Darrell Nicholson

2 days ago | practical-sailor.com | Darrell Nicholson

Hunter Marine began building auxiliary sailboats in 1974, largely as the result of the first oil embargo and the new energy consciousness that followed. Founded by Warren Luhrs, Hunter began as a division of the powerboat-maker Silverton Yachts, which was interested in expanding its offerings and taking advantage of the new interest in saving fuel.

1 week ago | practical-sailor.com | Darrell Nicholson

For nearly 30 years under the direction of designer and CEO Bob Johnson, Island Packet accomplished what few modern boatbuilders have been able to do—produce more than 2,000 boats targeted at liveaboard and passagemaking sailors who plan to spend months, if not years, on their boats.

1 week ago | practical-sailor.com | Darrell Nicholson

In its 10th anniversary issue in 1980, Sail magazine named the Catalina 22 the boat that had represented the breakthrough in trailer/cruisers in those 10 years. There is no denying the popularity of the Catalina 22: more than 10,000 of the model we review here have been built, and that doesn’t include the Sport models now being sold. For many buyers, the Catalina 22 is their first “big” boat and an introduction to the Catalina line. Many remain with Catalina and buy up within that line.

2 weeks ago | practical-sailor.com | Darrell Nicholson

Running the wires for new electronics requires your best cursing vocabulary, lots of sweat, twisting body contortions, luck, and the occasional bandage. For tips on how to make this job easier, we turned to PS contributor Bill Bishop. A professional marine-electronics installer, Bishop has many ingenious ways to thread a wire from point A to point B. The most important tool in the wire-pulling arsenal is what electricians call fish tape or simply a fish.

2 weeks ago | practical-sailor.com | Darrell Nicholson

Photos by Drew FryePulling hoses is generally low on the fun list. They are in bad places, jammed onto crusty hose-fitting barbs, and have stiffened over the years. As part of our long-term tests, we needed to wiggle loose a few of the sanitation hoses were testing to see how they were looking on the inside–a job much less pleasant than new installation. After flushing the hoses well with clean water and vinegar, testers donned rubber-coated gloves (for better grip) and firmly rocked the hoses.