On Your Behalf
We recently receivied an e-mail from Bill Boyeson, a reader in Seattle, WA. Boyeson wanted to share his experience with Tacktick's electronic RaceMaster compass....
New Marina Guidebook for Florida
After hurricane-delayed research, a new guidebook for marinas along Florida's East Coast is now available.
Into the Fray
Like a lot of sailboat owners all over the country, for me, the idle hours of late winter and early spring aren't really idle...
Froli Sleep System
Even more adjustability is provided by tension rings, shaped like four-leafed clovers, which are snapped on the top of the spring elements.When assembled, the...
Priorities, Priorities
Some 25 years ago, when Hurricanes David and Frederick bore down upon my floating abode in the U.S. Virgin Islands-threatening back-to-back strikes-I learned a...
Map Seal
Last year, when Practical Sailor tested about a dozen spray products for rendering woven fabrics water-repellent (see PS June 2004, "Water Repellents for Fabric"),...
Trend or Just Trendy?
In 1962, when Thomas Kuhn wrote about paradigm shifts in his opus The Structure of Scientific Revolution, he described scientific advancement not as evolutionary,...
More Practical Websites
Our last compilation of useful Internet resources for sailors included 26 websites; here now are two dozen more that we like.
Human Resources
A few weeks back a friend called and invited me to his "hull turning party." Readers who are acquainted with one-off boat construction won't...
FenderStep
We once had a boat with considerable freeboard. When anchored out, getting aboard from a dinghy was done by rigging a folding teak boarding...
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.