Product Reviews

March 2019

Portable Running Lights

LED lights from Innovative Lighting

A lot of small boats aren’t wired with electrical systems, so battery-powered running lights are in order for traveling at night. We take a look at a set from Innovative Lighting.

February 2019

Oscillating Multi-tools

DeWalt’s DWE315

The first oscillating cutting tools were created for cutting plaster casts off the limbs of patients who had broken bones. That was in 1967. Today they’re known as multi-tools and they can take on jobs that are impossible for other power tools or painfully tedious to do by hand.

February 2019

Bernzomatic’s TS 8000

Serious heat made simple

The ordinary propane torch is a useful tool but somewhat limited in what it can do by the amount of heat it can create. The Bernzomatic TS 8000, with its larger flame, faster fuel consumption, and the ability to use both propane and hotter-burning MAP-Pro gas increases the range of possibilities.

January 2019

Trailer Guide Posts

Less drama at the ramp

Trailer guide posts can be your new best friend at the ramp when you’re on your own and struggling to get your boat lined up on the trailer and operate the winch at the same time.

January 2019

A 1″ x 30″ belt sander

Just 20 seconds to change belts

A 1”x 30” belt sander is a small benchtop machine that can not only handle woodworking projects too small for other power tools, but also work metal from rough shaping to polishing.

December 2018

V-DrillGuide

Accurate alignment for hand drills

When you can’t get the work to a drill press, the V-DrillGuide from Big Gator Tools makes it easy to drill holes centered and squared.

December 2018

A Cordless Wet/Dry Vac

Portability from Porter Cable

Porter Cable’s compact cordless vacuum cleaner goes wherever there’s a mess to clean up whether it’s wet or dry, in the shop or in the boat.

November 2018

Jetboil Flash

Cooking aboard, quicker and safer

Jetboil’s Flash Cooking System is pot, stove, and fuel all in one tidy and easily stowed package. It is very quick to boil water and simmers gently enough to make cooked meals without scorching. The pot has a neoprene insulating sleeve to retain heat and a webbing handle so you don’t need a pot gripper.

November 2018

P.O.S.H. Rope

Easy on the eyes and hands

For a boat with bright-finished wood and bronze hardware, bright white braided line can look out of place. Langman Ropes’ P.O.S.H cordage has the aesthetics of traditional hemp and the strength of modern synthetics.

October 2018

Cruz Camera

from Hyndsight Vision Systems

Rowing has, at long last, gone digital and wireless. Hyndsight makes a waterproof cameras and monitors that provide a clear view over the bow, so you don’t have to swivel your head like an owl. And the Cruz system goes one better than having eyes in the back of your head; it works for those trailering tasks when you need to be in two places at once.

October 2018

AR-Tech LED Flashlight + Lantern

Five functions and it floats

The Life Gear Flashlight + Lantern was design with boating in mind. It floats, turns on automatically when immersed, has a 100-lumen flashlight beam, and an all-around area light in white for general use and in red for preserving night vision.

September 2018

No-Spill Gasoline Can

A better gas can

Filling a small outboard motor’s internal fuel tank can be a messy task. The No-Spill Gas Can helps eliminate spills and overfilling with its push-button valve and automatic flow stop.

September 2018

eTape16

A digital tape measure

The standard tape measure may be to blame for the adage “measure twice, cut once.” A digital tape measure can read the hashmarks correctly and remember the measurement so you can get it right the first time.

August 2018

Force 5K Power Dolly

A power dolly from Parkit360°

Trailers carrying heavy boats can be difficult if not impossible to move by hand. The Force 5K power dolly from Parkit360° can move your trailer in tight quarters where there’s not enough room for your vehicle.

August 2018

Barry King Hammer-Style Mallet

More than setting grommets

With its nylon head and leather-and-brass handle, the 48-oz Hammer-style Mallet from Barry King Tools is ideal for setting grommets as well as doing many other jobs in the boatshop and it’s as pretty as it is persuasive.

July 2018

Blackbird XLC and Thunderfly

A hammock system from Warbonnet

Hammocks provide minimum-impact shelter ashore and can be set up on wooded terrain that's too steep or uneven to accommodate a tent. We take a look at a system that includes a hammock, bug net, winter cover, and rain fly.

July 2018

Knipex Plier Wrench

Getting a grip

The Knipex plier wrench is a versatile and well-designed tool with extraordinary gripping power. It’s a worthy addition to an on-board tool kit.

June 2018

Dynamic Dollies

Lightweight rigs for hand launching

Dollies reduce dependence on paved launch ramps and open up new areas to explore. And the less effort it takes to move a boat, the more often you’re likely to use it.

June 2018

On-Demand Paper Charts

Government charts, private printers

In 2014, the US government brought an end to printing the lithographic charts that it had been producing since 1862. Printed charts did not cease to exist, but their production was taken over by NOAA-certified, on-demand printers.

May 2018

EP Carry

Compact power for dinghies

The EP Carry, an electric outboard developed and manufactured by PropEle Electric Motors, is designed specifically for small boats; with its battery it weighs under 15 lbs.

May 2018

HouseFly

Shelter afloat and ashore

Designed as a rainfly for hammocks, ENO’s HouseFly has a feature simple tarps do not—overlapping doors on both ends. They make the fly readily adaptable to many open boats as a great ready-made boom tent.

April 2018

Luci and LuminAID Lanterns

Inflatable solar-charged lighting

Camp-cruising requires lighting, and these three solar-charged, waterproof, and inflatable lanterns illuminate tents, boat canopies, and camp kitchens with a bright diffuse light at night, can charge your phone, and recharge themselves during the day.

April 2018

Poseidon Sliding Seats

Power without outriggers

Most sliding-seat rigs come with outriggers that require long, racing-style sculls. The Poseidon sliding seat provides power without changing the nature of the boat. It’s meant to be used with gunwale-mounted oarlocks and the same kind of oars used for fixed-seat rowing.

March 2018

Flexpoxy

A versatile epoxy

Pettit offers a multi-purpose epoxy that makes flexible bonds as well as fills that won't sag or shrink. Dispensed from a cartridge that fits common caulking guns, it is easy to dispense for jobs small and large.

March 2018

The Portable Buddy

Radiant heat for tents and cabins

It's easier to extend your small-boat cruising into the shoulder seasons when you have a way to stay warm when the weather turns chilly. The Portable Buddy from Mr. Heater uses standard 1-lb propane canisters to create radiant infrared heat to warm small cabins and tents.