The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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The Year’s Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves. The Torqeedo Travel 1003, tested here on a Wing Systems dinghy on Chesapeake Bay, earned the Practical Sailor Editor’s Choice award as the electric propulsion pick. I t’s time once again for Practical Sailor editors to announce the year’s top picks with our Gear of the Year In our January 2011 look at electric outboards, we reviewed two Torqeedo engines, the new Travel 1003 and the (GOTY) roundup. Each year, as the fall previously PS-tested Travel 801, and the twist of the wrist. The dinghy planed boat shows—and the deals that come Electric Paddle. We tested the trio on instantly. with them—appear on the horizon, we various boats, including a 10-foot Avon At full throttle in flat water on a 10- pore over the numerous products we’ve inflatable and Wing Systems rigid dink. foot inflatable, the 13-Ah battery has a reviewed in the previous 12 months All are suitable for inflatables, dinghies, range of 2.1 nautical miles; half-throttle to select the cream of the crop for our and small sailboats. range is 6 nautical miles; and at low Editor’s Choice awards. We hope the Testers were impressed with the speed, it’ll run for about 11 miles. list will help readers better navigate Torqeedo Travel 1003, which proved Testers gave the lightweight, thrust- Photos by Ralph Naranjo any boat-show or end-of-season shop- to be a significant upgrade to its pre- efficient T-1003—which comes with a ping. This year, we picked from the decessor, the T-801. With 30 percent two-year warranty and a $1,899 price Best Choice products evaluated in the more battery power, plus an increase tag—two thumbs up and named it the September 2010 through August 2011 in thrust and efficiency, the new unit Editor’s Choice in electric propulsion. issues, and here ... drum-roll, please ... is even more user-friendly. Rated as a (Since our test, Torqeedo has made are the 2011 GOTY awardees: 3-horsepower outboard, the 7-pound some improvements to the T-1003, in- motor has a beefed-up, well-engineered cluding the ability to solar charge its Electric Outboards bracket to clamp it to the transom, and batteries.) Over the years, we’ve seen big strides both the tilt adjustment and the battery in the electric outboard market. While support are more ruggedly structured. Bullet Blocks the pragmatist looking at dollars-per- Instrumentation (charge level, speed, Testers reviewed a batch of 40- knot or range prior to refueling may and GPS position) has been added, and millimeter blocks for our Seldén not think it’s time to switch to electric everything from the control handle to June 2011 report, (404-101-16R) propulsion, making the move away the cabling has been rethought. including from oil-based power has many bene- We tested the new Torqeedo fits: better air quality, less noise, lighter on a light, round-bilged weight, and best of all, no more filling Wing Systems rigid the tanks with expensive or ethanol- dinghy that literally blended fossil fuel. leaped to life with a Seldén (404-101-01R) practical sailor september 2011 19
gear of the year Marine Systems Standouts Planus Artic P ractical Sailor spent much of the last 12 months testing marine-systems products—flushing toilets loaded with banana, 4 feet of West Marine single-ply tissue paper, and 1 cup of dyed water—we tested Standard faux poo and cycling bilge pumps till they would pump no the amount, speed, and efficiency more. So it was no surprise to us that the bulk of our top of rinse-water input and waste dis- gear picks for the year were systems related. PS tapped three charge. marine heads—Raritan’s Marine Elegance, Planus’ Artic The Raritan Marine Elegance Standard, and Dometic/Sealand’s SailVac—and two Shurflo (220AHF01202) topped the field of electric bilge pumps for the 2011 Gear of the Year (GOTY) list. compact, electric-flush toilets, and the Planus Artic Standard (90450) Electric-flush Toilets was testers’ top pick among the deluxe Once considered a frivolous onboard luxury, electric heads electric heads. are now more compact, more reliable, and less expensive The Raritan is a heavy-duty toilet that has a large bowl and than their predecessors. And retrofitting a boat that has a a full-size seat, but its 12-inch footprint puts it in the compact manual head is not beyond the capabilities of a competent category. Our 39-pound test toilet was set up for pressurized do-it-yourselfer. freshwater