Maintenance and DIY

For years, sailors have relied on Ronstan’s alloy Battlesticks to help steer their way through tough starting lines and packed gate roundings. Now Ronstan has unveiled the 2.0 version of the Battlestick, which is built of carbon to shave weight and add strength and stiffness. Each carbon Battlestick is specifically designed and tapered for its length, ensuring maximum

Being able to convert your engine’s raw-water intake into an emergency bilge pump is an important safety feature. A discussion on the subject that appeared in SAIL (March 2009) suggested closing the raw-water seacock first, disconnecting the intake hose from the seacock, and attaching an extension hose long enough to reach the bilge. This may work, but in my experience, when

Few charts are as interesting as Harbinger Laser’s 3D bathymetric maps, which cover the Great Lakes, as well as smaller inland lakes and nationwide coastal regions. But what sets these maps apart is the company’s signature Lighthouse Map Series, which feature a digital-picture viewer, in addition to Harbinger Laser’s high-quality wooden topographical maps, which are made from Michigan-grown wood.

Given the inherent dangers of sailing, it’s good to know some manufacturers think extra hard about safety aboard. Spinlock is one of those companies, as evidenced by its new line of cruising-oriented ZR Jammers. The UK-based company recognizes the potential for injury when a sailor releases the lever on a highly loaded clutch. Its new ZR 1014 Jammer has no control lever; instead, there’s a

For the past 60 years or so the basic principles of marine radar have not changed. A radar transmits very short pulses of microwave energy and receives echoes reflected back from solid objects. The direction of an object is indicated by the direction from which the echo returns, and its range is determined by the time interval between when the pulse was transmitted and when

For the past 60 years or so the basic principles of marine radar have not changed. A radar transmits very short pulses of microwave energy and receives echoes reflected back from solid objects. The direction of an object is indicated by the direction from which the echo returns, and its range is determined by the time interval between when the pulse was transmitted and when

Some sailors are born with saltwater rushing through their veins and an ironclad stomach that can weather the worst of blows. I, however, am not one of those sailors. While I like to think that my blood has more than its fair share of salinity, I’m a frequent visitor to the leeward rail in lumpy conditions. Until now, that is. While everybody’s body reacts differently to various medications – and

If you can’t run air conditioning on your boat there’s no reason to get overheated. Meet the new Bora 12- and 24-volt fans from Caframo Marine. The three-speed fans, available in either white or black, have a locking cam mount and are easy to install. Best yet, the fans move a lot of air but are quiet, unobtrusive, and lightweight. The compact units can be mounted sideways, upright, or upside

One of the worst onboard messes I ever had to contend with was on a lumpy delivery from Stamford, Connecticut, to Marblehead, Massachusetts, when our engine blew an oil gasket, spray-painting the engine compartment and filling the bilge with petrochemical filth. Oil Dri could be the ideal solution for such nasty predicaments. These hydrophobic, oil-absorbing pads and bilge socks are ideal for

Knowing is believingNobody likes the idea of breaking out the EPIRB, but if calamity strikes and you need the cavalry, wouldn’t you want to know that it’s working correctly? While most EPIRBs have a simple on/off button, ACR’s new Gobalfix iPro 406 GPS EPIRB (both Cat I or Cat II units are available) features a small digital screen that not only displays the unit’s GPS