Systems & Propulsion

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.

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,...

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...

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...