Product Reviews

July 2017

Veritas Cabinet Scraper

Update to a classic

Woodworking raises a lot of dust. I have a collection system hooked up to the machines that create the most dust, but many times I can avoid creating so much dust in the first place by using a scraper instead of sandpaper. If the scraper blade is sharp and burnished to a curl, it will create crepe-like shavings and very little dust.

July 2017

Stay Afloat Leak Plug and Sealant

Quick cure for small leaks

Stay Afloat is soft, sticky wax-like material meant to fix small leaks of the sort I get with my older lapstrake boats. None of my boats has suffered enough damage to let water aboard, but that’s a possibility worth preparing for. To test the effectiveness of Stay Afloat I wasn’t about to poke holes in any of my boats, so I made a gizmo that could simulate leaks.

June 2017

Log-Milling Sled

Making a bandsaw a mini-sawmill

Windfalls and driftwood are often a source of woods better than any you can buy. A shop-built sled holds the irregular shapes of found wood securely on the bandsaw so you can more easily put it to good use.

June 2017

Newport Coastal Jacket and Pants

Rainwear from Helly Hansen

Good foul-weather gear can make the difference between cursing the weather and laughing at it. We take a look at a jacket-and-pants offering from Helly Hansen that works well for wet-weather rowing and sailing

May 2017

Waterproof Duffels

Storage for cruising and camping gear

Large waterproof duffel bags can provide a neat way of stowing cruising gear where the weight won’t make a boat sluggish in a seaway and speed setting up camp. Tom Pamperin puts five duffels to the test.

May 2017

Topside Marine Paint

George Kirby Jr. Paint Company

For more than 170 years, the George Kirby Jr. Paint Company has been making marine paints with noteworthy quality and colors.

April 2017

Smart Bottles

Flexible, collapsible water containers

Flexible, collapsible containers for drinking water come in handy aboard a small boat. They will nestle into small, irregular spaces, serve as moveable ballast when full, and take up a minimal amount of space when empty.

April 2017

Fulton Fold-Away Hinge

Making trailers fit

If you need to lengthen a trailer tongue to fit a longer boat or shorten one to fit an undersized parking place, a Fulton Fold-Away Hinge may be the solution.

March 2017

InReach SE

A satellite messenger from DeLorme

Cruising remote areas doesn’t necessitate being cut off from friends and family or help in an emergency. Alex Zimmerman carried DeLorme’s InReach SE on a summer cruise and reports on its performance.

March 2017

Aqua Bug outboards

Small, lightweight outboards

BikeBug, a company best known for motors that can be mounted on bicycles, manufactures two very small outboards, a 17-lb four-stroke and an 11-lb two-stroke.

February 2017

4-Way Clamping System

Quick, accurate edge-gluing

WoodRiver’s system produces flat panels by applying pressure on the faces as well as the edges of the boards being glued together.

February 2017

Bigboy

A saw for the out-of-doors

Whether you’re gathering wood for a campfire or salvaging windfalls for boatbuilding projects, Silky’s Bigboy cuts quickly and cleanly and is a lot more portable than a chainsaw.

January 2017

Thin Rip Table Saw Jig

An Aid to Lamination

The Rockler Thin Rip Jig is economical and makes reducing a board to a pile of uniform, ready-to-laminate strips a whole lot faster and safer.

December 2016

WeatherMeter

Meteorology in your pocket

This compact and inexpensive device provides data that leads to a more objective observation and better understanding of weather conditions and patterns.

December 2016

BivyBag Duo

Exped's versatile shelter garment

The BivyBag creates not only an instant shelter but also the peace and presence of mind that comes along with that measure of comfort, allowing for the thoughtful decision making that is essential to any successful outing.

November 2016

CrewStop Gloves

Cultivating calluses

If you keep at it long enough, rowing will toughen up your hands, but callouses often come at a cost. We take a look at some gloves that will give you a shot at skipping that painful blister phase.

November 2016

An Auto-Release Cleat

Safer downhauls for centerboards and rudders

If you have a centerboard or rudder blade that is deployed with a downhaul, it won’t kick up if you have the line made fast to an ordinary cleat. Clamcleat has a cleat that will trip and release the downhaul, preventing serious damage.

October 2016

Scrubba

A wilderness washing machine

Clothes inevitably get dirty and even a bit pungent while you’re cruising and camping, but with this innovative bag you can do laundry in camp or at anchor.

October 2016

Gaco Oarlocks

Less wear, less noise

An Australian invention, these oarlocks can fit standard sockets, but they move the rotation above the socket where it will cause less wear and noise.

September 2016

IceMule Cooler

A dry bag that keeps its cool

We take a look at an insulated dry bag that can serve as a cooler, padded dry storage, and flotation.

September 2016

Mantus Dinghy Anchor

Digs deep, stows flat

The dinghy anchor from Mantus digs deep and fast and comes in a stainless-steel version that can be disassembled for compact storage.

August 2016

Gränsfors Hatchets

Hand-forged Swedish steel

Hand-made Gränsfors Bruk hatchets are a pleasure to use and uncommonly beautiful.

August 2016

Sounding Off

Signal horns for small boats

We take a look at five horns that you can use to make yourself heard.

July 2016

Makita Blade Sharpener

Quick, sharp edges

Sharp edge tools can save you a lot of time when you’re working with wood, but sharpening your blades by hand can nibble away at those savings. The Makita wet-wheel sharpening tool can give you razor-sharp edges in a fraction of the time.

July 2016

Exped Mats

Uncommon comfort

Getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to get your day off to a good start. Two sleeping mats by Exped that are as good as any mattress at home.