Offshore Log:New Gear for the New Year
The early Florida shows—IBEX and Fort Lauderdale—are good places to see the latest efforts of the marine trades. Nick Nicholson went to see what was cresting over the horizon.
Personal Locator Beacons
Personal locator beacons, or PLBs, provide the benefits of 406 MHz distress signaling, but at a more affordable price. And unlike an EPIRB, they’re small enough to attach to a life jacket.
Offshore Log: Still In Class
Feedback on our October 1 column gives us a chance to stay in school and dig deeper into the same topic.
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.
Walker Bay RIDs
There will be added drag in some conditions, and the nine-footer is tough for one person to carry. Minor gripes aside, though, Walker Bay's addition of an inflatable tube was a great move.
Offshore Log: The Volvo Open 70
This new class of round-the-world racers has just been introduced. The boats will be designed for even more speed than their 60-foot predecessors, but also engineered for more safety.
PS Advisor: 10/15/03
Lifesling Recovery OptionsI've read about the difficulty of getting a crewmember back aboard once s/he's fallen into the water. It's not hard to imagine...
Offshore Log: Back to School
We harp on the theme of learning and maintaining piloting skills. People tire of it, but it must be done. Here's another example.
Electronic Cartography Update
Ever get confused about the names and types of electronic charts out there, and what runs on what, and where the data comes from? We do, too, so here's a review, and a reference guide.
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.
Catalina 25 Sailboat Tour
This Catalina 25 review also explains the important differences between the swing keel, fixed fin keel and wing keel versions, along with the standard...
Latest Sailboat Reviews
Gemini 31/3000 Used Boat Review
The funny thing about the Gemini is that it's an old design. Ken Shaw drew the lines in 1969. There's nothing particularly contemporary about it. However, by painting the cabin sides black (Euro styling), adding a swept-back fiberglass "pilothouse" and gradually adding length to the full-bodied hulls, the Gemini has always looked like she belonged with her contemporaries, whether that was the 1980s or 1990s.
