Composting Marine Heads

Sun-Mar's Ecolet Mobile and the Air Head are pondered upon for a season. The Ecolet is more of a fire-and-forget vehicle, but demands more power and space. The Air Head requires you to commune more closely with nature.

Manual Galley Pumps

Three major brands - Whale, Fynspray and Wilcox-Crittenden - and three major types -lever and vertical hand pumps, plus three foot pumps - are evaluated.

Refrigeration Survey 2002

PS readers are almost universally pleased with their choices in DC-powered refrigeration. The technology is well-developed and reliable.

Portable Heads

The Thetford AquaMate, with its bells and whistles and impressive three-year warranty, is our top choice. The simple but comfortable SeaLand Sanipottie earns Best Buy honors.

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...

Beneteau and Farr – Luxury FAST Sailboats

If you’re searching for luxury sailboats you can live on that don’t sacrifice sailing performance, the Beneteau Oceanis 461 is one of the most...

Latest Sailboat Review

Rhodes 22 Used Boat Review

Designed by Phillip Rhodes back in 1960, the Rhodes 22 is a trailerable cruiser for a couple that wants the amenities of a larger boat without putting up with the hassles and expenses of a larger boat. It's clearly not a racing boat. It's also not a "shoehorn special," whose claim to fame is how many persons it can sleep. And it's not an inexpensive boat for its size. The Rhodes 22, from its inception, has been a purpose-built boat. And, with a history of detail improvements and some innovative thinking, it meets that purpose quite well.