Gear

Garmin Has the Swiss-Army-Knife of Hand-Held GPSs: The GPSMAP 86sci

By George Day on March 20, 2025 Cruising Life, Electronics, Gear

In the last few years as I’ve been making offshore trips as crew for my friends, whether back and forth to the Caribbean from New England or across the Atlantic, it seems that a lot of the crew aboard show up with their own hand-held GPSs and an InReach or a satphone. This is a “just-in-case” level of preparation by sailors who have in fact been on boats that were hit by lightning or suffered a battery bank collapse that meant built-in marine electronics were no longer working or reliable. Garmin has long been a leader in hand-held GPSs and…

Greenline Offers Responsible Power Packs, Eliminating the Need for Generators

By George Day on November 21, 2024 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Gear

The Slovenian builder of efficient motor yachts from 39 to 58 feet announced this week that is is offering a new option that will eliminate the need for generators on all of their diesel-powered boats. A genset has been an integral part of traditional diesel technology but Greenline now has a better solution. On all of their models with diesel engines, they now are adding the Responsible Power Pack that includes huge solar arrays and large lithium battery banks that replace the need for a separate generator. When the boat is at anchor, the panels charge the batteries with enough…

Skyhawk Oversea Provides Efficient Monitoring systems for Your Boat

By George Day on August 1, 2024 Cruising Life, Electronics, Gear

Since its founding in 2019, Skyhawk has become a leader in wireless, battery-operated, cellular-connected monitoring devices. Last year, the company came out with its Oversea models designed for boats and they earned both an Innovation Award at the 2024 Miami Boat Show and a place on the NNMA’s Top 100 New Products list for 2024. Oversea monitors keep an eye on all the important aspects of a boat that has been left untended for a length of time. Monitors have specific responsibilities, so you can mix and match them as you deem necessary. You can have monitors for your battery…

Spring Commissioning Checklist from BoatUS

By co_admin on May 12, 2024 Gear

It’s that time of year again; your boat is calling, and it’s time to get ready for a new season. Here’s a thorough spring commissioning checklist from BoatUS to help you get underway: Before You Launch Check the condition of antifouling paint and repaint if necessary. Inspect all hose clamps for rust and replace as necessary. Double clamp fuel lines and exhaust hoses with marine-rated stainless-steel hose clamps. While not technically required, it’s wise to double clamp whenever possible on all hoses — especially those below the waterline. Inspect all hoses for stiffness, rot, leaks and cracking, and replace any…

Quick Introduces New Series of Stabilizers

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2024 Cruising Life, Gear

Quick, the Italian marine component company, just introduced its new Intercepta series of stabilizers at the Düsseldorf show. Designed for yachts from 50 to 130 feet, the new Intercepta X Series of stabilizers can be fully customized to fit any model and hull shape. They are part of Quick’s MC² brand that includes Viator fin stabilizers and Quick gyro stabilizers. Quick already offers a plug-and-play series of Intercepta stabilizers for boats as small as 20 feet. The new stabilizers come in four standard units, the X50, X65, X80 and X100, and the width can be customized to the centimeter. The…

New eLite Electric Outboard: 14.7 Pounds

By Peter Janssen on January 23, 2024 Engine Room, Gear

ePropulsion, the major marine electric-propulsion company, just launched its new 500W eLite electric outboard motor at the Düsseldorf show. The new eLite is compact, less than three feet long, and lightweight, coming in at just 14.7 pounds, including the battery. It’s designed for the tender, RIB and smaller boating market, offering clean, quiet and eco-friendly propulsion. It has a direct-drive motor and an advanced propeller design, and it requires very little maintenance. Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion, called the new eLite “a game-changer in marine propulsion. With its innovative features and commitment to sustainability, we believe the eLite…

ePropulsion Unveils New 3 New Outboards

By Peter Janssen on November 29, 2023 Engine Room, Gear

ePropulsion just announced its full lineup of X Series electric outboard motors, running from 12kW to 40kW of silent and eco-friendly power. The three motors in the series are the X12, generating 12kW of power; the X20, for 20kW, and the massive X40, for 40kW. The X40 was unveiled at the recent Fort Lauderdale show. It weighs just 218 pounds, considerably less than a comparable gas outboard, and its modular design takes up less room on a transom than a traditional outboard. ePropulsion says the new outboards are designed to improve the boating lifestyle. “With the advanced X Series, we…

Best Marine Design Winners Named

By Peter Janssen on November 15, 2023 Cruising Life, Gear

The annual DAME Awards recognizing superior design were just announced at the opening of the big METSTRADE marine equipment show in Amsterdam. The awards were started in 1991 to promote design in all boating fields and to recognize the best-designed products at the show. This year a record 53 products from 100 entries were shortlisted for the awards. An international jury of eight industry veterans then chose the winners in eight categories, plus 14 special mentions. The overall winner was the HighPower ServoProp 25 from Oceanvolt, the Finnish electric inboard pioneer. It’s a 25-kW electric saildrive with a controllable pitch…

New EZRaft Tender for Smaller Spaces

By Peter Janssen on November 14, 2023 Cruising Life, Gear

Here’s a new possibility as a tender for smaller cruising boats that don’t have enough room on the swim platform or lazarette for a traditional inflatable or RIB. The company says the EZRaft 250 is the “ultimate in portability and convenience.” Built in The Netherlands, the EZRaft is just 8’ 2” long and 4’ 7” wide, and it folds down to just 2’ 6” by 10” to fit into its own carrying bag. It also weighs just 24 pounds, so it’s easy to carry. You can inflate/deflate it in about five minutes, using the supplied electric pump. It doesn’t have…

New, Cutting-Edge eVTOL for Yachts

By Peter Janssen on October 24, 2023 Cruising Life, Gear

If you’re looking for a new way to get on and off your yacht (after all, helicopters are so déclassé – and noisy), or you just want the latest over-the-top high-tech toy, consider the new Acro eVTOL, just unveiled at the Monaco yacht show. The eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) concept was presented by Klissarov Design, a studio on the French Riviera that specializes in pushing the boundaries of vehicle design. It developed the eVTOL specifically for the yachting market, where the demand for new adventures (think personal submarines, high-latitude expedition yachts) has been growing lately. Weighing just 400…

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