It seems many of us are always “shopping” for the next boat, or our forever boat. Some of us are simply window-shoppers, content with browsing boat sale websites and dreaming of a longer waterline or less brightwork. But if you’re a more serious shopper, here are some Practical Sailor archive articles we suggest checking out.
New Boat Shopping
The PS archive includes dozens and dozens of sailboat reviews, from trailersailers and small cats to racer-cruisers and bluewater voyaging boats built for a family of four. You can search the reviews using the alphabetical index link under the “Sailboat Reviews” tab on the homepage. Also the two-volume ebook series “Entry-level Cruiser-Racer” is a compilation of boat reviews of popular racing-cruising boats; you can buy it in our online bookstore.
If you’re planning to carry out a preliminary boat survey—or just want to be well-versed when you go shopping—read our do-it-yourself survey checklist for boatbuyers in the June 2012 issue. Another must-read resource is “A Sailor’s Guide to Marine Insurance,” which was published in the October 2012 issue. New boatowners would also be well-served by investing in any of the resource books in our online bookstore, especially Don Casey’s “This Old Boat,” the marine maintenance bible, and the “Boatowners Illustrated Electrical Handbook,” by Charlie Wing. On the fence about making that big purchase? Consider a peer-to-peer boat rental (see PS July 2015 online) or fractional boat ownership (see PS July 2006).
Galley Outfitting
Before you outfit your galley for cruising—or even weekend sailing—be sure to read these performance tests and long-term product reviews of galley tools. For those who need quick-fix dinners that can basically cook themselves while you’re on watch (or enjoying cocktail hour), you’ll find our report on pressure cookers in the December 2010 issue and thermal cookers in the September 2012. If you have more time—and more room—for meal-making and are in the market for a galley oven-range combo, you’ll find our latest test on those in the July 2007 issue, along with an update on our test of small stoves. Two other items we consider cruising-galley staples are the coffeemaker and nesting cookware. In the January 2014 issue, we looked at multiple ways of brewing the best onboard java, and testers put nesting cookware sets through their paces in the April 2009 issue. The October 2012 issue offers an in-depth look at galley design.
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Whatever happened to the alphabetical list of boat reviews? I’m looking for a used boat and last month the articles were available. They aren’t any longer
Thank you Steve. We are working on returning this feature, which was inadvertently lost in the shuffle as we updated the website. Until this is fixed, if you are having trouble finding an archived boat test, contact the editor at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.
I just resubscribed for the boat reviews. Any suggestion? I just want to browse. Frustrating.