DIY Installation Tips From the Pros
We made some calls to a few well-respected boat yards and asked their electricians what problems they have experienced with customer-installed (DIY) breaker panel...
Hydro Generators
Back in 1992, a friend of ours competed in the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race). Onboard electrical demands, especially from electronics, had recently grown,...
Top 2 Grease Cleaners vs. Homemade Recipe
Sailors - cruising sailors in particular - are famously thrifty. When each saved dollar translates to another mile voyaging, the incentive to save is...
Extend the Life of Your Sail
Sails aren’t cheap, and it makes sense to maintain them just as you would maintain a diesel engine or a set of winches. Sails...
The Do’s and Don’ts of Cleaning Your Boat
When it comes to maintaining lines, running rigging, ropes and sails, using the right cleaner takes a backseat to using the right cleaning method....
Which Specialty Cleaners Do You Need?
When it comes to marine cleaners, there’s no end to the choices available – as it should be, since there’s seemingly no end to...
How To Safely Remove the Dreaded “ICW Mustache”
We’ve all seen it. That slow buildup of brown discoloration along a boat’s waterline, sometimes growing with time to a darker brown or gray...
Tips for Gelcoat Maintenance
Painting fiberglass boats is a huge business. The development of high-gloss, long-lived polyurethanes means you can get multiple years out of a paint job....
Tips on Preventing Mildew Growth on Boats and Sails
The best way to fight mildew onboard is to keep it from ever starting in the first place. Prevention is your best defense. When...
Bilge Absorbers
The second you drop a loaded oil filter into your bilge, you realize that the most important piece of gear on your boat is...
$40,000 for a 40 Foot Cruiser? The Bristol 40 Reality Check
You can find Bristol 39s and Bristol 40s for around $40,000 — and at first glance, that sounds like one of the best deals...
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!