supply with a solenoid valve to control flow, but it We selected 14 test toilets that represented a good cross- can be configured to operate with a separate supply pump. All section of what’s available from major manufacturers. Testers components are first-class and tucked nicely under the bowl. broke the field down into two groups based on toilet size. We Testers found hookup and installation to be easy, and the reported on seven “deluxe” electric-flush heads (comparable function was fast, efficient, and quieter than most. The $630 to those found in residential bathrooms) in the March 2011 Marine Elegance is a good compromise for someone who issue, and seven, more compact, and less expensive toilets wants the comforts of a home toilet, but is limited by space. were reviewed in the February 2011 issue. Boat owners looking for a deluxe throne should consider We bench-tested electric toilets from Dometic (Sealand), the Planus Artic Standard. Manufactured in Italy and sold Groco, Jabsco, and Raritan, comparing size, weight, price, through Scandvik Inc. in Vero Beach, Fla., the $1,200 Planus style, warranty, features, and functions. Testers also reviewed was our price-is-no-object Best Choice. It has more oomph instructions, documentation, con- than the small-boat owner will likely need (or want to pay struction and rugged- for), but this quiet, powerful, clean flusher was the cream of ness of materials, ease the crop. of installation, and in- At 54 pounds, the Artic is quite heavy, but it has above- stallation options. average construction and came with a pre-wired harness that We evaluated ease of connected to a sealed electronic box with a pushbutton. It Raritan Marine Elegance electrical and plumbing included a heavy-duty bronze inlet pipe with a large solenoid hookup, noted mainte- and backflow preventer. The heart of the system is its high- nance issues, and compared speed Vortex discharge pump that Planus claims will push functions. We tested for amp draw, liquid up to 29-feet high. All of its components are heavy noise level, and ease of use. Using duty, and its operation was very impressive and efficient. It equal batches of “faux poo”—one was also the quietest in the test group. blocks from Barton, Garhauer, Harken, metal corrosion. The Seldén 40-millimeter blocks are Karver, Holt, Ronstan, Schaefer, and Sel- The test came down to the wire with a testimony to the company’s com- dén. All of the units tested were ball- the Harken and Seldén blocks hold- mitment to stainless ball-bearing ef- and/or roller-bearing designs, and the ing the judges’ divided interest. Both ficiency and long-term reliability. The trend toward more composite material scored respectably in every aspect and block frame is a glass-fiber/polyamide and less metal was evident. proved to be non-magnetic, corrosion injection-molded composite that’s To test the 13 blocks, we loaded the free after the soaking test, and close in more metallic than other products line and blocks with 200 pounds of ten- the under-load pull test. tested. The roller bearings are stainless- sion and measured how much force it It was hard to pick a winner, but in the steel as Seldén prefers metal because it took to move the line in the closed-loop end, the decision went to the block with won’t deform under load or heat, and arrangement. Testers also immersed the slightly less friction. The Best Choice the alloy they choose is very corrosion blocks for a week in a heated, aerated honor and Gear of the Year award went resistant. saline bath devised to accelerate oxida- to both the Seldén tie (404-101-16R) and Options include a block with no tion, crevice corrosion, and dissimilar swivel (404-101-01R) blocks. shackle; a lashable, molded model; or 20 september 2011 www.practical-sailor.com
gear of the year Vacuum-flush Toilet Products, Rule/ITT Corp., Shurflo, Testers used the same test protocol to test vacuum-flush toi- and Johnson Pump. We broke the lets as we did the electric toilets. We reviewed two electric test field into groups by capac- vacuum-flush units from Dometic Corp. (Sealand) and a man- ity: Pumps rated for 1,600 gallons ual unit from Blakes Lavac Taylors in the August 2011 issue. per hour (GPH) or more were re- Dometic’s SailVac VHT 5200 was testers’ favorite in this group viewed in the September 2010 is- of water misers, earning it a spot on the Gear of the Year list. sue, and those rated for 1,500 GPH The SailVac VHT 5200 is an integral vacuum generator and or less were evaluated in the