Boatworks

Trailer Upgrade 2.0

by Sail Staff, Posted January 10, 2007

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

Cool, Quiet, and Convenient

by Sail Staff, Posted August 15, 2011

Vetus NLPH waterlocks and mufflers cool exhaust gasses, minimize engine noise, protect your engine from the backflow of water up the exhaust when the engine is off and are easy to install in confined spaces. Each waterlock/muffler comprises two separate components that can be rotated to accommodate a particular hull shape and exhaust arrangement. Hose connections also rotate to help with

Crank in that Backstay!

by Adam Cort, Posted October 8, 2012

Harken’s new Integral Hydraulic Backstay Adjusters use double-acting pumps to deliver oil when the handle is pushed and pulled, reducing pumping time by nearly doubling the flow of single-acting pumps standard on other integrals.

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

Stainless Steel Hose Clamp Kits

by Adam Cort, Posted July 29, 2010

Whether it’s on a through-hull fitting or securing a hose on your diesel engine, a hose clamp is a critical piece of equipment, so it pays to use a good one that fits.With a Cruiser’s Pack stainless steel ABA hose clamp kit from Scandvik, you can be assured of having any and every hose clamp you’ll ever need.Each kit contains 56 clamps in six different sizes from 7/16in to 2 11/16in

Hurricane Insurance

by Sail Staff, Posted November 10, 2006

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

Maximize Regulator Performance

by Sail Staff, Posted September 27, 2011

A smart regulator can boost your alternator’s charging performance, which means you don’t need to run your engine as long to keep your batteries happy. Sterling Marine Power’s ProRegD digital alternator regulator can be tailored to your battery type—flooded, gel or AGM—to ensure the most efficient four-step charging schedule. It assesses battery bank size, state of charge, and current

External Thrusters

by Adam Cort, Posted October 11, 2012

Yacht Thruster bow and stern thrusters are installed outside a boat’s hull, as opposed to inside a conventional thruster tunnel.

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

Tape Tales

by Sail Staff, Posted November 4, 2005

The most versatile tape I’ve ever used is Rubbaweld, now available in the U.S. It’s not sticky, but bonds to itself to form a tough waterproof skin. I’ve used it to tape off turnbuckles and lifeline terminals, for get-me-home repairs on plumbing hoses and connections, and on rope ends when there wasn’t time to whip them. It comes in black and white, and in 1-inch ($18.50 for a 15-foot roll) or