It’s always disconcerting to find rusted-out stainless steel hose clamps on your thruhulls. Then you start buying the good ones—the 316 stainless ones from AWAB. A few of those seem to add up to real money, fast. Especially with your new-found-vigilance of putting two on every connection, as per ABYC specs. Well, how about some that really really won’t rust? In lovely titanium. Of course, they are a little more expensive…

Link: Titanium Hose Clamps from Titan Marine Products.

Speaking of bullet-proof plumbing, these are about the best seacocks currently available. Not some glorified ball-valve, they are bronze and marine grade (non-de-zincifying) brass. Using a conical valve lubricated with a grease nipple, it’s virtually jam-proof. Just loosen the nuts on the keep plate, inject some grease, and it’ll turn. Should last a lifetime. Available from Defender.

Link: Blakes Seacocks

Unlike feeble thermoelectric coolers that struggle to chill a few cans of soda, the Engel refrigerators are powerful coolers, fully capable of quickly making ice in hot climates. Pulling a nice, reasonable 3-4 amps in the on side of the duty cycle, they make a good backup for the shipboard icebox. This new stainless model with a digital temperature controller looks like the cat’s pajamas. However, it doesn’t seem to be available in the U.S. currently. Just be warned: these are not lightweight plastic coolers, but heavy-duty, Aussie-outback-proven appliances. Just the thing for making ice-packs when you throw out your back hauling it down the companionway.

In many ways a laptop is the ideal computer for a sailboat, but if you’d prefer a hard-mounted PC the size of the CD-ROM drive from your desktop, and that will run on 12-volt power, the S625 from the Sumicom line looks like a pretty good option. Based on laptop components, it’s very compact, efficient, and quiet. It could find a home in nearly any nav station.

Link: Article from - BIOS : Technology For Business.