Systems & Propulsion

In the first part of our three-part series covering onboard water quality, we discussed protecting the tank with basic filtration and securing the tank vent. Further action is required, however, as the tank and its contents will always be far from sterile. Municipal water is filtered to remove turbidity, disinfected (typically with chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet light), filtered once more (often very fine filtration to remove cryptosporidium cysts, which resist disinfection), and disinfected once more (with chlorine or chloramine) to protect the water while its in the distribution system. However, since we are storing the water on our boats, this process of secondary disinfection becomes our responsibility. So what are the options for treating water that is already in an onboard tank?

An engine compression test is an important diagnostic test that any boat owner can do with equipment that costs about $50. You can also...

In my past life I worked in the automotive industry for over 20 years. In that time, I realized that the hard part about...

Two things, as they say, are certain in life: death and taxes. Perhaps a third would be that fuel cost will inevitably keep rising....

Practical Sailor testers looked at a large field of holding tank additives and found that chemical treatments that rely on disinfection, surfactants, and deodorants are better than nothing, but they still left that distinctive public-restroom smell. We also compared eight top-performing additives from a new generation of tank treatments that use enzymes and bacteria cultures to reduce odors. Tests showed that these bio-augmenting treatments—including Odorlos, SeaLand Max Control, Camco’s TST Citrus, Thetford Eco-Smart, Nature-Zyme, and Aqua-Kem—reduced odors and reduced solids in the tanks, without the port-a-potty smell. We look at the pros and cons of these newer tank treatments, and examine the importance of tank ventilation in reducing odors.

We think of ourselves as sailors, but we all depend on reliable power to propel us in and out of harbor, through calms and...

The practical aspects of your solar panel system will be governed by the design and size of your sailboat, your overall project budget (%...

We've all heard that if you give a diesel good clean fuel, keep it cool, and stay on top of the oil changes, its...

Our 16,000 BTU MarinAire A/C is sufficient to maintain our Privilege 435 catamaran at under 26.5°C (80°F) on days up to around 35°C (95°F)....

In his younger days, Victorien Erussard was a long-distance solo sailor trying to save seconds per mile on big-time ocean races like La Route...