Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2016 i Boating

In April, scientists at the United States Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced a startling discovery about water. The findings indicate that water behaves in ways heretofore never observed. What, I wonder, might the implications be for boaters? After all, the interaction of water molecules with the fiberglass, wood or metal molecules of a boat hull is the foundation upon which we base our enjoyment. It’s important to note that this new discovery about water behavior falls in the realm of quantum mechanics. Also called quantum physics, QM is a discipline that, among other things, sometimes proffers evidence that a thing can be in two places at the same time. Though often controversial and little understood by most people, QM theory has resulted in tangible benefits, including lasers,…

Boating’s known for impressive test gear, but trying to measure braking and deceleration stats for a recent PWC comparison taxed even our mighty bag of tools. Enter RaceLogic’s Vbox Sport. A spinoff of the Vbox that data loggers commonly use in performance auto testing, the Sport is a bright-blue, water-resistant gadget about the size of a deck of playing cards that samples GPS readings at an impressive 20 times per second. Controls are two-button simple — power it on, then toggle between record and pause. Indicator lights monitor power, GPS signal, Bluetooth, and SD-card activity. Data — such as speed, acceleration and deceleration curves, lap times and more — is stored on the included SD card and can be interpreted by VBox’s Windows-based software or displayed in real time via…

The fastest I’ve ever gone in a boat is 116 mph. I stood at the helm of a 42-foot Cigarette next to a veteran speed merchant named Bud Lorow. As he expertly worked the wheel and throttles, I turned to say something to him. The wind ripped my sunglasses off my head and pulled all the saliva out of my mouth. Thankfully nobody was standing directly behind me. During my turn at the wheel, I clocked 108 on the GPS before losing my nerve and slowing down. The two things I remember most vividly about that run are how the channel markers that seemed far apart at regular speed passed by in blindingly quick succession and how the slightest touch at the wheel made the boat move more dramatically than…

Boaters who’ve stubbed toes or snagged lines may be interested in folding cleats from Accon Marine. The 316-cast stainless-steel construction is substantial, and the finish is strikingly beautiful. I installed the 8-inch 332-8 model ($152) alongside our side deck to use with spring lines. Installation involved drilling two 3/8-inch-diameter holes for the stainlesssteel machine screws, which I bedded in sealant and secured with fender washers and locknuts. The cleats have performed well, holding up to storm service and operating smoothly. Be aware that the cleat needs to be flipped up — so be sure to warn new crew members before they assist with docking. Accon folding cleats range from 31/2 inches up to 8 inches. $51 to $152; acconmarine.com…

Why is the camera always pointed the wrong way when the action happens? That’s the dilemma solved by 360-degree video coverage in affordable new cameras priced like GoPro. Once only available to professional shooters using multiple linked camera mounts, these new pocket-size systems are easy to use and require no outside software beyond a couple of handy iOS or Android apps. The best news is all the cameras listed sell for $300 to $400. VSN Mobil’s V.360 (top, center) shoots a cylinder-style image, capturing everything around you on a relatively horizontal plane. When playing it, you can swipe or mouse to the left or right to see all the action — front, back and side to side. We mounted ours to the cockpit hardtop and captured not only the mahimahi…

If Flipper sticks his head out of the water and sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of summer. AUGUST HAS NO REAL HOLIDAYS. OH, ON THE 5th THERE’S National Mustard Day, and there’s National Spongecake Day on the 23rd. But just try getting off work with those excuses. You’re still going to have to put up with the same paltry four weekends, which is not fair and why I’d like to propose an official holiday so you can take an extra day off. In fact, I’ve got some additional holidays that I’d like to give to the other holiday-free months such as March, April and June — and one more just for the hell of it. For August, I’d like to put Sea Hog Day on the last…

1 Regardless of the brand, all racing drives are designed for the propeller to do the same thing. What is it? A. Rotate to the right B. Rotate to the left C. Pierce the water’s surface D. Run when completely out of the water 2 The Mercury Racing M8 drive is used with the 1350 and 1650. How much shorter is the M8’s lower unit than the NXT6’s? A. 1 inch B. 2 inches C. 3 inches D. 4 inches 3 If a drive is designed for the propeller to pierce the surface, how much of the blade is out of the water? A. One-quarter B. One-half C. Three-quarters D. All of it 4 What is the maximum horsepower that a Bravo One drive is rated for? A. 300 B.…

