A well-prepared boat should have a bag full of the necessities for survival—though we all hope we’ll never need it. If the time comes to abandon ship, a ditch bag is the first thing you’ll grab before stepping into a life raft.

If sails are the primary engine of a sailboat, then winches are the transmission, and regularly servicing them will prolong their life and make sail trimming easier.

A proper spring commissioning will help identify potential problems before they get worse or become a safety concern.

Roller furling has become the status quo for headsails. Whether you are replacing one of the originals that is showing its age, or looking for convenience over hank-on sails, you'll find no shortage of good options with the latest generation of headsail furling systems.

These essential books are still the most comprehensive resources available on boat maintenance, despite the growing number of YouTube videos and quality HOW-TOs available online.

Get sucked into one of these tales of adventure, obsession, bravery, discovery, and tragedy at sea.

Clean dock lines, halyards, sheets, and other running rigging not only look better, washing ropes can make them easier to handle and extend their useful life.

Seacocks stiffen over time and will eventually seize up. Greasing them every year will ensure you can quickly close them to keep the water out when you absolutely need to.