by Jolly Mon
Apr 26 2013 in Gear locker, Guest Dock, Life Afloat by Jolly Mon
I purchased a new boat toy. A kayak. I’ve had a kayak that I’ve carried on board for several years, an Advanced Elements Advanced Frame inflatable kayak. It’s gotten quite a bit of use over the years, and I’ve had a lot of fun quietly exploring anchorages while getting a little exercise in the process. [...]
Apr 10 2013 in Gear locker, Guest Dock by Robert Salnick
If you are a dehumidifier, condensation is not just good, it is your raison d’être. But if you are a fuel tank, condensation is bad… no, it is evil. Here’s what happens: The sun goes down. The tank cools off. Because it is cooling, the air inside contracts, wanting to pull a vacuum But you [...]
Mar 4 2013 in Gear locker by Marty McOmber
iPads are becoming indispensable onboard. Water kills iPads. There is lots of water around boats. I see some problems here. We learned the hard way just how fast water will kill an iPad during the Seattle Boat Show when a leakproof water bottle in Deborah’s handbag managed to leak. All over her iPad 3. By [...]
by beenl
Feb 25 2013 in Environment, Gear locker, Guest Dock, Reviews by beenl
While we remain focused on certifying boatyards as Clean and encouraging boaters to opt for non-copper paint, we couldn’t help but notice some of the innovative – and clean – offerings at the recently-concluded Seattle Boat Show. This year’s show was no exception when it came to fun gadgets and new products. One of the [...]
by Tim
Jan 29 2013 in Gear locker, Guest Dock by Tim
Regular readers know that I am enchanted with thermal imaging. I even dream in thermal! But I don’t own a thermal imaging camera. Why not? They are incredibly expensive! The FLIR M-series “R2-D2” units I lust after (shown at right) run about $10,000 and up. So my little heart went pitter-patter when I saw this [...]
by Tim
Jan 24 2013 in Gear locker, Guest Dock, Reviews by Tim
Longtime readers know that I love AIS. I’ve had AIS up and running on my little boat since 2008. I’ve had stand-alone receive-only units, multiple Class B transceivers, and AIS-receive units built into VHF radios. My recommendation for most recreational boaters is for the last. Purchasing a new VHF radio with AIS reception built-in offers [...]
Dec 22 2012 in Gear locker, Guest Dock by SV Estrellita 5.10b
We use about half dozen padlocks on our boat at various times for various reasons. We have locks for our lazarettes, our outboard motor (either on the dinghy or on the stern pulpit), we lock our kayak/dinghy to the boat with a bike cable and padlock if we leave it in the water at night*, [...]
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