Practical Sailor Tests Bosun Chairs and Harnesses
The world is divided into two types of sailors: Those who have no qualms scrambling up the ratlines to replace a bad anchor light,...
Eight Sailboat Cam Cleats Tested on Doomsday Device
Cam cleats are everywhere on sailboats. You can hardly put a hand near a modern rig without touching one. They really are useful little...
Cape Dory 25 Do-It-Yourself Refit
Regular Practical Sailor readers may have noticed that we have a thing for Cape Dory boats. We have three in our test fleet: two...
Practical Sailor Takes a Close Look at the State of Boat Cleats
On average, a sailboat thats used 60 times a year actually spends only about 6 percent of its annual cycle underway. During the rest...
PS Advisor: Replacing Wire Rigging
Over the years, I’ve heard various timeframes for when to replace standing rigging, but I’ve never seen any empirical data to back up those...
Gripping Hitches for Loaded Lines
Sailors use a variety of hitches to hold highly loaded line, chain, or wire. For instance, to remove a riding turn from a winch,...
A Look at the Latest Generation of Genoa Furlers
Engineering advances have improved roller-furling systems, and the latest units show refinements to original design and some promising new innovations. Today, third- and fourth-generation...
Practical Sailor Tests and Reviews the Latest in Boat Ratchet Blocks
With an apology to dogs, blocks are a sailors best friend. Like dogs, they come in a variety of species, if you will: cheek,...
Practical Sailors 2009 Rope Clutch Review
Testers put six rope clutches through their paces on a test jig that measured line tension, line slippage, and the clutches holding ability over...
Heavy Weather Sailing Gear
From sea anchors, drogues, and trysails to forereaching and heaving to, tactics and gear for surviving a storm at sea vary greatly. During a...
The Great Loop – The Basics
Join us this week as we discuss taking a sailboat around North America's great boating adventure - The Great Loop. We discuss advice from...
