Long-term Test Gear Updates
Many of Practical Sailors tests move from the lab (workshop/garage/driveway) to our fleet of test boats, where we can evaluate the top products in...
New Options in Small Outboards
Propulsion has long been lingering high on the list of priorities for our trailerable test boat, the Catalina 22 Lil Spitfire. Our first instinct...
West Marine Oil Changer
Changing the oil in a car is easy. On a boat, the engine is generally buried in the bilge and draining is awkward or...
Playing it Safe with LPG Heat
Unlike many sailors, Practical Sailor contributor Drew Fryes version of sailing occurs in any weather where the water isn't frozen. So when his family...
Taking the Spill Out of Fill-ups
Fueling a boat has never been as easy as fueling a car. Spills-exacerbated by poorly designed fill pipes and vents-are common. The U.S. Environmental...
Additives vs. Gum, Sludge
If we used our boats like the family car, back and forth to work each day, fuel would never sit for more than a...
Testing Boat Fuel Stability in Diesel and Gasoline
We followed standard boat test methods for storage stability. Diesel was tested using ASTM method D 4625, Standard Test Method for Middle Distillate Fuel...
Reduce Gasoline Evaporation in Boats with These Tips
Sometimes it is not what has been added to your fuel that matters, but what is missing. The most obvious difference between gasoline and...
AGM Batteries Test Update
In our recent test of absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries, we cycled five different batteries through 30 deep cycles to 11.7 volts but only...
Watering Batteries
Our May 2015 report on absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries got us thinking about wet cell-batteries. While it is easy to find distilled water...
The Great Loop – The Basics
Join us this week as we discuss taking a sailboat around North America's great boating adventure - The Great Loop. We discuss advice from...
