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...
Farewell to Skip Allan’s S/V Wildflower
Anyone who has ever run before a gale knows how exhilarating it can be. On the right boat, in the right conditions, the adrenaline...
Snatch Block Test Update
Although it has a comparatively small sheave diameter (1.75 inches), the RF-6831 can handle loads up to 3,310 pounds, which is on par with...
A Tale of Two Trysails
A storm trysail rarely gets the close look it deserves. Designed to replace the mainsail in a severe storm, it spends most of its...
Taming the Main: Sail-Handling Systems for Bigger Mainsails
The mainsail continues to be both the heart of most sailplans, and the bane of many short-handed cruising sailors. In its modern bigger-than-ever context,...
Used Nylon Three-Strand Rope Faces The Ultimate Endurance Test
Nylon three-strand dock lines, anchor rodes, and mooring pendants are the sailors safety net, so to speak, and have been for nearly a century....
Practical Sailor Test Boat Gets Half a Refit With Powerlite PBO Rigging
Although stainless steel wire and rod rigging are still the traditional, most popular, and economical material of choice for mast rigging, metal is rapidly...
Sailboat Jackline Test
Whatever jackline system is used, it should be supplemented with fixed clip-in points in the cockpit, at the helm, and around the mast-wherever crew...
Beneteau 423: What You Should Know | Boat Review
Looking to buy a 40-45 foot sailboat? Considering a Beneteau 423? See a Beneteau 423 for sale? What are the pros and cons of...
