Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Bungee Lanyards Take the Shock Out of Tools Dropped from the Mast

Iput a nice dent in the deck several decades ago when I dropped a wrench from the masthead. It scared the crew too. I haven’t...

Stitching Awl vs. Leather Palm for Sail Repair

Got a small sail or canvas repair? “Get a Speedy Stitcher!” is common advice, though rarely from someone experienced in sail repair. Sure, it seems...

PS Advisor: Belaying Safety for Mast Climbing

Mast climbing accidents have occurred because the crew member either misunderstood or did not perform their duties attentively and properly. Belaying should be considered...

Damage Control at Sea

For many boaters, damage control means a cell phone call to Sea Tow, Tow Boat US or another marine assistance provider. These are reliable...

Anchor Trip-line Tricks

An anchor trip line is a stout line connected from the after end of the anchor fluke to a marker buoy so that the...

Shock Cord Test Looks at Long Life

We’re sailors and we know our knots. We don’t use bungees to avoid lashings or because we don’t have enough old rope lying about...

Designing a Dump Line for the Multihull Mainsheet

Many of Practical Sailor's previous reports have explored the risks of multihull capsize, and what sailors and designers are doing to reduce this risk, which, though generally low, increases as designers push for more speed. One detail that we have not explored in great depth is the engineering of a “dump line,” which allows the helmsman (or automatic system) to quickly release the mainsheet in case a capsize is imminent. Simon Angus, a Canadian sailboat designer and builder who recently launched a new 40-foot catamaran that fits into a shipping container, has a manual system that involves the clever use of Ronstan’s constrictor textile rope clutches, which allows a person at the helm to quickly release the mainsheet with the swift tug on a parachute cord.

Other Methods to Control Yaw

Yawing is the result of imbalance between windage (you want it aft) and underwater resistance (you want it forward). If the center of windage...

Drogues to Dampen Yaw

A leading cause of anchor dragging is yawing so vigorously that either the soil around the anchor is liquefied, or the anchor simply capsizes....

Testing the DIY Dog Bone Shackle

Soft shackles became the cool thing nearly as soon as they appeared on race boats. Any savvy DIYer could make them using Dyneema single...

Bahamas Lightning Strikes Catamaran, FRIES EVERYTHING!

This week, we talk to Sailing Dark Angel about the Bahamas price increases for cruisers and their recent brush with disaster as light struck...

Latest Sailboat Review

Catalina 25 Used Boat Review

The Catalina 25 is not exceptionally fast, stylish, or spacious compared to newer widebody models, and while the construction and workmanship are adequate, they too are not exceptional. But because of the builder's strict adherence to a philosophy of offering a relatively spacious design, relatively well made, at a reasonable price, and backing up the product with generally good customer service, the Catalina 25 has turned out to be one of the most successful small cruising sailboats ever built, with 5,332 boats sold between 1976 and 1990, when the company ceased producing the model as demand tailed off.