Breaker Panels
Blue Sea gives the old vets, PanelTronics and Marinetics, a run for their money, and wins on the website front. Tech support for do-it-yourselfers is key.
Silence of the Engines
The Westerbeke 4-107 had been through three owners by the time I got it. It had plenty of hours on it, and somewhere along...
Diesel Mechanics’ Forum
Questionnaires and round-table discussions among those who work on diesels for a living yield some interesting opinions.
Low-Power, Simple Living
A couple of summers ago I spent two weeks aboard a 30-foot sloop in the British Virgin Islands with my wife, my teenaged son,...
PS Advisor: 01/15/02
Disappearing ZincsWhen I got my Cabo Rico 38, with nine bronze through-hulls, all bonded, she lived in the brackish waters of Tampa Bay. But...
Cool Currents: A/C on DC?
Practical Sailor published articles on air-conditioning (A/C) in the December 2000 and January 1, 2001 issues. Shortly thereafter we received some letters from readers asking...
Electric Propulsion: Solomon Technologies’ High-Wire Act
It's powerful, quiet, renewable, and sometimes even free. It doesn't pollute. How severe are the drawbacks? That depends on several of your thresholds.
PS Advisor: July 2001
Lexan vs. PlexiIm planning to replace my wooden companionway boards with translucent plastic. Is there a difference between Lexan and plexiglass? Can both be...
Techni-Ice: So Long, Blue Bricks
Techni-Ice, invented in Australia, is meant to act as a substitute for ice, and it does a good job of it—better, in our opinion,...
Rocker Switches, Pin-Stop Lead Cars, FendFast
One of the good names in marine electrical equipment is Cole Hersee, maker of switches. Boat owners are probably most familiar with its line...
Why the Catalina 42 Took Over the Caribbean
You see them everywhere — the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, all across the Caribbean. The Catalina 42, especially the Mark II, has quietly become...
Latest Sailboat Review
Dragonfly 25-2 Boat Review
If you’ve ever dreamed of blasting across the water at 25 knots with the wind in your hair and the spray in your face...