Composting Marine Heads

Sun-Mar's Ecolet Mobile and the Air Head are pondered upon for a season. The Ecolet is more of a fire-and-forget vehicle, but demands more power and space. The Air Head requires you to commune more closely with nature.

Manual Galley Pumps

Three major brands - Whale, Fynspray and Wilcox-Crittenden - and three major types -lever and vertical hand pumps, plus three foot pumps - are evaluated.

Refrigeration Survey 2002

PS readers are almost universally pleased with their choices in DC-powered refrigeration. The technology is well-developed and reliable.

Portable Heads

The Thetford AquaMate, with its bells and whistles and impressive three-year warranty, is our top choice. The simple but comfortable SeaLand Sanipottie earns Best Buy honors.

Techni-Ice: So Long, Blue Bricks

Techni-Ice, invented in Australia, is meant to act as a substitute for ice, and it does a good job of it—better, in our opinion,...

Test of Six 12-volt Watermakers

In this test, we look at high-output watermakers from five manufacturers, ranging from systems from industry giants such as Village Marine to small shops...

PS Advisor 01/15/98

From Freshwater to SaltI plan to move from the Chicago area to North Carolina. My Catalina 30 has spent its entire life on Lake...

Offshore Log:Life With The Little Wonder

The search for potable water is the bane of the long-distance cruisers existence. In the US, we take cheap, easily accessible water of decent...

In The Market For A Cooler? The Softsides Win For Convenience

Given evidence that beer making has been around some 10,000 years, keeping a frosty one cold has been a challenge for a long time....

Offshore Log:Life With The Little Wonder

The search for potable water is the bane of the long-distance cruisers existence. In the US, we take cheap, easily accessible water of decent...

Bayfield 32 Boat Tour – The Canadian Cruiser That Crossed the...

In this Bayfield 32 boat tour, we explore the deck, cockpit, cabin layout, galley, sleeping accommodations, construction and sailing characteristics. We also look at...
Catalina 25 Sailboat Tour video from Practical Sailor

Catalina 25 Sailboat Tour

Latest Sailboat Reviews

DIY Survey Checklist for Used-Boat Buying

Boat buying is an exciting, maddening exercise that can test the tolerance of even the most patient sailor. Most of the maddening part has to do with trying to ferret out a boats problems before buying it-and making the problems your own. Hiring a professional marine surveyor can be expensive when youre looking at multiple boats, so save yourself some money-and potential heartache-by learning how to examine a used sailboat, from stem to stern and mast to bilge. Practical Sailors DIY survey how-to details common problem areas (like engines and rigging), what issues are easy to remedy, and what red flags you should walk away from.