Compasses: Winners, Losers Abound
Ritchie, Danforth, and Plastimo, all fared well in our test, but each also had a loser—so choosing compasses carefully is warranted.
Inflatable Boats Under $1,000
Mercury's 200RU, with its stable, dry ride and standard seat, takes top honors, followed by the lighter, albeit wetter, Bombard AX-1.
Fire Extinguisher Test
The Kidde Pro Plus 5HM is our top choice among the clean-agent portables. The Sea-Fire, with its lower toxicity, makes sense for enclosed spaces. We also like the Kidde Foam Spray's ability to stop re-ignition.
Seaberths Examined
The design of offshore production-built sailboats often overlooks a crucial element in crew comfort and safety—the seaberth. So what qualifies as a proper seaberth? û
Big-Screen Chartplotters Under $2,000
Standard Horizon is right on target with its highly rated CP1000C. It bests two other value-priced, 10-inch plotters.
A Reader’s Review: RayTech RNS 5.0
An upgrade to Raymarine's latest nav software prompts some useful feedback.
Sea Anchor Match-up
Sea anchors have evolved to become a vital component of the serious sailor's arsenal in heavy weather. We favor Fiorentino's for their rugged construction.
Belt-style Inflatable PFDs
High buoyancy and a good price lifts the Sospenders 38MBP past the competition. Stearns is a close second with its 375 model.
PS Advisor: 10/01/04
Quick-Stop Defined Dan Dickison's editorial mentions "the Quick-Stop." I thought I knew of most of the MOB-type products, but I haven't heard of this...
Inflatable PFDs Put to the Test
The UK-made Crewsaver's Crewfit takes first prize in our test of nine vests. The hitch—it's not USCG approved. Mustang is our runner-up.
Morgan 382 – The $30K Boat Nobody Talks About
The Morgan 382 might be one of the most overlooked cruising sailboats ever built. Designed by legendary naval architect Ted Brewer and produced between...
Latest Sailboat Review
Caliber 33 Used Boat Review
The Caliber is a peculiar blend of tradition and innovation, of security and performance, of practicality and pizzazz. All of the owners we heard from were "satisfied." One called the 33 his favorite boat over six decades of sailing.