Octo- 14-gallon holding tank. It can be used with any of the com- ber 2010 issue. pany’s VacuFlush toilets, but we tested it with the 5148 model. All faced the same bench tests: The heavy-duty polyethylene composite tank is specifically Testers measured flow rates and shaped to install vertically in the outboard bulkhead space power ratings at two voltages while SailVac in a head. It is exactly the same size as Sealand tanks already pumping fresh water into a tank set 4 VHT 5200 found on some production boats. feet above the pump. We also conducted The SailVac tank measures 36 inches high, 20 inches wide, dry-run tests to confirm compliance with American Boat and 11 inches deep at the top and 5 inches deep at the bottom. Yacht Council standards. In the final analysis, we picked the Sealand claims it has enough holding capacity for two top-rated pump based on performance, warranty, wir- people for four days; we found this to be an accurate— Shurflo 1500 ing, and price. if not conservative—statement. It comes pre-wired Interestingly, bilge pumps from Shurflo topped with a 12-volt, 3-amp motor, a vacuum pump, in- both test groups to grab spots on the GOTY line-up. ternal vacuum switch, and a tank sensor. There are Testers liked the quality of construction and “heft” of also relays for an alarm and auto shutdown. the $90 Shurflo 2000 (358-010-00), which was one of The top of the tank has a discharge fitting exiting the heaviest pumps its size. We also liked the unique the air pump to evacuate foul odors while the air 360-degree swivel mounting option, the 60-inch pump creates a vacuum. There is no vent. The leads, and the 2,000-GPH pump’s leader-of-the- vacuum pump is quiet and its integrated vacuum pack pumping capacity. While it drew a consider- generator/holding tank design simplified installa- able amount of power compared to other pumps, tion, but it takes longer for the system to reach a it also delivered in terms of water moved. full vacuum than other products tested. Likewise, the Shurflo 1500 (358-000- Shurflo 2000 The $1,772 SailVac will appeal to owners of boats 00) topped its group in pumping capac- already fitted with vertically oriented holding tanks of ity, clearing 10 gallons in 26 seconds, fea- roughly the same dimensions who are looking for a water- tured the 360-degree swivel mount, and was saving electric head. The SailVac used only 2 pints of water the heaviest pump in its group (4 pounds, during test flushes. 14.5 ounces). But it also required about dou- ble the amount of power of the other tests Electric Bilge Pumps pumps. The bilge pump market is crowded with everything from Based on its excellent output, three- inexpensive hand pumps to high-capacity electric pumps, year warranty, construction quality and and we’ve tested many over the past few decades. This year, $56 price tag, the Shurflo 1,500 was testers’ we took a look at 18 electric pumps from Attwood Marine top pick in the low-capacity group. a pinned-together conventional swivel Rapid-Dissolve Toilet Paper Kimberly-Clark (Scott), Thetford, West design. The swivel version also has a Our in-depth coverage of marine heads Marine, Camco, and Charmin. All are neat removable, molded insert that this year (see “Systems Standouts”) relatively well-known brands and read- slips over the shackle clevis and locks would not have been complete without ily available from local marine and RV the shackle in one plane, moving only rolling out a test of quick-dissolving distributors, or retail outlets. All are when it is advantageous to do so. Scott toilet tissues for use in touted as biodegradable, quick dissolv- The Seldén blocks, both Quick-Dissolve TP marine toilets and ing, and non-clogging. rated for a 550-pound safe on-board sanitation The evaluation aimed to find out how work ing load a nd rope systems. quickly the different TPs dissolved in sizes up to 3/8 inches, were In the June 2011 water, how strong they were, and how the smoothest, low-friction issue, we tested 10 soft they felt. We used bench tests to de- blocks tested. The tie ver- toilet tissues from termine the first two criteria, and mul- sion costs about $22, and the seven manufacturers: tiple testers used the products “in the swivel runs about $28. Coleman, Dometic, field” to get a feel for how soft each was. practical sailor september 2011 21
