Marine refrigeration: Thermoelectric Cooler Test
The main drawback of thermoelectric coolers is power usage. This will likely be an issue during extended use or for boats with small battery banks and anemic charging systems. The 106-130 amp load, over a 24-hour period, is about twice as much demand as a built-in evaporative sytem and about three times the demand of the most efficient-and most expensive-installed systems. Also, thermoelectric units are limited in their ability to cool internal temperatures, usually to a maximum of about 40 degrees below the ambient temperature.
Jabsco Oil Changing System Turns Chore Into Cakewalk
The best way to get all of the oil out of the engine (after a thorough warm-up) is to drain it from the plug at the bottom of the pan. In boats, however, its often tough or impossible to get at that plug. The optimum solution is to have an oil-change system permanently installed, with a hose from the oil sump to a bulkhead-mounted pump.
Dinghy Engines
The light, easy-to-start Honda BF2 fends off challenges from 3 newcomers.
Mailport: 12/06
MARINE INSURANCE REDUXI have been reading with much interest your articles about marine insurance this year (April and May 2006).
Rhumb Lines — Getting a Fix on Reality
It was mid-July 1990 on the Caicos Banks, a stretch of shallow, gin-clear water extending for about 70 miles east to west in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Along with a dozen other cruisers whod chosen to thumb our noses at hurricane season (ah, those were simpler times), we were pausing in Providenciales before heading south. …
Boosting Solar Panel Output
Blue Sky regulator boosts output by 30 percent.
Voltmeters for the Dweeb in All of Us
We have among us those who carry around thin, pocket-sized multimeters, so that they can probe this and trace that. Nerd alert! There are...
An (Almost) Idiot-Proof Battery Switch
Last year we tested battery switches (PS June 2005) and a favorite was the Blue Sea Systems 9001e. The company recently introduced a new...
PS Finds Out Whos Keeping It Cool
Zero Degrees is a bargain at $20; CIs Music Cooler delivers tunes to boot.
Xantrex’s New XC Line are Multiplex Masters
To put it mildly, the battery test on the previous pages presented a recharging nightmare. Ideally, what we needed was an intelligent multi-bank battery...
This “Bulletproof” Cruiser Has a Serious Weak Spot Caliber 40 LRC...
If you’re shopping for a serious cruising sailboat, the Caliber 40 LRC is often described as “bulletproof.” Heavy displacement, huge tankage, conservative construction, and...
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.