Asymmetrical Spinnakers
Asymmetrical spinnakers – “A-sails” as many sailors have grown to refer to them – are in many respects a simplification of the conventional, symmetrical...
Playing the Musical Sails Game
While having a robust sail inventory is considered a must on most racing sailboats, it’s often thought to be more of a luxury for...
String Theory
Sails are a fascinating engineering statement, and when all is said and done, what’s sought after is the lightest material possible that will neither...
Choosing a Sailmaker
Sailmakers around the world have been printing up new business cards even though they continue to work for the same franchised lofts. Their new...
The Basics of Sailmaking
What’s important about good sail shape? As one sailmaker likes to explain it, using poorly shaped or blown-out sails is like driving on bald...
Getting Away From the Crowd Is Key
Boatowners who have the option of moving their boats to protected water before a hurricane strikes should consider rivers, canals, or backwater creeks instead...
The Lightweight Anchor
All anchors are a compromise. Since some anchor types work best in certain bottoms, it is a good idea to carry anchors of different...
Design Analysis
Physical measurements of anchors cannot produce definitive conclusions about anchor performance, but they offer clues to likely performance in different conditions.
Our analysis found that...
Anchors Reset Tests
When a sailor hooks his beloved boat to good, old Mother Earth, he hopes his anchor will stay put—for lunch, for a good night’s...
Better Mousetraps
And what of the new anchors not yet on the market? Anchoring is a subject that seems to fascinate inventors. It’s not just “build...
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.
