Mid-size Inflatables: Mercury Wins
Mercury's 240 outperformed six other roll-up inflatables with a dry ride, excellent control, and the lowest price. Bombard's AX2 is good, but short on space. And West Marine's RU-260 is big, but expensive.
PS Advisor: 08/01/05
Jackline OptionsMy wife and I recently traded up to a new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35. It's beautiful, fast, comfortable, and comes with nearly everything...
Equipping for Crew Overboard Safety
In anticipation of a landmark test of COB retrieval gear scheduled for later this summer, seamanship authority John Rousmaniere assesses the gear we currently rely on.
Personal Strobe Lights
Every couple of years, PS gathers and tests personal strobe lights just to stay on top of the offerings in this important market niche....
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.
Why Sailors Still Want This Slow Old Cruiser – Down East...
In this Practical Sailor boat tour, we take a deep look at the Downeaster 38, also known as the Down East 38, a classic...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
C&C 40 Used Boat Review
While C&C did not invent the racer/cruiser, the Canadian-based company has remained dedicated for two decades to the concept of the dual-purpose boat. With the notable exception of a few pure cruisers-the relatively low-performance Landfall 35, 42, 43, and 48-a racer-based cruising boat (the Landfall 38), and a real oddball (the Mega 30), most C&Cs have paid at least lip service to contemporary trends in racing boats.
