Gear

Handy Chafe Guards

Peter Nielsen
May 09, 2013

Chafe isn’t just a problem aloft. It can also be an issue where docklines or sheets rub up against, say, a cockpit coaming, a gunwale or the edge of your cabintrunk.

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Whale Watermaster Pressure Pump

Peter Nielsen
May 08, 2013

The Whale Watermaster automatic pressure pump is quiet running, provides high flow rates, is easy to retrofit and is self-priming up to 10ft.

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Clean and Green Holding Tanks

Peter Nielsen
May 07, 2013

Help your holding tank work better and keep it from stinking up the boat by tossing in some Free & Clear Holding Tank Liquid Deodorant from Thetford.

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Navigation Gear Special

by Sail Staff, Posted May 31, 2006

Cautious sailors understandably worry that the trend toward networked multifunction electronics could lead them to simultaneous multifunction failures. But the solution may be improved system architecture—as seen in Northstar’s new 8000i, diagrammed at right—not in running separate machines. Notice that the Northstar system is “masterless”—sounder, radar, cameras, and even the various sensor
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New Gear - April 2006

by Sail Staff, Posted May 3, 2006

A Sail for RidingMost boats don’t behave as well when anchored with rope rode as they do when lying to chain. They tend to sheer about much more, especially in wind-against-tide scenarios, which is bad for your nerves—and those of your neighbors. One way of coping with this is to set a riding sail on the backstay to help keep the bow pointed into the wind. You could make one of
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A Sail for Riding

by Sail Staff, Posted April 9, 2006

Most boats don’t behave as well when anchored with rope rode as they do when lying to chain. They tend to sheer about much more, especially in wind-against-tide scenarios, which is bad for your nerves—and those of your neighbors. One way of coping with this is to set a riding sail on the backstay to help keep the bow pointed into the wind. You could make one of these yourself, or you could order
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Solar Hatch

by Sail Staff, Posted April 9, 2006

Sometimes it can be tricky to find a good place on board to mount a solar panel. Here’s a neat idea from the German company Sunovation, which fits its solar cells to deck hatches; there’s something organic about a gizmo that both blocks sunlight and uses that same light to generate power. The photo shows a Gebo hatch fitted with semi-transparent Sunways power cells that generate about 16 watts in
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Mold Cleaner

by Sail Staff, Posted April 9, 2006

The unusually mild and wet winter in the Northeast had one drawback, as I discovered during a midwinter boat check—the conditions were ideal for mildew. There are various ways of getting rid of this pestilence, but it always seems to return. YachtBrite claims its enzyme-based Moldaway powder will kill off those pesky mold spores as well as clean up stains. Dissolved in water, the nontoxic,
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