Boatworks

Sailor-Free Sailing

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

For millennia, sailors have proven they can cross vast oceans on boats big and small. But what if you removed the crew, added two hulls, and fitted a hard wingsail and hydrofoils? Meet the Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (AUSV), developed by Harbor Wing Technologies. It carries no crew, and it gathers the majority of its energy from thin solar films on its wingsail, solar

Angle of Detachment

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

Hooking up to shore power can be tricky, especially if the power post is just a little too far away from your boat or if your shore-power cable isn’t quite long enough to make that 90-degree turn. This can turn what was supposed to be a comfortable dockside night into a power-rationing situation. Marinco’s right-angle cordset adaptor allows your shore-power cord to make a

Must Be Gone

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

Long spells of hanging on a mooring and cold, wet winter days in storage are great for breeding mold, must, and other unsavory onboard odors. The solution to this pollution is diffusion—that is, air circulation. Nicro’s Day/Night Plus Solar Vents form a multi-part ventilation system featuring interchangeable air intake and exhaust fans; the vents fit into deck through-holes

Slippery Stuff

by David Schmidt, Posted January 7, 2009

When I raced Lasers as a kid, our team used to apply liquid dish detergent to our hulls to make them faster. This worked great for a little while before the soap washed off (usually measured in boatlengths from the dock). Team McLube’s Hullkote, a high-performance speed polish, takes this same concept many steps forward, delivering an ultra-smooth, bonded finish, when applied correctly. Hullkote

Slick Rig: DeWal Dynaglide MT Rigging Tape

by Sail Staff, Posted March 13, 2008

By David SchmidtUnsightly is the rig with massive wads of rigging tape glommed onto the spreader tips; worse are sails that have been “punctuated” by uncovered spreaders. DeWAL Industries’s pressure-sensitive Dynaglide MT rigging tape, which is made from pure Teflon to yield an extremely low friction coefficient, easily adheres to spreader tips, turnbuckles, lifelines, deck

Cleaning Agent

by Sail Staff, Posted January 18, 2008

Purosol’s enzyme-based Sport/Marine cleaner is formulated to break down organic salts without harming coated lenses or displays. The manufacturer claims that Purosol breaks down the bonds that allow salt, dirt, and grime to adhere to a surface, without damaging antiglare coatings or a display unit’s porous screen. $7.95. Origin Laboratories, 626-568-1100,

Problem-Solving Tap

by Sail Staff, Posted November 18, 2007

Busted fresh-water hose? Leaking oil line? Thanks to Harbor Products’s self-amalgamating, silicone-based Rescue Tape, these problems are just a few wraps away from being solved. Rescue Tape forms a permanent seal, is waterproof and air-tight, insulates against up to 8,000 volts of electrical current, can resist 700 psi of pressure, and can survive temperatures up to 500F, all of which make it a

Nano What?

by Sail Staff, Posted November 12, 2007

For most Americans, “nano” entered their lexicon when Apple first introduced its tiny iPod. Now “nano” has entered the sailing vocabulary, as in “nano-tube-enhanced carbon-fiber spars.” It’s a technology that could eventually be used to build better hulls, rudders, and keels. Conventional carbon-fiber masts are constructed by laying up individual layers of carbon fiber with epoxy resin and

Black & Decker Mouse Sander

by David Schmidt, Posted October 18, 2007

Sanding and polishing bright work is never easy, especially if there are details in the woodwork itself. Black & Decker’s new Zone-Touch Mouse makes sanding and polishing easier, as this innovative product can accept multiple finger detail attachments via the unit’s Velcro bottom. Simply select the attachment that best fits the bit of detail work that you need to sand or polish, attach the

Bioluminescence?

by Sail Staff, Posted August 16, 2007

For the owner who thinks he has everything, here is another toy. Enjoying drinks aboard at night—or better, going for a night sail—takes on a decidedly new twist with Imtra’s new IML Underwater Hull Light. The unit features a 150-watt high-output lamp that illuminates under and around the hull, but purportedly maintains a low operating temperature. The light’s underwater bezel is designed to