Electrical

Comings and Goings

Weve been aware for some years that the Loran navigation system is presumably on the way out, this despite the fact that the global...

The Expensive Rolls Still a Best Buy in Deep Cycle Batteries

Rolls rates a Best Buy; West Marine's Sea Gel is the only one to exceed reserve capacity rating.

Cabin Fan Test: Hella, Caframo Blow Best Breeze for the Buck

Oscillating models fail early in long-term testing.

Offshore Log: An Evolution in EPIRBs

New GPS-connected EPIRBs and ACR's forthcoming Personal Locator Beacon promise to improve search and rescue operations at sea.

Spare Parts

Kenyon InstrumentsReader Ernie Copp owns some old Kenyon instruments. The company has long been out of business. Following his successful search to find someone...

Battery Power Packs: Are They Too Good to Be True?

Batteries dead? Need to jump start your engine? We test four 17-lb., 17-Ah power packs that can do that job and others. The most expensive is also the best-the Solar ES-5000.

Top 10 Products for 1999

Our annual selection of outstanding equipment, headlined this year by the Spade anchor, Nexus instruments and the Isotemp water heater.

Battery Power Packs: Are They Too Good to Be True?

Batteries dead? Need to jump start your engine? We test four 17-lb., 17-Ah power packs that can do that job and others. The most expensive is also the best-the Solar ES-5000.

Banish Junky Anchor Rode Markers

For the boat owner who thinks he has everything, there is yet still another bit of electronic wizardry…a widget that tells you how much...

Self-Starting Diesel?

Perhaps it was somebodys idea of a joke. Who walks away from their boat and leaves the engine running? But when I climbed back...

This 40 Foot Sailboat Has the Best Owner’s Bed Ever Built...

If you’re shopping for a 40-foot cruising sailboat and actually plan to live aboard or cruise, comfort matters — and nowhere does that matter...

Latest Sailboat Review

Union 36 Used Boat Review

While not the best boat for light-air sailing, the Union 36 is a good sailboat for the bluewater cruiser. It wont get you there fast, but it will get you there comfortably and in one piece. The boats teak decks and lavish use of interior wood is attractive but requires much upkeep and maintenance. A product of the Taiwan-U.S. boatbuilding industry, the Union 36 is a heavy-displacement, full-keel, cutter-rigged double-ender designed for ocean sailing. The Union 36 is nearly identical to several other boats built during the same period: the Hans Christian 36, Mariner Polaris 36, and the EO36. According to well-known naval architect Bob Perry, the Union 36 and its cousins are all based on the design of a 34-footer that Perry was commissioned to create back in the early 70s.