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...
best deep cycle marine battery

Deep Cycle Marine Battery Test

Trojan, Mastervolt AGMs keeps the lights burning.

Latest Logbook

Practical Sailor Logbook – September 2026

In September we tour the Hans Christian 48T — the offshore cruiser many sailors call the holy grail — walk the custom Antigua 60...

Video: Why Are Tartans So Expensive? Inside the Tartan 3700

If you’re researching Tartan Yachts, looking for the best traditional cruising sailboat, comparing premium used sailboats, shopping for a bluewater cruiser, or considering a...

Latest Sailboat Reviews

Learning by Doing on a $5,000 Catalina 30 Mk II

When Davis’s mother started talking about wanting to do something “big” for retirement, Davis and Gloria half-jokingly threw out an idea that seemed suitably...

Cal 2-27 Used Boat Review

Brewer 12.8/44 Used Boat Review