Systems & Propulsion

There are a variety of wire types that exceed government and industry standards for onboard wiring. Because these types of wire can be 10- to 15-percent less expensive than high-quality boat cable, Practical Sailor wanted to determine whether any of these other options would be acceptable for the cost-conscious sailor.Using a moisture chamber designed to mimic years of use in a harsh marine environment such as a bilge, PS's test focuses on the durability of tinned wire, non-tinned wire, and various wire connectors. It also examines whether using a corrosion-inhibiting product could help extend the life of these wires and connections. The test led to some definitive conclusions on which wire types are best in specific onboard uses, and also showed that long-term wire protection begins with well-sealed connections. Our July 2010 issue reported the six-month results, and here, we offer the one-year update.

Letters to the Practical Sailor editors in December 2010 include: paint colors, sailmaker services, bilge pumps, pest control and the Wirie v. a DIY WiFi antenna.

On the heels of its performance evaluation of electric bilge pumps rated at 1,600-gallons per hour (GPH) or more, Practical Sailor bench tests 10 smaller pumps rated at 1,500 GPH or less. These smaller centrifugal pumps are a good fit for small boats or as a primary bilge pump when installed in conjunction with a high-capacity bilge pump. When selecting the best overall pump from such a diverse group, a number of factors have to be considered to make the choice meaningful as it relates to the real world. In addition to performance, all of our top picks rated well for price, wiring, quality of construction, and warranty. Testers evaluated automatic bilge pumps and pumps without float switches from Shurflo, Attwood Marine, Johnson Pumps, and Rule Industries.

The back of our workshop in Sarasota, Fla., is crowded with paints and thinners, rags and brushes, dusty pallets and power tools, and now, a small mountain of electric flush toilets. Since I have a long-running feud with manual toilets, I don't deserve nor want an electric-flush version. But there are apparently plenty of readers who are contemplating push-button porcelain thrones, and who am I to deny them this indulgence?

Practical Sailor offers the annual selection of Editors Choice products for the Gear of the Year 2010 lineup. We hope the list will guide you through the dizzying array of gear at the fall boat shows, or at least help you whittle down your wishlist for Santa. The roster covers a broad spectrum of products-from gadgets for measuring speed to a performance multihull built for speed-that have bested their peers in our tests. The lineup includes gear from Spinlock, Brion Toss, Lopolight, Selden Mast, DuBarry, Keen, Standard Horizon, and Mastervolt. It covers LED navigation lights, bosun chairs, footwear for sailors, and marine electronics. Boat maintenance products from Polymarine and Interlux also made the list.

Letters to Practical Sailor from our readers. September 2010's topics include barnacles, teak finish, knots for a bosun chair and LEDs.

Yamaha recently updated two of its portable outboard engines, the F-series four-horsepower outboard and 6-horsepower engine. We reviewed the original F4 and F6 in 2003. Both updated designs use an 8.5-cubic-inch engine block and both weigh 60 pounds, which marks a weight loss for the F6 but an increase for the F4. Both also have improved stowage capacity and demonstrated solid performance. The report compares the new outboards to the 55-pound Suzuki DF4, the top contender in Practical Sailors 2003 Outboard Engine test.

Originally designed for pumping operations on land, the Fast Flow engine-driven pump has a tremendous pumping capacity, with the ability to move nearly 5,000 gallons of water per hour (at 800 rpm). Thats nearly five times the amount of the average electric bilge pump. The Fast Flow Pump comes in a variety of sizes, but a close look at installation and fittings is necessary to determine if the pump will fit on a particular boat.

In our search for the Holy Grail of prop paints, Practical Sailor testers delved into specialized multi-part coating systems. In the spring of this year, we had Matrix Engineering Concepts Mussel Buster Prop Coating applied to the propeller of our Union 36 test boat. Prior to that, the prop had been the test platform for Oceanmaxs Propspeed, which we featured in the November 2006 issue. In this report, we take a look at the newer product, Mussel Buster, and its application, and will weigh its pros and cons against other prop coatings, including Propspeed, Interlux Trilux Prop & Drive, and Pettits Alumacoat SR.

According to multiple reports, most AC electrical fires occur at the boats shorepower inlet. To address this and other shortcomings of the standard twist-type boatside connection, SmartPlug Systems developed a new AC shorepower system that the company hopes will become the new marine standard. Loose and corroded connections are most often the culprits when overheating occurs. Corrosion typically results when moisture gets in at the plug-inlet connection, while arcing-which in turn leads to pitting, scorching, and heat build-up-is partially due to the shape and small contact area of the connector pins.