Sailboat Reviews

Getting your dinghy to the dock, across a beach, or down a boat ramp can be a real back-breaker, unless you have some mechanical advantage. Several manufacturers offer wheeled devices to keep you out of the chiropractor’s office. We tested seven of them—one dolly and six sets of launching wheels: Davis Instruments’ Wheel-a-Weigh Boat Dolly, two sizes of Davis' Wheel-a-Weigh launch wheels, the Garelick Eez-In, Newport Vessels Launching Wheels, Defender Industries Launching Wheels, and Danard Marine Launching Wheels. Selecting the appropriate launching wheels depends on the size and weight of your dinghy or small boat and where you intend to use it. Practical Sailor tested the products on concrete, a soft-sand beach, and a rocky shore, and we found that not all wheels can handle uneven terrain.

We tested each product for overall quality of construction, ease of installation, and ease of use. Each model was tested on three different surfaces that are common dinghy-transporting areas: an inclined, concrete boat launch ramp with cracks in the pavement wide enough to push some dinghy dollies off course; a sandy beach, where the sand ranged from nearly flat and hard at water’s edge to more than 4 inches deep and soft above the high-tide mark; and a rocky shoreline, with some irregular stones that measured up to a foot in diameter. Each set of dinghy wheels was attached to the transom of a 9-foot, 130-pound rowing skiff. To avoid drilling a bunch of holes in our own $1,200 dinghy, we picked up a haggard—but appropriately sized—$75 garage-sale skiff for these tests.

In the recent Velux 5 Oceans Race, four solo sailors piloted their 60-foot boats some 30,000 miles around the globe, putting a number of innovative products to the test. The race required each boat to be equipped with at least three means of power generation, and two had to be alternative forms of energy. Racers Brad Van Liew and Zbigniew Gutkowski each supplemented power from their auxiliary engines, solar panels, wind generators, with two new Watt & Sea hydrogenerators. Because of the reported efficiency of these transom-hung devices, the singlehand sailors enjoyed the rare phenomenon of surplus power. Two other racers, Chris Stanmore-Major and Derek Hatfield, relied on more traditional alternative energy sources: wind gens and solar panels. All four were enthusiastic about the example they might be setting for other sailors, but are emerging technologies like hydro-power generation practical for the typical cruising boat?

If the recent Velux 5 Oceans Race yielded one breakthrough, it would have to be the hydrogenerators from Watt & Sea. Racers Brad Van Liew and Zbigniew Gutkowski both used these devices. The sailors not only found themselves reliant upon the units, but were impressed by their capability and reliability as well.

With summer upon us, light, quick sailing dinghies that are easy to sail and easy to transport make summertime on the water a blast. Practical Sailor reviews some of the perennial favorites-the Optimist, Sunfish, Hobie, and Laser-and looks at how newcomers like Bic Sports Open Bic match up. Testers also review a do-it-yourself sailing dinghy kit, the Eastport Pram from Chesapeake Light Craft, and Hobies newest catamaran, the Bravo, a quick-to-launch beach cat with plenty of get-up-and-go. We also take a look at Laser Performances newest club trainer/racer for the wee sailors, the Bug.

One of the themes seen among the new entries is a trend toward thermal-setting rather than thermal-fixing plastic construction. The latter is representative of the most common approach to fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) boatbuilding. A process in which room-temperature liquid-resin systems are used to wet-out reinforcing filaments in what has become generically referred to as fiberglass boatbuilding.

It’s summertime, which means the kids are out of school and flocking to youth sailing camps, heading out on family cruises, and cooling off in the pool. Over the years, we reviewed dozens of safety products to keep wee crew safe around the water, including PFDs (personal flotation devices) for children, toddlers, and infants. Here are some of our top picks.

Our informal online sailmaker poll generated 336 complete responses, not large enough to be statistically significant, but still useful, in our opinion. In total, readers recommended more than 100 different lofts. The responses are subjective to each respondent’s experience, making it impossible to fairly rank sailmakers based on the poll, so readers should consider this report an overview and use it accordingly in any sailmaker search. The responses can offer some insight into what can be expected of a specific sailmaker and what should be considered in the selection process.

Our informal online sailmaker poll generated 336 complete responses, not large enough to be statistically significant, but still useful, in our opinion. In total, readers recommended more than 100 different lofts. The responses are subjective to each respondent’s experience, making it impossible to fairly rank sailmakers based on the poll, so readers should consider this report an overview and use it accordingly in any sailmaker search. The responses can offer some insight into what can be expected of a specific sailmaker and what should be considered in the selection process.

Letters to Practical Sailor, June 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Barnacle Barrier Success, Pump Switches, Antifouling Field Report and more!