Product Reviews - Page 7 of 10 - Small Boats Magazine

A dolly opens up access to the water in areas without launching ramps.

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.

The Small Craft version comes folded to fit a waterproof chart case.

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.

The lanterns all provide a board area of diffused white light.

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.

The seats are supplied without pads. Those are left to the rower to select to suit individual preferences.

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.

The Buddy Heater will shut itself off if its sensor detects a drop in oxygen levels or if it tips over.

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.

Four tennis balls slit to fit over the chair's feet keep them from sinking into sand.

February 2018

Helinox Chair One

Compact, comfortable seating

We all grow up with chairs and take them for granted until we have to do without. Helinox chairs bring to campsites the comfort and back support we've become accustomed to.

The Men's Edgewater II is rated for use in temperatures from below freezing to 65 degrees and has a deeply contoured sole for good traction.

February 2018

Muck Boots

Warm and dry feet

You can buy a pair of rubber boots for $15, and they may keep your feet dry but be far from comfortable. We take a look at two pairs of Muck Boots—one for men and one for women—that will keep feet dry, warm, and happy.

A full charge on the battery is rated for 6 hours with the light on high, 20 hours on low, 60 hours for the red light, and 48 hours for the SOS.

January 2018

Mantus Headlamp

Submersible, rechargeable, durable

The Mantus Headlamp is built around a rugged, watertight aluminum-alloy case that houses a rechargeable and replaceable battery. The LED light mounted in the middle of the housing has a high output of 770 lumens, a low output of 150 lumens, an SOS signal, and a red light for preserving night vision.

The the drive shaft has a diameter of 1/2" where it joins the fitting on the drum, but is reduced to 3/8" to fit most drills.

January 2018

Sleeveless Sanding Drums

Ordinary sandpaper, softer contours

Sleeveless sanding drums are built around a cylinder padded with a layer of 1/8” neoprene and hold strips of common sandpaper. The sheet sandpaper isn’t as durable as sanding sleeves and requires a lighter touch, but the flexibility of the paper and the cushioning behind it allow the sandpaper to mold to the contours of the workpiece and round edges without making unsightly, unwanted facets.

December 2017

GoBag

A self-closing bag with a magnetic seal

Smart phones are as valuable afloat as they are ashore, but require reliable protection from the water. We take a look at two unusual waterproof cases. The GoBag is a transparent case with a magnetic closure that assures a tight seal every time.

The Ugo's laminated fabric includes a layer of foam so the case doesn't depend entirely on the enclosed volume from buoyancy. The seams are all RF welded rather than sewn.

December 2017

Ugo

A different kind of waterproof phone case

The Ugo holds a phone behind a window and keeps other essentials in partitioned space behind it. A waterproof zipper provides easy access when open, a reliable seal when closed.

After filling, the bag is squeezed to push the contents to the tip of the spout. The clear space at the top of the bag is devoid of air; the front and back surfaces are mostly in contact with only a thin transparent layer of the product between them. The funnel will be set aside to dry.

November 2017

StopLossBags

Eliminating air, preventing waste

When the varnish or paint in a half-full can skins over, you waste time and money. Transferring these expensive products to StopLossBags solves the problem by eliminating the air space that leads to premature curing.

November 2017

Moor n Stow

A compact collapsible fender

Fenders are quite necessary when any boat is tied at a dock, but in a small boat they take up valuable space while underway. Cabela's came up with a self-inflating fender that be rolled up into a compact package that takes up only a fraction of the space.

October 2017

Rivet Spacing Tool

Quick, accurate divisions

Do-it-yourselfers who build airplanes are necessarily fussy about their work. When it comes to marking an even spacing for rivets, they use a rivet fan spacer. It’s a tool boatbuilders will also find quite handy.

Closed up against rain or cold, the tent is cozy without feeling cramped. The attached flap of PVC vinyl provide a place to take off shoes before entering to keep dirt out of the tent.

September 2017

Pioneer Swag Tent

Back in the 1890 itinerant laborers in Australia carried their shelters and bedding in a roll called a swag. The Pioneer Swag Tent from Outback Swags is a modern version that combines a one-person canvas tent and a comfortable foam mattress.

The stove takes some tending to keep it going, but small sticks are all that it requires.

August 2017

Canned Heat with the Solo Stove

Solo Stove's Titan

People have been staring into the flickering flames since the dawn of humanity and even with all of the comforts we can now bring to our outdoor experiences, a campfire has a special soothing effect. Solo Stoves put campfires in a sophisticated can to prevent scarring the landscape, create heat for cooking from scraps of wood, and still provide a flame worth staring into.

The author was equipped to spray the truck-bed liner, and while that produced the desired results, she decided that rolling the coating on would be quicker and less expensive.

August 2017

Truck-Bed Liner Paint as Interior Finish

A durable non-slip coating

Truck bed liner, when used as the interior finish of a small boat, won’t stop an errant, sharp knife point from puncturing it, but it will hold up to anchors and anchor chain, the bottoms of coolers transferred from a sandy beach, and gravel stuck on the bottom of rubber boots.

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.

Stay-Afloat is a soft, sticky, wax-like material made of treated petroleum byproducts.

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.