Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Each fall, Practical Sailor editors sort through the best test products of the past year to pick those deserving of a spot on our PS Editors Choice roster. To be named to the list, products must earn the Best Choice rating among their respective peers and clearly stand out above others in their field.

Our Editors Choice roster would not be complete without the top performers in our semiannual bottom paints tests (PS October 2014 and April 2015). The most recent test looked at 55 different paints from Blue Water Paints, Interlux, Epaint, Pettit, and Sea Hawk. This years hard paint standouts were Interluxs Micron Extra with Biolux and West Marines Bottomshield. Made by Pettit, the West Marine-branded PCA Gold was the top ablative paint. Micron Extra and PCA Gold tied for best performance of the bunch.

In the April 2015 issue, Practical Sailor evaluated four handheld VHF radios loaded with all the bells and whistles, including longer battery life, positive flotation, internal GPS, and digital selective calling (DSC) capabilities. Out performing VHFs from Icom, West Marine, and its own product line was the Standard Horizon HX870, which grabbed a spot on our Editors Choice list.

Stroll down the docks at any boat show, and youll see a surprising number of boats equipped with expensive, stainless-steel swivels between the anchor and the chain. Almost all of these swivels are highly polished, machined and/or welded gems that cost anywhere from $80 to $200 or more. By comparison, a galvanized anchor shackle rated to withstand the same or greater loads as the chain rode we rely on costs less than $15.

The low-cost, space-saving yo-yo hand reel is the most basic, efficient fishing gear you can find-its essentially a handline modernized with a molded plastic reel wrapped with monofilament.

Were always amazed how a sailor can spend months agonizing and wringing his hands over which anchor to purchase, and then, when he finally shells out $700 or much more for the anchor, hell attach it to a shackle that has no business being on a boat. Weve plowed through the topic of shackles in several recent issues, but we havent looked specifically at anchor shackles for more than a decade. Choosing a properly sized, high-quality shackle is important, but its also essential to be familiar with proper use.

All testing was carried out at an approved test facility in Newcastle, Australia: J.L. Robertsons, which is adjacent to one of Australias large coal-mining areas. The test rig is used to certify lifting components for the local mining industry on a daily basis. The facility can test up to 95 tons, far more than we require. This is the same facility where we tested all of our anchor chains. (See PS June 2014, November 2014, January 2015, and March 2015 online.)

When it comes to sailboats, performance is a relative term, especially when it comes to a crews concept of how the boat will be used. Racing sailors, cruisers, and daysailors each have very different perspectives on performance. For example, those facing a light-air, around-the-buoys race measure performance in terms of how well their speed through the water holds up against the decrease in true-wind speed. Cruisers, on the other hand, especially those crossing oceans, often define it as a measure of versatility under sail, not just how a boat copes with near calms or gales, but how it performs in everything in between.

Sailboat performance varies based on the eye of the beholder. Racers want light-air alacrity and a willingness to plane while cruisers want directional stability and reasonable speed with moderate sail area. A boats design dimensions and a few simple ratios give some hints about these attributes.

If I use 3/8-inch Acco G43 proof-coil chain, why is the same-size galvanized shackle so much weaker? West Marine shows the Acco G43 chain rated at 5,400 pounds maximum working load (MWL), but the similarly sized shackle is rated at only 2,000 pounds MWL. It seems as though whatever size chain I select, the shackle is the weak link. How can I use a larger shackle on smaller chain?