Rudder Restoration: Eight Lessons Learned
Does your rudder feel unsteady, with play in the tiller or wheel? Do you experience vibration at certain speeds or slapping or thudding sounds...
DIY Kayak Boarding Assist Arm
Exploring beaches, marshes, shorelines—and yes, small towns—is one of sailing’s greatest joys. The challenge is getting in and out of a dinghy or kayak,...
Wireless Engine Cut-Off Switches Evolve Into Man-Overboard Alarm Systems
Even sailing greenhorns are familiar with those red coiled lanyards that are, theoretically, attached from an engine’s cut-off switch (ECOS) to the operator’s life...
Underwater Epoxy Test
Although laminating epoxies can tolerate some moisture, we know that excessive moisture can prevent a good cure. So how can we manage an emergency...
Spring Check: Are Your Onboard Alarms Actually Working?
The sailing season is here again and everyone is doing their spring checks. Something that is often overlooked are the alarms that may one...
Are Your Cleats in the Right Location?
Cleats are those ever-present little devices we all have on deck and, until a line must be tied, most boaters pay little or no...
Phosphate Conversion Coatings: The DIY Rust Fix That Also Protects
In the process of rediscovering my machining hobby, I dug out my long-ignored collection of machinist tools from a great uncle who worked in...
Liveaboard Insurance: Harder to Get, More Important Than Ever
For liveaboard sailors and long-range cruisers, marine insurance has shifted from a routine purchase to a strategic decision. The broader hull and liability market...
DIY Wooden Bowsprit
Bowsprits are a common feature on traditional boats as a way to extend the sail plan beyond the boat’s length over deck and create...
A Walk Through the Thomson Ship Collection
The waters roared off the coast of Sicily as the Grafton, Captain, and Breda closed in. They had set sail from England almost two...
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.
