December 2006

Sea Nettles Be Gone

Here are a few fixes for those clogged water intakes.

Gadgets, Gear, and Goodies

Subscribers Only Stocking Stuffers for Your Nauti One

Quickline reel takes the snags out of line storage.

Subscribers Only

Stabilized Binoculars

Subscribers Only Image stabilized Fujinon and Bushnell push to the top.

Clipped in: Safety Harness Showdown

Subscribers Only Mustang and West Marine lead the pack for comfort and quality.

Dinghy Engines

Subscribers Only The light, easy-to-start Honda BF2 fends off challenges from 3 newcomers.

Maintenance All-Stars

Subscribers Only Fill your bucket with these favorites for a boat that shines from the bilge to the bow.

High tech gear that won't let you down

Subscribers Only While good boat hardware and mechanical equipment is usually in production for years with little change, many marine electronics are outmoded the moment they hit the retail stores.

Gear of the Year

Subscribers Only Save money and time with our best products from 2006.

Valiant 42

Subscribers Only With a taller rig and layout choices, Bob Perry’s classic comes of age.

Mailport: 12/06

MARINE INSURANCE REDUX I have been reading with much interest your articles about marine insurance this year (April and May 2006).

Rhumb Lines - Clipped on for the ride of our lives

Subscribers Only If you had any doubts how serious we are about testing equipment here at Practical Sailor, check out the story on safety harnesses, beginning on page 24. To our good fortune, Skip Allan, a noted TransPac veteran whose many sailing accolades date back to the early 1960s, oversaw the project. Shortly after the first batch of harnesses arrived at his home in Capitola, Calif., Allan, assisted by photographer-sailor Sherry McKillop, was hurling himself off the side…

Inside Practical Sailor Blog

Ten Tips to Prolong the Life of Your Alternator

May 21, 2013

Before you fire up ye ol’ iron genny for the first smoke-belching run out to the mooring, to the dock, or to the fuel station (I sure hope it’s not to the pumpout station), you might want to think about your alternator belt. It's another one of those inexpensive engine parts that often gets overlooked until it's too late.

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