Topclimber: Going Aloft Solo
Figuring the best way to get to the masthead is one of those conundrums seldom resolved.
Offshore Log:Life with the Profurl
Our headsail reefing system, anchored by a Profurl C42 furler, has had its share of teething problems, most of which are associated with our...
Offshore Log:Life with the Profurl
Our headsail reefing system, anchored by a Profurl C42 furler, has had its share of teething problems, most of which are associated with our...
New Harken Blocks
Harken’s quest for the lightest, easiest-running yacht blocks never ends. Harken makes a huge line of blocks, from tiny “Micro Blocks” with 22 mm...
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...
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...
PS Advior 05/01/98
Rerigging QuestionI enjoyed your December 1997 article on replacing wire halyards with all rope. When I considered it a few years ago, my rigger...
Mast Steps: No Perfect Design
In this report, first published in 1998, we discuss various designs of mast steps for climbing, or for assisted climbing. Here is a link...
Standing Rigging: How Tight Is Right?
Standing rigging tension is a peculiarly under-addressed subject. Easy to see how it would worry a new boat owner or someone going to sea....
Going Up the Mast Alone
A certain appeal of sailing is its seeming limitlessness. One can spend a lifetime perfecting navigation skills. Remember Marvin Creamer, who circumnavigated by the...
How to Wire Your Boat – Boat Wiring Mistakes and ABYC...
Most sailboat electrical failures aren’t random — they’re predictable. In this Practical Sailor–style breakdown, we explain why sailboat wiring fails over time, how corrosion...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tortue 147 Boat Review
What if I told you that the most radical sailboat you’ve never heard of looks like a turtle, weighs in at 17 tons (17,200...