The Bridgenorth Bailer is at least two handy boat tools in one. You can lock the two-part handle open to get a sturdy 5-foot boathook, or you can apply some pump action and suck the last drop out of a bilge or dinghy. Since the fluid stays in the handle until you pump again, the Bridgenorth can also serve as a powerful manual washer or a wicked squirt gun. It works like a champ, and its build quality more than justifies its $44 price. Bridgenorth Bailer
Trouble lights
Navlight Indicators’s cute little LEDs do more than confirm that you have your running lights switched on or off properly; they also blink an alarm if a bulb or wire fails. The trick is a set of current sensors mounted behind this $190 panel. A number of other panel configurations are available, as well as various LEDs and current sensors such that you can upgrade most any existing panel. Navlight Indicators; 562-438-1281
Charts on board
The Garmin 192C really does come with detailed BlueChart coverage of all U.S. coastal waters built in and ready to cruise. You’ll also find useful large-area charts of places like the Bahamas, a good world map, and passels of port info. The only downsides are that the find function can be slow to search the massive data portfolio and you cannot work with it on a PC—likely an upside for many sailors who would rather not mess with a PC to load or update charts. The $964 192C also has a brighter screen than previous 5-inch models, plus some subtle improvements to an already proven interface. Garmin; 913-397-8200
Spike lite
The venerable Boye cobalt knife now features a titanium marlinspike. It doesn’t lock, but it does include a shackle key and a tip hole for whipping. Its angled open position, shown here, feels just right. This rustproof and nonmagnetic knife still weighs just a shade over 2 ounces and can cut high-tech line all day long. It’s $149 in a choice of handle colors and blade styles. Boye Knifes; 800-853-1617
Slick slides
StarBoard polymer planking is somewhat heavy but extremely durable and smooth-working as a companionway slide. Zarcor uses the material in a clever design called CloZures, which lets you easily insert screened, tinted, or privacy panels into each slide. A complete three-slide set costs about $595; custom ordering is available, as are accessories like an integrated Mobella lock set. Zarcor; 800-877-4797
Subscribe now during our September Sale and receive 12 issues of Sail Magazine for ONLY $10!
Sail lets the most experienced sailors and the best writers share what they've learned in first-person tales of beauty found, dangers defied and solutions won under sail.
Act now to get the only magazine that shares your passion for sailing!
