November 2011
Boat Review: Marshall 22 Catboat
The Marshall 22 is a descendant of the “Cape Cod cat” of the 1870s, which naval historian Howard Chapelle describes as having deeper quarters, more shear, and higher, bolder bows than other catboats of that era.
Subscribers Only The stout Marshall 22, in production since 1965, rekindles the romance of shoal-water sailing. As a weekender or coastal cruiser, the Marshall has much to recommend it, especially to those who can fully exploit its shallow draft. Drawing less than 6 feet, the Marshall opens up new cruising grounds for those willing to put in a little extra effort. New boat prices range from the base $76,900 to around $90,000. Used boats range from around $18,000 to $70,000. Practical Sailor recommends a survey for the purchase of all used boats.
Tropical Storm Do's and Don’ts
PS Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo prepped his Ericson 41 ahead of Hurricane Irene and rode the storm out aboard the sloop, which was anchored in a protected anchorage on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Md.
As Hurricane Irene headed for the Eastern seaboard in August 2011, Practical Sailor Technical Editor Ralph Naranjo set his storm-preparedness plan into action. He secured his Ericson 41 in an estuary just off Chesapeake Bay and hunkered down to ride out the approaching hurricane aboard his sloop. This first-hand account offers a close look at what worked for him—ground tackle, chafe gear, the locale selected, tactics during the storm—and what didn't.
Hope for Best, Plan for Worst
A good storm-anchoring rule of thumb is using “ground-tackle overkill.” Wind Shadow was well secured with multiple anchors, including this 60 H Danforth
When tropical weather threatens, being prepared for the wind, waves, surge, and flooding pays off. How you prepare for a storm depends on where your boat is in relation to the storm and whether you choose to keep it at a dock, on a mooring, or anchored in sheltered waters or a hurricane hole. Irene may have lacked super-storm status, but her sizable diameter and the angle with which she approached the Northeast coastline caused considerable impact from Beaufort, N.C., to Bangor, Maine. Sailors hiding from the storm faced a range of impacts. The most common was tropical-force winds with gusts to about 60 knots.
PS Tests Small-screen Plotter-sounders
In bright sunlight, the brilliant screens of the Humminbird plotter-sounders stood out. From left, Raymarine A70D, Garmin 740s, Humminbird 798si (to be featured next month), Humminbird 788ci, and the Lowrance Elite-5.
Subscribers Only Practical Sailor tested four small-screen chartplotter-sounder combo units priced from $700 to $1,500: Raymarine A70D, Garmin 740S, Lowrance Elite-5, and the Humminbird 798si. While there was a disparity in what features the units offer, the plotter-sounders were similar in terms of the GPS-based functions. Testers looked at ease of installation, ease of use, screen visibility, resistance to fogging, and water/spray resistance. They also compared features including price, man-overboard functions, waypoint and route storage, available charts, chart interface, and user interface. This article focuses on the electronics' chartplotter capabilities. The December issue will include the report on the devices' sounder functions.
Plotter-sounders Undergo a Battery of Tests
Units were sprayed with fresh water from all angles to mimic the IPX6 test for water resistance.
Subscribers Only Fogging screens, water intrusion, poor visibility in bright sunlight, and slow redraw rates are the most common complaints we get regarding plotter-sounders. Better construction, new screen technology, and faster processors in our current crop of units seems to have addressed these issues. None of our products experienced serious problems during our environmental testing. Our tests focused on four key elements:
The Best Products for Staying Clean Onboard
The best soaps in our test required very little water to clean and rinsed easily in salt and fresh water.
