Product Reviews

May 2021

EuroSchirm Trekking Umbrellas

Shelter on board and ashore

For those times when a hat or a hood just isn’t enough protection from the sun or the rain, an umbrella can give you just the right amount of shelter underway in your boat or exploring the shore.

May 2021

Trangia Stove

A multi-fuel camp stove

Trangia first developed their wind-proof camp stove in 1951 and now, seven decades later, the original design is still in production along with refinements that allow it to use several types of fuel.

April 2021

ProMariner’s ProSport HD6

A marine battery tender

Batteries that power electrical systems aboard boats need special care. A smart battery tender installed in the boat can continually maintain a battery’s state of charge and give it only what it needs to provide reliable performance and a long life.

April 2021

Natas

Japanese hatchets

The Japanese nata is a tool that looks like a machete but is used as a hatchet. Designed for gardening, pruning and forestry, it has the weight and edge to be useful for campcraft.

March 2021

Spur Grommets

Sturdy eyelets with bite

Small boat cruising can involve a lot of fabric: sails, dodgers, covers, and tarps. The grommets that work best for outdoor use are spur grommets, with teeth that grip the fabric. They’re stronger than ordinary grommets and have their own tools to set them.

March 2021

nCamp’s Multi-Fuel Stove

Cooking with gas, alcohol, wood, and more

This sturdy stove, made of aluminum and stainless steel, folds to make a compact package, is easily stowed, and can burn a wide variety of fuels. You can use liquid or gas fuels for clean burning and wood when there is nothing left in the cans.

February 2021

LEDs for Trailers

Long-lasting submersible lights

Incandescent light fixtures have long been the standard outfitting for trailers, but they don’t hold up well to the dunkings boat trailers subject them to. It’s easy to replace them with submersible LED fixtures.

February 2021

Harken Roller Furlers

Tending headsails from the cockpit

Roller-furling jibs are common features on large sailboats, but there is scaled-down hardware to bring the convenience and speed of roller furling to small boats. We take a look at Harken’s smallest standard and continuous-line furlers.

January 2021

Halcyon Rugged Varnish

Water-based bright finish

Halcyon Rugged Varnish is not just a water-based alternative to traditional spar varnish, but a step up in ease of application, lack of sagging, recoating without sanding, and durability when cured.

January 2021

A Convenient Camping Grill

A dual-fuel camp grill from Gas One

Food cooked on a grill has a special flavor, but a charcoal grill is inconvenient and messy. Gas One’s portable camping grill, fueled by propane and butane, opens quick, appealing options for camp cruising fare. Burgers, pizza, and toast anyone?

December 2020

ResQFlare

A USCG-approved substitute for pyrotechnic flares

ACR recently introduced the ResQFlare, a floating, battery-powered, SOS-flashing distress signal that meets U.S. Coast Guard requirements, and, when paired with the distress-signal flag it’s sold with, replaces pyrotechnic flares.

December 2020

DeWalt’s Cordless Air Inflator

Quick, precise tire inflation

Kent and Audrey Lewis have a fleet of boats that requires a fleet of trailers and dollies to move them around. A digital rechargeable air inflator helps them keep all of the tires pumped to the proper pressure.

November 2020

The Tiller Comb Stop

A hinged version from Victory

If you’re looking for a way to hold the tiller in place while you tend to other duties or just relax, the stainless-steel Tiller Comb Stop from Victory Products is an elegantly simple device that is there when you need it and instantly out of the way when you don’t.

November 2020

Edge Hotknife

Cutting and fusing synthetics

For sewing your own sails or boating and camping gear, a hot knife is an essential tool for heat-sealing synthetic fibers to keep them from unravelling. We take a look at the Edge Hotknife from Sailrite.

October 2020

Kestrel 2000

Measuring wind speed and temperature

If you sail, you need to pay close attention to the wind, and an anemometer takes the guesswork out of assessing wind speed. The Kestrel 2000 provides accurate readings of wind as well as air and water temperature.

October 2020

Sailrite’s Ultrafeed LSZ-1

A walking-foot sewing machine

Sewing sails and outdoor gear requires a sewing machine that can handle everything from slippery lightweight nylon to multiple layers of thick canvas or sailcloth. Sailrite’s walking-foot sewing machine can handle it all.

September 2020

Mudder Boots

Flexible wings for a big footprint

Some intertidal zones have deep, sticky mud that will pull your boots off if you try walking through it. Mudders, strapped to your boots, have wings that fan out to keep you from sinking and then fold back in so you can walk normally.

September 2020

WEST Special Clear Hardener

A 105 epoxy mix for finish work

If you’ve used WEST System epoxy, you may be familiar with the slow and fast hardeners, but might not have heard of the 207 Special Clear Hardener. It doesn’t blush, has a UV inhibitor mixed in, and can make a durable bright finish.

August 2020

Discovery View Dry Bags

Removing the mystery

Kent and Audrey Lewis row, paddle, and sail their fleet of boats in the warm waters of the Florida panhandle. While they don’t mind getting wet, the gear they take with them needs to stay dry. Their Discovery View dry bag does the job.

August 2020

Hook Scrapers

Inexpensive and versatile

Hook scrapers are inexpensive tools that make themselves useful in building and renovating boats, whether shaving wood, smoothing cured epoxy, or removing old paint.

July 2020

Impact Drivers

Power and finesse

Impact drivers may seem like tools for heavy work, but while they have a lot of screw-driving power, they can provide exceptional control and greatly reduce the number of screws that get damaged.

June 2020

Unscrew-Ums

Extracting broken screws

Boatbuilders tend to drive a lot of screws whether they’re using bronze wood screws for traditional construction, stainless-steel screws for contemporary projects, or drywall screws for temporary use with epoxy-glued joints. When screws break off inside the wood, the Unscrew-Um can come to the rescue.

June 2020

Screw Pilot Bits

Fuller, Bosch, and Carbide & Diamond

Driving wood screws is faster and easier when you use a pilot bit that simultaneously drills holes for the screw’s threads and shank and the countersink for the head. We test pilot drills from Fuller, Bosch, and Carbide & Diamond and take a look inside the holes they make.

May 2020

Verksted Apron

A workshop time saver from Best Coast Canvas

The Verksted apron from Best Coast Canvas is thoughtfully designed for woodworkers and boatbuilders and beautifully made of durable natural materials. It goes well beyond keeping dust off your clothes; by keeping the tools you use most often on you, it makes your shop time more productive.

May 2020

A 3″ Bevel Gauge

A tool for tight corners

A boat’s complex combinations of curves and straight lines provides no end of odd angles. Sliding bevel gauges are standard boatbuilding tools, but there are a lot of places that they can’t fit. The 3” bevel gauge, made of brass and aluminum, is easily adjusted and excels in tight spaces.