Electrical

12-Volt Booster Packs

Wal-Mart's EverStart booster delivers a lot of cold cranking amps for the money, but lacks a light. The versatile Xantrex Powerpack 300 Plus, is a do-it-all booster and a good choice for smaller boats.

Portable Gas Generators

Excellent voltage stability gives the Yamaha top honors among the inverter-type gas generators. For a less expensive, but louder, option we'd take the Briggs & Stratton.

PS Advisor: 09/04

LEDs in EmergenceYou published a letter in your June 1 edition this year in which the writer questioned the feasibility of LED lights for...

EPIRB Update: 09/04

In the wake of independent tests conducted by the Equipped to Survive Foundation (ETS), wherein the GPS components of two EPIRB models from McMurdo...

Cabin Lights

The Alpenglow fluorescent is still a top-flight area light, and a good bet for a dome-light retrofit. Taylorbrites's new cold cathode lamp is a winner over the bunk, but new LED lights from Imtra and D.R. Smith are bright, not too cold, and easy on the power.

Battery Boxes and Trays

In fully covered battery boxes, we like the pricy Blue Seas. If tray-type hold-downs are your preference, go for West or Gil.

Digital Multimeters

Our choice for a high-quality, no-compromise digital multimeter is the new Fluke 111. We also investigated the Wire Tracker™ from Ancor. No more mystery cables?û

Battery Monitors

We recommend two CruzPro units and the Link 10. For simple amps and voltage data, the Microlog is a smart lower-cost choice.

Your Last Set of Trailer Lights?

Conventional, incandescent trailer lights have several built-in areas of weakness, starting with the bulb itself. It's possible, though difficult, to surround the bulb with...

Wet-Cell 12-Volt Battery Test

Two batteries from Deka and one from Interstate lead the pack in our test of eight deep-cycle batteries.

Don’t Launch Without This: The Essential Sailboat Maintenance Guide

Every sailboat needs annual maintenance, but most owners never get a complete list of what actually needs to be inspected. In this video, we...

Latest Sailboat Review

Pearson 30 Used Boat Review

The Pearson 30 was designed as a family cruiser and daysailer with a good turn of speed. The boat is actively raced throughout the country, however, with some holding IOR certificates, and many more racing in PHRF, MORC, and one-design fleets.