarily because I felt they were the best value or provided...
Flamestop
There are some things you can’t have too many of. Fire extinguishers are a good example. A fire extinguisher is most effective when...
Offshore Log: Fit To Be Tied
Musicians practice their scales, wrestlers their grips. No reason why sailors shouldn't go back to the primer once in a while, and review how best to keep a boat secured to something solid.
Offshore Log: Gelcoat Maintenance
Practical Sailor's guide to bringing back a gelcoat and keeping it glossy.
Chart Kits
It's still important to carry paper charts, and it can be a pleasure, not just a duty. Maptech's market share and attention to detail are hard to beat, but some of the more local publishers also have much to offer.
The Moorings in Belize
This company is a powerhouse, but can any charter operation keep everything nailed down on a complex boat in a remote part of the world? Even if they can, is it worth it?
Glove Up!
There's a big market these days for "exam" gloves—the kind that used to be reserved for doctors and dentists, but are now used...
Meltdown in Auckland
As readers know, Practical Sailor's Editor at Large, Nick Nicholson, is an official America's Cup measurer, and spent most of this past winter in New Zealand. Recently returned to the States, he brought back the following quick report and photos of the series' end.
Catalina 25 Sailboat Tour
This Catalina 25 review also explains the important differences between the swing keel, fixed fin keel and wing keel versions, along with the standard...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Gemini 31/3000 Used Boat Review
The funny thing about the Gemini is that it's an old design. Ken Shaw drew the lines in 1969. There's nothing particularly contemporary about it. However, by painting the cabin sides black (Euro styling), adding a swept-back fiberglass "pilothouse" and gradually adding length to the full-bodied hulls, the Gemini has always looked like she belonged with her contemporaries, whether that was the 1980s or 1990s.
