Safety & Seamanship

Quicksilver QS-230 Airfloor Inflatable

In late 1996, Quicksilver (the parts and accessories arm of Mercury Marine) came out with a new line of air-floor inflatables. We missed testing...

Johnson & Johnson and Orion Our Picks Among Marine Medical Kits

When we conduct used-boat inspections we look everywhere, including inside medicine cabinets. Especially on boats that are more than five years old, we are...

Offshore Log: Re-inventing the Wheel

Calypso was designed and built to be steered by a tiller. With her double-ended hull form and big outboard rudder, fitting a wheel system...

Offshore Log: Bermuda-bound Trial by Water

We never seem to do things the easy way. In late November, Calypso left New England once again, this time bound first to Bermuda,...

Offshore Log:Do You Know Where Your Emergency Tiller Is?

The great racing sailor, Paul Elvstrom, preferred the superior sensitivity of tiller steering to wheel steering even on larger offshore boats. Elvstrom, however, seems...

GPS Plotters: Trimble NT200D and Raytheon 620 Our Top Picks

GPS plotters, which combine satellite positioning and charting functions, make a vast amount of information instantly available to the navigator. Relatively new on the...

Is 88% A Good Number?

If you want a nice vacation, a boat charter seems close to a sure thing. Readers who responded to a survey published in last...

Lifesling Goes Throwable

Were safety conscious at Practical Sailor. Readers know that, from the numerous articles about our in-the-water and bench tests. We rarely fail to comment...

Gimbaled Radar Mount Concern

Calypso is equipped with a Questus model 100 backstay-mounted gimbaling radar mount for her Furuno 1831 radar. We have always liked this system, since...

Offshore Log: A West Indian Respite

Calypso arrived in Falmouth Harbor, Antigua, just before Christmas, 1997. She covered the 1,600 nautical miles from Newport, Rhode Island to Antigua in almost...

Why Sailors Love to Hate the MacGregor 26

The MacGregor 26 might be the most controversial sailboat ever built. Half sailboat. Half powerboat. Water ballast. A 50-horsepower outboard. Capable of sailing… and...

Latest Sailboat Review

Catalina Morgan 440 Used Boat Review

The Catalina Morgan 440 is a massive ocean-capable design from the drafting board of Gerry Douglas, a prolific designer for Catalina Yachts for over...