Magellan FX324 Map Color
Magellan makes a creditable comeback with this colorplotter. We found the ergonomics good, but viewing the cartography in direct sunlight was almost impossible.
Electric Bilge Pumps
All the familiar denizens—Shurflo, Rule, Lovett, West and more—showed their stuff.
Color LCD Fishfinders Under $1,000
Furuno leads the pack again with its top-performing, easy-to-operate FCV 600L, trailed closely by Garmin’s new and impressive 320C.
Chartplotter-Sounder Conversions
You can add a conversion kit and transducer to a chartplotter/radar display, and have robust sounder capabilities without needing another screen. We evaluate conversion kits from Garmin, Furuno and Raymarine.
LED Flashlights
The SureFire L1 Lumamax and the Tektite Expedition Star take Best Buy honors. Incandescents may not pale in comparison, but they're fading fast.
Just the Numbers, Please: A Stand-Alone Sounder Sampling
The Raymarine ST40 and ST60 shine in our test of nine sounders. Smaller and less expensive units from Norcross and Uniden also deserve consideration.
Monochrome GPS Plotter-Sounders
Need a sounder and a chartplotter but don’t have the space or the money for two separate units? A monochrome combination unit might be the answer. Pickin's are slim: either Garmin or Lowrance.
406 MHz EPIRBs
The ACR Global Fix 406 with internal GPS is the top pick, followed by the Pains Wessex SOS Precision. The NAT Satfind lacks an integral GPS, but has a user-changeable battery.
PS Advisor: 07/01/03
Data, Displays, and the NMEAI currently own navigation equipment from three different companies, primarily because I felt they were the best value or provided...
Integrated Instrument Systems
Here's a quick review of integrated instrument functions, a scan of what's on the market, and viewpoints from some installation pros.
The Fastest Cruising Sailboat in the World?
What is the fastest cruising sailboat in the world—and can a monohull really compete with catamarans for speed while still being livable? In this...
Latest Sailboat Review
Morgan 34 Used Boat Review
By today's standards, the Morgan 34 is a small boat, comparable in accommodations to a lot of 30-footers. When the boat was designed, she was as big as most other boats of her overall length. In profile, the boat has a sweeping, moderately concave sheer. The ends of the boat are beautifully balanced: the bow profile is a slight convex curve, the overhanging counter aft is slightly concave. Esthetically, hull shapes of this period from the best designers are still hard to beat.