GPS 2000: Garmin GPS 48 and GPSMAP 175 Best Choices
Tests of eight basic GPS handhelds and four cartographic models finds Magellan falling behind its arch competitor.
Whale Urchin and Edson 30 Most Efficient Manual Bilge Pumps
Our test of 19 diaphragm pumps finds the Guzzler 2600 a Best Buy, and the Henderson Mk V a good choice for its excellent design and performance.
Four Small Boat PVC-Foil Furlers
Hanked-on sails, while having certain advantages, are disappearing in favor of roller furling jibs and genoas.
All Things Must Pass
Nothing lasts forever. Not even a good boat. Viva, the 1975 Tartan 44 we bought in 1993, didnt expire, but was sold last fall...
RFI Problems and Solutions
Advice and products to keep the hum off your radio or even worse, your autopilot from hanging a left everytime you transmit on the SSB.
Perma Buoy Chafe Gear Lasts Longest
Its called ground tackle-mooring weights, chain, lines, snubbers, shackles, swivels, anchors-all intended to hold your boat still when moored or anchored.
Offshore Log: How Simple Is Simple?
Considering the KISS principle vs. the techno-cruiser, Nick Nicholson asks 'How Simple Is Simple?'
The Life Raft Business
This month we conclude our three-part series on life rafts. Well, almost. Unfortunately, there are a few issues we havent had room to discuss yet, and must wait until upcoming issues.
Beautiful Block Island 40
As mentioned in this months editorial, Migrator Yacht Co. has changed hands. After 17 years and 17 boats, Eric Woods sold the firm to Dennis Walsh and Marty Niemiec, who moved the molds to their yard in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A few East Coast dealers have been signed up, which represents a change from the direct sales approach taken by Woods.
A Boat Of His Own
I first met Eric Woods some time in the early 1980s, when he worked for C.E. Ryder, builder of the Southern Cross and Sea...
Latest Logbook
Practical Sailor Logbook – October 2026
This month leans into used-boat value and hands-on maintenance: Tim Labute tours the traditional, shoal-draft Bayfield 32, Nick Nicholson revisits the much-requested Morgan 38/382,...
Video: Catalina 356 Review – The First Boat of the Comeback
Catalina Yachts is BACK! After a change in ownership and a pause in production, Catalina has returned to building sailboats in America, and we're...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Tartan 31 Piper: Used Boat Review
The Tartan 31 is one of the new line of performance cruising yachts from the venerable-and durable--Grand River, Ohio boatbuilder. In the last few years, Tartan Marine has come out with a range of new models, including the T-28, the 3500 and the 4600. A 41-footer is in the works. Both the 28 and the latest version of the 31 are part of the new Piper series, which are marketed in sailaway condition. Tartan has a reputation for solid construction and good workmanship and that's what the 31 is: solid and well put together. The hull is hand-laminated with alternating layers of chopped strand mat and unidirectional E glass. Behind the NPG/ISO gelcoat there's a layer of vinylester resin, which so far appears to provide the best osmotic blister protection available.
