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...
Which Boats Are Easy to Sail? 7 Features That Matter
What makes a sailboat easy to sail? In this Practical Sailor video, we look at seven features that can make a sailboat easier, safer,...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Gemini 31/3000 Used Boat Review
The funny thing about the Gemini is that it's an old design. Ken Shaw drew the lines in 1969. There's nothing particularly contemporary about it. However, by painting the cabin sides black (Euro styling), adding a swept-back fiberglass "pilothouse" and gradually adding length to the full-bodied hulls, the Gemini has always looked like she belonged with her contemporaries, whether that was the 1980s or 1990s.
