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...
Before You Buy a Beneteau Watch This First – Hanse 430E...
Thinking about buying a 40–45 foot cruising sailboat? Before you default to a Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalina, or Hunter, this in-depth Practical Sailor review takes...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!