The Happy Hooker and Other Ingenious (de)Vices
Boat hook attachments to make docking and picking up moorings less terrifying.
Hydraulic Backstay Adjusters: Sailtec vs. Navtec
When seven mechanical backstay adjusters were reviewed (in last falls August 15 issue), a promise was made to examine hydraulic models. As it turns...
PS Advisor 01/01/98
Chain Locker DesignNick Nicholsons Offshore Log is another enhancement to your great publication. Here are a few questions regarding his November 1, 1997 article...
Rebuilding Old Blocks
There are tens of thousands of blocks in use whose sheaves are made of ultraviolet sensitive plastic. Over time, the sheaves deteriorate, become brittle...
A New Hatch That Leaks Air
It has been more than three years since we thoroughly examined deck hatches. There were lots of good ones-with Bomar, Lewmar, Nicro and...
PS Advisor 02/01/98
Blister ProblemLast falls haulout for stripping and painting the bottom of my 1969 Pearson 35 lasted over seven months. By the end of the...
No-Bleed Fuel Filter Adapter
There probably are a million diesel engines-Perkins, Ford-Lehmans, Volvo-Pentas, Saabs and others-whose fuel gets its final cleaning by passing through a filter cartridge fitted...
The Bruce Anchor Sets Best
A goodly portion of the best years of every sailor’s life has been spent reading reports on, opinions regarding, claims for, studies of and...
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...
Stowing Inner Forestays
In the October 1, 1997 issue, we published a letter from Houston Car of West Bath, Maine, in which he asked how best to...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – October 2026
This month leans into used-boat value and hands-on maintenance: Tim Labute tours the traditional, shoal-draft Bayfield 32, Nick Nicholson revisits the much-requested Morgan 38/382,...
Video: How Old Is Too Old for Standing Rigging?
If you own an older sailboat, are shopping for a used sailboat, or are trying to understand the true cost of sailboat ownership, standing...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Tartan 31 Piper: Used Boat Review
The Tartan 31 is one of the new line of performance cruising yachts from the venerable-and durable--Grand River, Ohio boatbuilder. In the last few years, Tartan Marine has come out with a range of new models, including the T-28, the 3500 and the 4600. A 41-footer is in the works. Both the 28 and the latest version of the 31 are part of the new Piper series, which are marketed in sailaway condition. Tartan has a reputation for solid construction and good workmanship and that's what the 31 is: solid and well put together. The hull is hand-laminated with alternating layers of chopped strand mat and unidirectional E glass. Behind the NPG/ISO gelcoat there's a layer of vinylester resin, which so far appears to provide the best osmotic blister protection available.
