Browsing: Gear

Cruising Life
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New Sharrow Props Win More Recognition

The revolutionary no-blade Sharrow propellers, introduced just two years ago, are gaining in popularity and notoriety. Sharrow, which represents the first major design change in fixed props in a century, won an Innovation Award at the 2020 Miami show. And it just won another award, for Marine Power Innovation, at the latest one. Sharrow, developed by Greg Sharrow, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, basically solved the problem of cavitation in traditional props. His props use loops to produce thrust, not blades. The loops eliminate cavitation and vortices that form around traditional props, reducing their efficiency,…

Cruising Life
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MIT Develops Portable Push-Button Desalinator

A group of scientists at MIT has developed a portable desalination unit that turns seawater into drinking water at the press of a button. The new unit weighs about 22 pounds, is the size of a small suitcase, takes less power to run than a cellphone charger, and can be run by a portable solar panel. The scientists, from MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics, published information about the desalinator in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The new desalination unit does not use filters or high-pressure pumps that are found on most portable desalinators today. Instead, it uses electrical power…

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New Mo-Jet: Five Toys in One

Choices, choices. So you can’t decide which water toy to take out today. Well, take a look at the new Mo-Jet and your problems are solved. It’s five toys in one. Made in Germany with Kickstarter funding, the Mo-Jet is based on a modular system, so you can add, or subtract, modules depending on what you want to do. You can configure it as a stand-up board, a ride-on electric surfboard, even an underwater scooter. It has a foil, so you can fly. You just swap out attachments in seconds. The Mo-Jet can be everything from a four-foot bodyboard to…

Gear
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New Humphree Stabilizers for Mid-Sized Boats

Humphree just introduced its new Lightning interceptor trim and stabilizer system, designed specifically for boats from 25 to 45 feet. It’s meant to provide a stable and comfortable ride on all powerboats, whether they have inboard, outboard, or stern-drive  propulsion. A Swedish company, Humphree was founded in 2002 and has been building trim and stabilizer systems for recreational and commercial boats ever since. (It has a U.S. office in Selbyville, Maryland.) In recent years, I’ve tested a variety of larger cruising boats with automatic Humphree interceptor systems and have always been impressed by their fast and smooth response. With the…

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Sea-Doo Unveils New Electric Foiling Rise

If you think a stand-up paddleboard is fun, take a look at the new all-electric foiling Rise that Sea-Doo just unveiled at its annual dealer meeting in Canada. The new Rise is different from most existing foiling boards in that it can be fun for the entire family, transitioning from a basic surfboard to a flying-above-the-water, adrenaline-pumping foiler as the rider gains experience or confidence. You can enjoy it on the water without foiling, if you’re starting out, riding on your knees or even lying down. The handlebar is retractable so you can decide when you want to use it…

Cruising Life
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Garmin Introduces New Boating Smartwatch

Garmin just introduced three models of the new quatix 7 GPS smartwatch that lets you navigate, check your boat’s engines and set an anchor alert, among many other things. The three models are the quatix 7, quatix 7 Sapphire, and quatix 7X Solar. The standard quatix 7 models are cased in a stainless-steel bezel with a Gorilla Glass lens. The quatix 7 Sapphire models are cased in a diamond-like, carbon-coated titanium with a Sapphire lens. The Solar models are also coated with the carbon  titanium, but they have a Power Sapphire lens for solar recharging. All the watches provide wearable…

Cruising Life
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New Switlik Head-High Life Vest Design

Here’s a new look in life vests from Switlik Survival products – the eVolution UA-80 that provides under-arm floatation to keep the wearer’s head and arms higher out of the water than traditional vests do. So far, most vests are the yoke type that you wear around your neck. Switlik takes a different approach, going under the arms. Switlik, with headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, says the eVolution UA-80 is the first of its kind to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for professional aviators and flight crews. The new Switlik uses a two-chamber inflatable air bladder, an approach…

Cruising Life
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Red Voyager: An SUP with a Deep-V Hull

Ever since C. Raymond Hunt first developed the Deep-V hull more than 60 years ago, it’s been the hull of choice for Hunt Yachts and many other brands around the world for its superior offshore performance. But Ray Hunt could not have foreseen the latest iteration of a his Deep-V: It’s now on a new line of Red Voyager inflatable stand-up paddleboards, because it’s said to cut through the water easier, providing a smoother ride for the person standing on top. The Red Paddle Company is using a Deep-V on three Voyager SUPs to make cruising long distances safer and…

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New Holiday Gifts for Safe Boating from BoatUS

It’s that time of the year again. What to give your favorite boat owner, or crew? Here are some great ideas about holiday gifts that will keep everyone on board safe for years to come.  ANNAPOLIS, Md., Nov. 12, 2021 – Bulky, square orange life vests have given way to more comfortable belt- or harness-style inflatable floatation devices, yet many recreational boaters still carry only the former aboard. Are boaters up-to-date on today’s newest technology-inspired boating safety gear? With the holidays around the corner, the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers a buying guide for technology…

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Yamaha Introduces 9.9-hp Electric Outboard

Yamaha just introduced its HARMO electric outboard to the U.S. at the big International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) in Tampa. The outboard couples a 48-volt power supply with a high-yield, low-drag 3.7 kilowatt motor. The rim-drive electric motor and specially encased impeller provide 225 pounds of static thrust. Yamaha says that is the equivalent of a conventional 9.9-hp gasoline outboard. The electric outboard’s running time depends on the type of battery, the size, configuration and other parameters. Rim motors have been used for thrusters and some other marine applications in the past, but Yamaha says this this the first…

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