Reader Karen Fay, at left, swears by her Splendide washer-dryer. With a 6-kilowatt Phasor LP2 genset, above, and a watermaker, she no longer has to search out the local laundro-mat at every port of call.

A 12-foot San Francisco Pelican glides across the waters off Cypress Island, just north of Puget Sound, Wash. The Pelican is among several recommended small boats readers have written us about.