Not All That Glitters Is Gold: A Surveyor’s Cautionary Tale
I received a message regarding surveying a 1980 CS 36: “I bought a sailboat with two friends and need a survey,” the WhatsApp message...
Readers’ Choice: 14 More Marine Suppliers You Should Know About
You can’t maintain a boat without ordering a few marine supplies, so Practical Sailor readers offered (mostly) high praise and appreciation for our guide...
Old Boats, New Generations: The Real Value of Our Cruising Life
I often ask myself the point of all the effort and expense of owning a well-aged sailboat. This usually happens after I crack a...
DIY Stovetop Cabin Heater
For my small F-24, with no cabin heating and no justification for the complexity of an installed system, this has been one of my...
VC17 OFFSHORE Pre-Application Prep
It’s been a few years since Interlux (Akzo Nobel) discontinued the popular VC17 and VC17m antifouling due to environmental and safety concerns. However, it...
Essential Knots and How To Tie Them
Like most sailors, you’ve probably seen many articles and books about knots. You’ve probably also seen the hundreds, if not thousands, of social media...
Marelon Through-Hulls: Why They’re Worth Reconsidering
Are Marelon through-hulls a good modern replacement for bronze or a failure waiting to happen? Common refrains are: “Okay above the waterline if you...
16 Independent Marine Suppliers You Should Know About
Online juggernaut Amazon, big-box behemoth Walmart, and West Marine—with more than 250 stores nationwide—are the biggest sellers of marine supplies in North America. But...
How to Replace Sailboat Plexiglass Windows: A DIY Guide
Many coastal cruising production sailboats designed during the heyday of the 70s and 80s emerged from the factory with plexiglass cabin windows. These larger-than-standard...
The 2025 Sailboat Market Split: Winners and Losers
In my opinion, 2025 was a weird year for the sailboat buying and selling world. We saw listings pile up, price cuts, motivated seller...
This 40 Foot Sailboat Has the Best Owner’s Bed Ever Built...
If you’re shopping for a 40-foot cruising sailboat and actually plan to live aboard or cruise, comfort matters — and nowhere does that matter...
Latest Sailboat Review
Union 36 Used Boat Review
While not the best boat for light-air sailing, the Union 36 is a good sailboat for the bluewater cruiser. It wont get you there fast, but it will get you there comfortably and in one piece. The boats teak decks and lavish use of interior wood is attractive but requires much upkeep and maintenance. A product of the Taiwan-U.S. boatbuilding industry, the Union 36 is a heavy-displacement, full-keel, cutter-rigged double-ender designed for ocean sailing. The Union 36 is nearly identical to several other boats built during the same period: the Hans Christian 36, Mariner Polaris 36, and the EO36. According to well-known naval architect Bob Perry, the Union 36 and its cousins are all based on the design of a 34-footer that Perry was commissioned to create back in the early 70s.