Ge a r o f t h e y e a r Testers found the Norcross Hawkeye 22PX portable depth sounder’s large digits easy to read in the sunlight. during testing seconds. Its 3/4-inch-high digits are easy that these prod- to read in bright sunlight, although po- ucts ta ke t he larized sunglasses did make for difficult leadline to the viewing from an angle. Powered by four next level. AA batteries, the Hawkeye has a claimed Resembling range of 199 feet. small f lashlights, The Hawkeye’s rugged construction the sounders are and ease of use make it an excellent designed to be por- tool for gunkholing or for those cruis- table, easy to use, ers who like to venture off the beaten and reliable. Yes, path. The $90 Hawkeye costs less than they require batter- half its competitor and outperformed Testers also looked at paper thickness, ies, but they are only the Speedtech in testing to earn a 2011 price, and availability. on for 10 seconds at a Editor’s Choice award. When all the scientific data was time, giving them an crunched, Practical Sailor tapped exceptionally long working life on Handheld Performance Tool Scott’s Rapid Dissolving Tissue one set of batteries. Practical Sailor has been following the (made by Kimberly-Clark) as the The two units were tested over the rise of a small company that caters to best for use in marine heads and course of three days in the Gulf of Mexi- the speed freaks among us. Since 2005, onboard sanitation systems. Made for co and near Sarasota, Fla., in depths less Velocitek has been refining a rugged, RVs and boats, it was the fastest-dissolv- than 50 feet and in varying water condi- battery-operated display designed to ing product in our test. It wasn’t a very tions—from murky, shallow waters to give GPS-based speed data to sailors so strong paper, but it got the job done. deeper, clear waters. The units’ ability to that they can get the best performance Sheets were relatively thick, and in terms read depths through hull materials was on the boat. We reviewed Velocitek’s of dollars per ounce, it was a pretty good tested in clear waters of 10 to 20 feet. All SpeedPuck and its SC-1 in February value, costing $3 for four single-ply rolls readings were compared with simulta- 2010, but the company’s latest model, (308 sheets per roll). neous leadline soundings. Testers also the ProStart, proved to be our favorite Any of the marine and RV fast- exposed each to a series of durability so far. dissolving tissues we evaluated would tests involving cold, heat, impact, and We pitted it against Rock City Ma- be better for your on-board toilet than immersion. rine’s Rock Box in a head-to-head test standard TP, but the Scott’s thorough The Hawkeye 22PX is made of black, we reported on in the May 2011 issue. and fast dissolving earned it a spot on reinforced polyvinyl, and the sides of the The products were evaluated on ease of our GOTY roster. transducer are protected by high-densi- installation, performance on the water, ty synthetic rubber. Rated as waterproof and durability. Testers also rated accom- Handheld Depth Sounder to 200 feet, the Hawkeye floats, and it panying software. Both offer Windows- In the November 2010 issue, Practi- passed all durability tests with flying friendly software that allows racers to cal Sailor tested two handheld depth colors. download and evaluate data, and we sounders: the Hawkeye 22PX from On the water, it performed very well, also tested Velocitek’s Mac software, Norcross Marine and the Depthmate but the shoot-through tests turned up Velocitool. SM-5A. While we’re usually loathe to varying results. We did not register any To evaluate installation and perfor- apply a $100 battery-operated solution depths through cored material, but we mance on the water, testers installed the to a problem easily solved with a chunk did get some readings through the ther- units on a 1974 O’Day Javelin. On-the- of lead and some 3/8-inch line, we found moplastic Walker Bay and the fiberglass water evaluations took place over the without immersing the sensor and by course of three days that saw sailing placing the unit firmly against the hull speeds from 1 to 9 knots. bottom. Powered by three AAA batteries, the To record the depth on the 22PX, the fully waterproof (IPX8) ProStart dis- user presses a button below the small plays only essential performance data: display once. This backlights the LCD time to start, distance to line, speed screen and activates the sounder for 10 over ground, course over ground, and The 16-ounce Velocitek ProStart measures 4.7 inches tall by 6.9 inches long. 22 september 2011 www.practical-sailor.com
