Ensuring a Safe Space for Batteries
When charging, lead acid batteries generate hydrogen from the electrolysis of water, and some acid gases, the amount of which vary with the battery...
Impact of Modern, Triangular-Design on Boat Performance
Go round any boat show and look at the hulls from underneath—most now have a narrow, very pointed bow and a broad flat stern....
Keel and Rudder Design Basics
This is a simple explanation for those new to sailboats about what effect sailboat design has on performance. There are few “bad” boats but...
Diesel-Electric Hybrids Vs. Electric: Sailing’s Auxiliary Power Future
How do we reduce and even eliminate our sailboat's carbon dioxide emissions when using auxiliary propulsion and electrical HVAC systems?
Just like with automobiles, how...
Sailing Triteia: Budget Bluewater Cruising
If I were to sum up, in one word, how James Frederick has managed to create his sailing life, I’d say “resourcefully.” The 49-year-old...
How To Keep Pipe Fittings Dry: Sealant and Teflon Tape Tests
After replacing the raw water pump on his 30-plus-year old Universal diesel, former PS Editor Darrell Nicholson reconnected the tangle of hoses on the...
How to Create a Bullet-Proof VHF/SSB Backup
In this short article I want to chat about ideas for making the radio bombproof in an emergency. I haven’t “invented” any of these...
Fuel Lift Pump: Easy DIY Diesel Fuel System Diagnostic and Repair
As with all things in life, everything goes well until it doesn’t. It is an inevitable truth that something will go wrong eventually and...
Ensuring Safe Shorepower
Power pedestals are handy and safe when they match the power requirements of the boat. Thirty amps for a 30-amp boat. Fifty amps for...
Sinking? Check Your Stuffing Box
Sometimes as a sailor you are learning to run before you can walk or even crawl. If the auto bilge pump isn’t working, maybe...
Affordable AND Good? Sabre 34 Mk II Review
Can you buy a good sailboat for $25,000? In this video we take a deep dive into the Sabre 34 Mk II, a proven...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 30: An Affordable Classic
The early 1970s was the heyday of the Tartan 30' racer/cruiser. In all, no less than two dozen boats of a similar size and type were introduced in just three years, many of them to become highly successful among sailors eager for the performance and amenities of big boats at a modest price. Among the most noteworthy and enduring of the 30-footers from this era has been the Tartan 30.