Subscribers Only Practical Sailor tested more than 20 phosphate-free body washes, shower gels, bar soaps, and body wipes to see what keeps us clean and green onboard, whether we’re washing our bodies in salt water or fresh water. We looked at ingredients, price, pH levels, lather qualities, ease of rinsing with limited water, and performance. Body washes such as Dr. Bronner’s, Campsuds, and All Terrain Wonder Wash suggested multi-uses including body washing, laundry and dish washing. Savon de Mer, Sea to Summit Trek and Travel, and Davis Aqua Lather promote body washing in both salt and fresh water. Testers liked both products from Avalon Organics, and liked the price point value of Whole Foods 365 Shower Gel.
Lather, Rinse, and Repeat
Testers measured the pH level of each product using a common pH strip kit.
Subscribers Only Testers looked at how well the soaps lathered in limited amounts of water; how easily they rinsed off; and how clean and dry the skin was after washing. Four testers—with varying skin and hair types—used each soap in fresh water and salt water. The body wipe test products were used according to manufacturer directions. Testers also shampooed their hair with the soaps marketed as multi-purpose products (hair and body) in fresh and salt water.
Holiday Gift Ideas
November and its cooler temperatures herald several things for sailors—the end of sailing season for those in the north and the start of race season for us in the south—but it also marks the beginning of the holiday season. To celebrate, Practical Sailor editors have put together a roundup of gift-giving—or gift-getting—ideas. Here are a few of our perennial PS wishlist favorites and some new products that most sailors would be happy to find among their holiday booty.
Mailport: November 2011
Reader Ralph Maust sails his self-built Eastport Pram. Chesapeake Light Craft sells DIY kits for those sailors looking to build their own sailing dinghy.
Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Eastport Pram Fan, Coppercoat, Lightning strikes and More!
November 2011 Product Updates
Canada Metal Pacific (CMP) of Vancouver has acquired New Zealand-based Rocna Anchors, a company embroiled in a controversy over anchor quality after production had shifted from New Zealand to China. According to CMP, Rocna anchors will continue to be produced in China, but at a different plant in Ningbao, China—one that is wholly owned by Canada Metals Pacific. Rocna anchors made in Shanghai were recently the subject of a “specification notice” issued by marine retailer West Marine, which was reported on in the September 2011 Practical Sailor. The notice informed Rocna anchor owners that some Shanghai-made Rocnas did not meet the company’s original advertised specifications.
Where Credit is Due: November 2011
Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Standard Horizon, Defender Industries and Weems & Plath
Reviving the Galley Spark
Readers Rick and Bonnie Fricchione sail their Hylas 49 near Montauk, Long Island.
Any thoughts on how to get the “spark” back in the burners on our Force 10 stove? The ignition sparkers on all three burners are, at best, sporadic. I’ve gotten some basic info from the factory, but it hasn’t helped. The ignitor’s battery has been replaced, the ends cleaned, and what I thought might be the issue—stove grease—has been taken care of.
The Cruise of Mascot
Cover photo: The Marshall 22’s gaff rig is evocative of an earlier time. (Photo courtesy of Marshall Marine.)
Subscribers Only Ninety-nine years ago last month, Henry M. Plummer, his adult son, Henry Jr., and a cat named Scotty set out from Massachusetts, bound for South Florida in a 24-foot catboat. Mascot’s waterline was 23 feet; the beam was 10 feet; and draft was 3 feet, 6 inches. The Marshall 22 reviewed in this month’s issue offers a pretty good example of Mascot’s traits. Mascot was engineless. In calms, father and son pushed it with a 15-foot dory equipped with a 3-horsepower engine. Accommodations were rough. They shot or caught most of their meat.
Inside Practical Sailor Blog
San Fran 'Stand-down' = Government Meddling?
by Darrell Nicholson on May 15, 2012
The Coast Guard’s request late last month that sailors “stand-down” and suspend any offshore racing outside San Francisco Bay in the wake of last month’s tragedy in the San Francisco Yacht Club’s Farallones Race rankled more than a few Bay area sailors. The response was not surprising. Critics decried the move as draconian, driven by overzealous safety mavens, an example virulent government intrusion, trampling of personal freedoms, etc. etc. etc. It is a…
