Maintenance and DIY

Carpet tacked to your trailer’s wood boat braces takes forever to dry if you sail on the salty, and its looks deteriorate after a season or two. Snaptraxx’s new modular trailer bunk system easily snaps together and encases 2-by-6 lumber without any hardware. SnapTraxx makes two different polymer versions—one allows your boat to slip easily off the trailer once it’s immersed in water, the other

Finding the ideal gift for a discerning sailor isn’t easy, especially if he or she has a quiver of go-fast goodies and cruising amenities. We’ve divided our suggestions into various categories: his, hers, kids, for the boat, and for anyone. For more holiday gift giving ideas, check out the December issue of SAIL. Happy Holidays. Click here to read

It can take hours to adjust a cockpit cushion just so, and, inevitably, perfection is attained just before tacking. SeaBound’s new line of Flaties self-inflating cushions is designed to enhance onboard comfort. One is a V-shaped bow cushion; other models can be clipped to lifelines. The cushions come in a variety of sizes to fit different cockpit benches, fold down small, and are easily carried

Few experiences are as surreal as prepping your boat for a hurricane. Will it be safe? Colligo Nautique has created this super-strong bridle-plate system that connects up to three anchors to help you ride out a blow. Made from zinc-plated, hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) steel, the system features a 3/4-inch HDG swivel that gives a boat a wide range of movement without chafing rodes or tangling

Tired of searching for the right wrench? The Bionic Wrench, a wrench/pliers hybrid, comes in three sizes (6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch) that collectively cover 38 metric and SAE wrench sizes, from 1/4 to 11/4 inches. Just squeeze it, and its six steel teeth grip a bolt head evenly on all sides. The Bionic Grip can also fit around objects that are impossible to put a standard wrench on. From

Nite Ize’s new LED bulb replaces original AA-battery Mini Mag-Lite bulbs and comes in four colors, including night-vision-preserving red; the white LED bulb is also available in an upgrade kit ($9.99) that creates push-button control. Nite Ize reports that its bulb increases battery life to 20 hours (up from 5 hours for the incandescent bulb); using LEDs with C- and D-cell Mag-Lites produces even

Light amusementPart of the fun of sailing at night is learning about the light combinations displayed by other vessels. “Two whites one above the other, plus a green and a red, that means—aaarggh!” The novice crew aboard will probably feel much more relaxed with a LIGHTrule in the cockpit. This $24.99 quick-reference tool shows 60 different light configurations as you’ll see them

SensiBulb The maker of the SensiBulb boast that it has the warm color, intensity, and beam width of a 10-watt halogen—“close enough” in my testing—plus the cool operation, low draw, and long life of an LED. The basic $40 “bulb” fits as is into most dome lights, and accessories enable retrofitting to many reading lamps. Typical current usage of .14 amp can be reduced to .025 amp by

Wish for FishNothing tastes as good as a fish you’ve caught yourself. Trouble is, fishing from a sailboat can be a hit-or-miss affair—in my case, usually miss. Lure maker Darrell Primrose says that’s because sailboats typically don’t go fast enough to make big lures work properly. He reckons his $59 Sailboaters Combo Rig, which includes some handy hints on techniques along with a