Marine refrigeration: Thermoelectric Cooler Test

The main drawback of thermoelectric coolers is power usage. This will likely be an issue during extended use or for boats with small battery banks and anemic charging systems. The 106-130 amp load, over a 24-hour period, is about twice as much demand as a built-in evaporative sytem and about three times the demand of the most efficient-and most expensive-installed systems. Also, thermoelectric units are limited in their ability to cool internal temperatures, usually to a maximum of about 40 degrees below the ambient temperature.

Mailport: 12/06

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

Rhumb Lines — Getting a Fix on Reality

It was mid-July 1990 on the Caicos Banks, a stretch of shallow, gin-clear water extending for about 70 miles east to west in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Along with a dozen other cruisers whod chosen to thumb our noses at hurricane season (ah, those were simpler times), we were pausing in Providenciales before heading south. …

Two-burner Cooktops

Force 10 takes top honors; Origo named Budget Buy.

Compact Cookers

Petite, portable, and powerful: Single-burners face off.

Pint-Sized Propane Locker

Explosive and heavier than air, propane is not the sort of thing you want beneath your bunk. The grills we tested this month (See...

The Great Grill-a-thon

Testing the toys of summer: 4 grills, 2 kettles, 36 burgers.

The practical griller

We get a masochistic sort of pleasure out of our messier tests, but we don't typically share those details. This months grill test is...

PS Finds Out Whos Keeping It Cool

Zero Degrees is a bargain at $20; CIs Music Cooler delivers tunes to boot.

Performance Sailing – Beneteau First 44 Review

The Beneteau First 44 Performance is not just another modern cruiser. In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a close look at the...

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