gear of the year Maintenance All-Stars W ith the gazillion marine maintenance products out there, it’s an annual challenge to narrow the field down to just a few superior products for our Gear of the Year (GOTY) list. This year, our top maintenance picks came out of our endless antifouling-paint testing and our perfor- mance evaluation of multi-purpose cleaners—products we suspect most of you buy and use regularly. Bottom Paint In March 2011, we reported on our bottom-paint panels after After 18 months, Epaint’s EP2000 (white) emerged from the they had been submerged for 18 months in Sarasota Bay, Fla. water with virtually no slime, earning it a spot on our 2011 Nearly half of the 65-paint test field succumbed to barnacle Gear of the Year roster. growth, but one paint emerged from the water nearly as clean as the day it went in: Epaint’s EP2000. Other test paints included products from Blue Water Paints, Flexdel, Interlux, Pettit, Sea Hawk, Coppercoat, and BoatKoat Laminate. Multi-purpose cleaners In June 2009, the paints were applied to sections of fiber- We set out looking for one do-it-all cleaner, because really, who glass panels per makers’ instructions. Testers sluiced the panels wants to buy every pricey specialty cleaner on the market? As it with salt water and rated them: Excellent (no growth), Good turns out, some well-known manufacturers of specialty marine (light soft growth), Fair (moderate to heavy soft growth), and cleaners—including Star brite, Marykate, and Yacht Brite—also Poor (hard growth). Any paint rated Fair or better is continuing make products for general cleaning, so we launched a test to to meet its designed purpose. find the best multi-purpose cleaners on the market. Epaint’s EP2000 is a unique hard paint that contains zinc In the November 2010 issue, we tested a total of 15 products, oxide, a chemical often found in sunscreens and a cross-section of cleaners from popular marine manufactur- diaper cremes. Although it’s “biocide free,” it acts ers. Most of the test cleaners are sold in spray Marine much like a biocide-boosted paint: When exposed bottles and ranged in price from $6 to $12 per Spray Nine to sunlight, water, and dissolved oxygen, it releases container. Testers put each one through a se- an inhospitable layer of hydrogen peroxide around ries of bench tests simulating real-world use. the coated surface. Following manufacturers’ instructions, testers The $250-per-gallon, copper-free EP2000 won’t ap- used them to clean fiberglass, Formica, rub- peal to everyone—it’s not compatible with other ber, and vinyl. We also compared them to the paints, so switching to it may require some extra top picks from our degreasers (February 2010) and prep work—but its excellent performance after mildew removers (January 2009) tests. 18 months garnered it a GOTY pick and makes it The standout performers—and our GOTY worth considering, especially for eco-conscious picks—were Marine Spray Nine and MDR- and racing sailors in search of a clean, smooth Amazon’s Krazy Clean. Both earned excellent bottom. However, because it requires sunlight ratings for performance. Krazy Clean costs to work, EP2000 may not perform as well in about 33 cents per ounce, and Marine Spray locales that don’t see much sunshine. MDR Krazy Clean Nine runs about 17 cents per ounce. a graphic wind shift indicator. Small cal compass, countdown timer, speed held speed tools, earning it a spot on the icons indicate battery level and mode. over ground, course over ground, and GOTY list. The extremely intuitive interface re- a windshift indicator. lies on seven labeled buttons for each Testers found the $600 ProStart to Line Chafe Protection important function. At the top of the be well-designed and easy to install and The best type of chafe gear to rely on in unit are buttons to select “start” or use. It offers racing sailors a technical a storm is one that has high resistance “race” mode, max speed recorded, pow- edge over other sailors and an ability to abrasion, doesn’t cause heat build er, reset, and +1 (to add minutes to the to replay, analyze, and share race data. up in the line, can be easily installed— countdown timer). Two other buttons Small-boat sailors looking for a fun de- even when the line has already been define the starting line. ProStart also vice to track speed and improve their deployed—and stays in place. Practical will display distance to line and time- skills will also appreciate its portability. Sailor evaluated five products marketed to-start. Other features include a tacti- It was the clear winner among hand- for chafe protection on and around boats practical sailor september 2011 23
