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 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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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
The Year's Top Gear From bullet blocks to TP, these are the must-haves.
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