Best inflatable boat: 9 compact tenders put to the test
WEBSep 9, 2021 · Inflatables are everywhere: paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, tents, kites and wings – and inflatable boat technology has long been a practical option for tenders, RIBs, liferafts and lifejackets. But what the ‘new wave’ of inflatable boats brings to the practical boating landscape is the air floor, which makes very stable, very lightweight tenders a very practical option for people with ...
Best forward-looking sonar: 5 units tested - Practical Boat Owner
WEBMay 10, 2016 · The plotter offers two forward views: LiveVü and RealVü 3D. LiveVü will look familiar to fishfinder users, with the classic blue screen and smeared lines, coloured to show the strength of the echo. RealVü scans a 60° arc ahead of the boat to build a picture of the seabed ahead, similar to the Echopilot 3D.
Best electric outboard motors: 9 of the best options on the market
WEBJun 9, 2021 · Mitek: 2.6-20hp electric outboard motors. Italian-based Mitek makes a series of outboards where the drive is enclosed under a cowling and the power is fed in from a separate battery bank. “Our outboard sales are focused on the portable market, from 2.6hp up to the newest 15hp and 20hp,” says sales manager Silvia Peduto.
12 of the best weatherproof padlocks tested to destruction
WEBNov 3, 2015 · Our padlocks ranged in price from £2.50 to £16. At the cheapest end, our ‘weatherproof’ padlock was made from laminated steel, and its only sop to waterproofing was an ill-fitting plastic casing. This took a mere 6 seconds to break into. At the other end of the scale, we had a 70mm hardened steel ‘weatherproof’ lock.
Dripless Shaft Seals - Buyer's Gude - Practical Boat Owner
WEBNov 20, 2014 · PSS Seal. PRICE FROM £180.36. The PSS (Packless Sealing System) shaft seal is a mechanical face seal, which uses the seal created between the flat surfaces of the rotating stainless steel rotor and the stationary carbon flange. The carbon flange is attached to the stern tube via an articulated rubber bellows.
Lithium boat batteries: 12 of the best options tested
WEBJun 15, 2021 · Emrhys Barrell tests a dozen 12V lithium boat batteries (60-120Ah) with integral charge monitoring and the results are surprising. TAGS: affiliates. Boat owners have long relied upon the lead-acid battery to start their engines, run electric lights and, these days, to power inverters to run household items such as …
Which adhesive sealant is best? - Practical Boat Owner
WEBJun 9, 2015 · PRICE per 300ml: £19.09. Buy now from Amazon. This is a fast-cure (one-day), one-component polyurethane structural adhesive/sealant, suitable for above or below the waterline. It stays flexible, allowing for structural movement: stress caused by shock, vibration, swelling or shrinking is effectively absorbed.
Antifouling: Everything you need to know - Practical Boat Owner
WEBOct 31, 2023 · If your existing paint is flaking, you need to prime any bare or flaky patches. Scrape away until all the flaky paint has come off, then feather the edges by wet sanding them. Generally speaking, self-eroding antifouling can be safely applied over the top of hard, but applying hard on self-eroding should be avoided.
12 diesel bug treatments tested - Practical Boat Owner
WEBSep 8, 2016 · Fuel QC’s cATP test, step-by-step. 1 Draw a sample of contaminated fuel into a syringe from the interface between the fuel and water – this is where the diesel bug will be found. 2 Filter a sample of the fuel through a 0.75 micron filter attached to a syringe. This removes the fuel, leaving the micro-organisms and debris in the filter.
Best antifouling paint: 8 leading options in head-to-head test
WEBApr 17, 2023 · In June 2021 we coated the hull of a Hardy Commodore 42 with eight of the best antifouling paint products. The motorboat Raymariner, which is the test boat for Raymarine, is based in the Solent and is used three or four times a week for trialling the company’s electronics.. The aim of the test was to compare traditional copper-based annual antifouling paints with a number of longer lasting ...