Systems & Propulsion

In our experiments last summer, the Hamilton Ferris generator did very well with a spinner in the water, less well with its optional wind blade.

What is the crud that, if left to have its way, can foul your filters, starve the fuel pump, and bring your diesel engine...

The expensive Baja filter, oft-mentioned in these pages, did very well in these tests—but West Marine's new Teflon-based filter did better for less, by means of a simple water-separating scheme.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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...

Questionnaires and round-table discussions among those who work on diesels for a living yield some interesting opinions.