Sailing Guides

Sloops, cutters, ketches, catamarans and more — how the major sailboat rigs and hull types compare.

How to choose a chartplotter for cruising — screen size, charts, networking, and top picks at each budget.

Raymarine, B&G, Garmin, Simrad and Pelagic autopilots compared — drives, sailing modes, and integration.

Spectra, Rainman, Katadyn and more — which watermakers match cruising energy budgets and boat sizes.

LiFePO4 house-bank picks and how to plan a lithium conversion — Battle Born, Victron, Renogy, Epoch, Dakota.

RIBs, rollups, and outboards compared — how to pick the right dinghy and motor for your boat and cruising style.

Modern anchor and windlass picks that hold hard and lift reliably — Rocna, Mantus, Spade, Lewmar, Maxwell.

Offshore-certified life raft picks and buying guidance for cruising sailors — Viking, Winslow, Ocean Safety, Revere.

Rigid vs flexible marine solar panels, how to size an array for your house bank, and top picks for cruising sailors.

How to choose a marine inverter/charger — sizing, LFP compatibility, integration, and the units we'd install today.

Forced-air and radiant diesel heaters for cruising sailboats — how to choose, install, and avoid the top failure modes.

When electric propulsion makes sense on a sailboat, how to size batteries and regen, and the electric drive systems worth buying.

Headsail furlers, in-mast, and in-boom furling systems compared — trade-offs, top picks, and what to install today.

Standing rigging replacement guide — 1x19 wire, rod, Dyneema, terminal types, and when to re-rig.

Storm jibs, trysails, and drogues — how to size, choose, and actually deploy heavy-weather tactics offshore.

How to size, grade, and rig anchor chain and rode — G4, G7, calibrated European chain, snubbers, and chain hooks.

Davit systems for cruising sailboats — Kato, Weaver, Garhauer, and stern-arch options.

How to size and choose sailboat winches — Harken, Lewmar, Andersen, and electric winches.

AIS transponders for cruising sailboats — Vesper Cortex, em-trak, integrated VHF options, and why SOTDMA matters.

Satellite comms for cruising sailboats — Starlink Mini, Iridium GO, Garmin inReach, and how to combine them.

How to choose an EPIRB or PLB for your sailboat — Category I vs II, return-link, and why offshore crews carry both.

Marine refrigeration — Isotherm, Nova Kool, Frigoboat keel-cooler conversions, and how to minimize energy use.

Marine toilets for cruising sailboats — Nature's Head composting, Raritan electric, and manual heads compared.

Fixed-mount and handheld marine GPS units compared — screens, charts, power draw, and picks at every budget.

Fixed-mount and handheld VHF radios with DSC, GPS and AIS — how to choose, install, and register an MMSI.

Solid-state and magnetron radar domes for cruising sailboats — Doppler tracking, mounting, power draw and picks.

Combo chartplotter/sonar units for sailboats — transducer choices, CHIRP sonar, screen sizes and top picks.

How to plan and wire an NMEA 2000 backbone — terminators, LEN power budgets, gateways and troubleshooting.

Handheld GPS and satellite units as chartplotter backup — waterproofing, battery life, charts and ditch-bag picks.

Eight proven offshore cruisers under 40 feet compared — hull form, build quality, real weaknesses and refit costs.

Monohulls and catamarans compared for full-time living — space, running costs, comfort at anchor and systems.

Tow weights, ramp setup time, keel types and five trailer sailers worth owning, from Catalina 22 to Corsair 760.

Seven cruising cats compared for full-time living — layout, stowage, running costs and sailing behaviour.

Dinghies, daysailers and a pocket cruiser compared — what each teaches, real downsides and first-season costs.

Shore-power chargers and DC-DC chargers compared — sizing output to your bank, lithium profiles, wiring and top picks.

What a wind generator really produces at anchor, noise and mounting reality, plus hydrogeneration for passagemaking.

Why voltage lies on lithium, how shunts measure state of charge, and which Victron, Balmar and Simarine monitors to fit.

Why a stock alternator overheats charging lithium, and how high-output alternators and smart regulators fix it.

Tiller, wheel, below-deck linear and hydraulic drives compared — how to size thrust and install one properly.

How wind, speed and depth instruments work together, what calibration matters, and how B&G, Raymarine and Garmin compare.

What radar, AIS and thermal cameras each see and miss at sea, and how to combine them for a real watchkeeping system.

How sail cloth fails, what Dacron, laminate and moulded membrane sails really cost per season, and how to order well.

Fabric, window material, frames and the visibility trade-offs — plus DIY kit vs canvas loft cost reality.

BTU sizing, self-contained vs split systems, 12V DC units for anchoring out, and the power problem nobody mentions.