Ge a r o f t h e y e a r The commercial-grade Chafe-Pro easily fit standard chocks and provides multi-layer chafe protection. The Cha fe- The Kuhn Rikon is extremely well Pro’s compara- made, with necessary safety and func- tively higher tional features, an encapsulated-alumi- price—$50 per num base, and no unnecessary flare. The guard—is a case spring-valve system and double-red ring of getting what visual indicator allows for greater cook- you pay for, in ing accuracy, quieter cooking, and the Top photo by Ralph Naranjo in the July 2011 issue. The test included our opinion. It was the only test prod- ability to cook with less water and less products from marine manufacturers uct to earn an Excellent rating for per- steam, which retains more of the food’s Davis Instruments, Fiorentino, Fjord formance, earning it a berth on our nutrients and taste. Inc., and Taylor Made. GOTY roster. Testers found the Kuhn Rikon easy This round of testing looked at abra- to set up and use, and although the sion, construction quality, and design. Pressure Cooker tall, 9-pound pot is larger than others Believing that abrasion resistance is the Our Gear of the Year galley pick is the tested, its compact handles make stow- most important characteristic in a chafe Kuhn Rikon Duromatic spring-valve ing it easier. guard, we tested each product on a jig we pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are The efficient and user-friendly Duro- designed to simulate accelerated wear. the cruiser’s answer to the microwave. matic, carries a hefty $200 price tag, but We ended up using an angle belt sander The versatile galley tool saves on cook- it comes with a 10-year warranty and and a constant load, cantilevered jig that ing fuel, water, and time—and having it’s a solid investment for cruisers and allowed us to do one minute-long, low- a lid that’s locked on while cooking un- offshore passagemakers. RPM runs on each product. derway is a bonus. They also preserve All five of the products we tested pro- flavors and nutrients better than micro- Contacts vided useful abrasion protection, but waving or regular cooking. Dometic / Sealand the handsdown winner was the Fjord In the December 2010 issue, we test- 800/321-9886, www.dometic.com Chafe-Pro (08-HB-02, sized for 1- to ed four pressure cookers from Presto, EPaint Co. 2-inch lines)—a commercial product Kuhn Rikon, and Fagor. The test pots 800/258-5998, www.epaint.com that holds just as much validity for the were limited to stainless-steel 4- and Fjord inc. recreational sailor, in our opinion. 6-quart models, but most are also avail- 336/567-0336, www.chafepro.com The Chafe-Pro uses a patented, able in other sizes. We opted against Kimberly-Clark (Scott) heavy-duty nylon webbing and Velcro testing electric cookers as PS’s past 888/525-8388 system. The 24-inch-long, heavy weight, cruiser surveys have shown that most www.kimberly-clark.com quadruple-stitched webbing and dou- onboard cooks opt for non-electric gal- Kuhn Rikon, 800/924-4699 ble-locking Velcro end point make this ley appliances. www.kuhnrikon.com product a cut above the competition, in For testing, we assembled and used MDR, 973/754-7087 our opinion. Despite its bulkier appear- the cookers according to their instruc- www.mdramazon.com ance, the Chafe-Pro was easy to install, tion manuals, cooking potatoes in each Norcross, 888/766-7276 took an angle change in stride, and fit and then cooking a selected recipe from www.norcrossmarine.com into chocks with ease. It also shrugged each pot’s accompanying recipe book. Planus (Scandvik) off the belt sander’s assault and easily Testers also considered each cooker’s 800/535-6009, www.planus.biz stayed locked tightly in place. construction, ergonomics, user-friend- Raritan, 856/825-4900 Kuhn Rikon Duromatic liness, instructions, price, warranty, and www.raritaneng.com the accessibility of customer help and Seldén, 843/760-6278 spare parts. www.seldenmast.com After weighing all the data—and shurflo, 800/854-3218 sampling all the food—the 6.3-quart www.shurflo.com Kuhn Rikon got the nod as the best Spray Nine, 800/477-7299 pressure cooker. It performed flaw- www.spraynine.com lessly and earned Excellent ratings in Torqeedo every category but one: The 100-page www.torqeedo.com cookbook earned only a Good as its Velocitek, 800/693-1610 recipes were somewhat labor intensive, www.velocitek.com requiring much preparation. 24 september 2011 www.practical-sailor.com
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