Systems & Propulsion

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...

Small Batteries, Chargers, and How To Recharge on Board

You can recharge household batteries with your 12-volt system via an inverter. We test nine chargers and a brace of batteries.

Corroded Whale Gusher 10 Pump

A photo in a report on manual bilge pumps (in the April 15, 2000 issue) showed a Whale Gusher 10 that a reader had...

Deka Deep-Cycle Battery Performs…

Following our August 1, 1999 discharge tests of batteries from Exide, Interstate, GNB, Rolls and West Marine, a number of readers asked for a...

Keeping Your Cool With A/C

Part 2—What’s new with refrigerants and controls.

Deka Deep-Cycle Battery Performs…

Following our August 1, 1999 discharge tests of batteries from Exide, Interstate, GNB, Rolls and West Marine, a number of readers asked for a...

Tillerpilots: Raytheon vs. Simrad

Of four models tested, the Simrad TP10 lags behind the others, while the TP30 outpoints the Autohelm ST2000.û

Affordable AND Good? Sabre 34 Mk II Review

Can you buy a good sailboat for $25,000? In this video we take a deep dive into the Sabre 34 Mk II, a proven...
How Long Do Sails Last? video from Practical Sailor

How Long Do Sails Last?

Latest Sailboat Review

Tartan 30: An Affordable Classic

The early 1970s was the heyday of the Tartan 30' racer/cruiser. In all, no less than two dozen boats of a similar size and type were introduced in just three years, many of them to become highly successful among sailors eager for the performance and amenities of big boats at a modest price. Among the most noteworthy and enduring of the 30-footers from this era has been the Tartan 30.