ASK THE MASSES Go to boatingmag.com/forums to ask fellow boaters your questions or to answer theirs. Rx Steven Shimp wrote in this great DIY method for stowing his electronic flare securely and at the ready. He simply mated a length of PVC that has the same diameter as his Weems and Plath SOS C1001, glued a cap on the bottom, and fastened it to the inside of a cabinet door at his helm. A smaller diameter section of PVC protects the lens. A similar holder could be made for any electronic flare. — Kevin Falvey Thin Lines [ Q ] I own a 2001 Sea Ray 190 bowrider. Last spring, I had a new Mercury Marine 350 crate engine installed by a Mercury dealer. The engine has a Weber 750…

CARS: Carbon fiber has been used in exotic cars since 1981 when McLaren built the first carbon-fiber Formula One racer that rendered the competition obsolete. One modern-day example: The 2016 Corvette Z06 is 60 percent stiffer because of its carbon-fiber structures. PLANES: Boeing bet its company on carbon fiber when it built the 787 Dreamliner that uses 77,000 pounds in the fuselage and tail. The company acquired $6 billion worth of carbon fiber in a quest for longer range and better fuel efficiency, the dream of every aircraft builder. BOATS: When the American Oracle team won the America’s Cup in San Francisco, it introduced the sailing world to carbon fiber. On 72-foot catamarans with 135-foot-tall wing masts, the lightweight and exceptionally strong carbon fiber allowed these spindly multihulls to sail…

BEGINNER Hyperlite Broadcast THE SHRED: It’s inexpensive, versatile, and has a variety of fin configuration options that change the feel of the board and the way it rides. It can support a wide variety of weight ranges and comes in two different sizes. It’s a great board for learning how to get up. Construction is compressionmolded fiberglass and foam. THE WIPEOUT: Even though it’s reasonably priced, it’s a plain-Jane board that can’t do what advanced models do. PRICE: $350; hyperlite.com INTERMEDIATE Inland Surfer Blue Lake THE SHRED: This board is built like a true ocean surfboard with hand-shaped foam in an epoxy-resin shell. It’s more of a surf-style board with longer, deeper fins and can have multiple fin configurations with either two or four fins. It can handle a rider…

Back in 1980, the U.S. hockey team brought home the Olympic gold medal, and Formula was, as now, building quality performance boats. The big picture here shows the 402 SRI, the forerunner to today’s Formula 382 FAS3Tech. The ad copy reads: “Inland water or offshore racing, the unbelievable feeling of knifing the blue in windswept elegance … away from the crowd.” Sounds like an experience we’d sign up for in 1980, 2016 or any year in between. Online This Month We’re celebrating speed and performance this month. If you’re going to go fast, learn how to drive safely at any speed with tips from the Miss Geico crew at boatingmag.com/drive-safely.…

The onboard overhead point-of-view camera captured a crew member in the act of rinsing the bilge compartment with the raw-water washdown hose. While all the fittings and electrical connections below deck are designed and built to be corrosion-resistant, not all pumps are waterproof. Spraying salt water can lead to the premature failure of the washdown, livewell, fish locker and, yes, washdown pumps. If any crimpon terminals are not perfectly sealed, they will also succumb to corrosion when bathed in salt water. If you need to rinse out the bilge for any reason, use fresh water from either an onboard freshwater supply or a garden hose at the dock. In a pinch, use bottled drinking water. With any kind of water, use it judiciously when rinsing the bilge. Avoid spraying it…

HIGH-PERFORMANCE MARINE ENGINES COMMAND HIGH PRICES. Take the 400ROS outboard from Mercury Racing’s race lineup, for example. It retails for more than $49,000. Mercury Racing’s new 1550 sterndrive, which abides in the division’s consumer stable, goes for an astounding $230,200. We asked Rick Mackie, senior marketing manager for Mercury Racing, to outline elements that define high-performance power plants, aside from the price tag. 1 MAXED-OUT MOTORS “We turn up the output and press rpm to the upper limit,” says Mackie, citing the Verado 400R . “The 400R is based on the Verado 350 production outboard,” Mackie says. “While the 350 is rated to 6,400 rpm and generates 350 hp, the 400R turns 7,000 rpm.” 2 BEEFY INTERNALS To ensure high-performance durability, internal components are strengthened. The design, development, manufacture and…

But here’s the thing: With the carbon-fiber fabric plainly visible under the clear gelcoat, everyone had to run their fingers along the hull. Owners of hot offshore powerboats with $30,000 paint jobs will be mightily irked that a Paragon gets more attention. Pushed by a Seven Marine 627 hp supercharged outboard that looks like Darth Vader’s helmet, we hit 74 mph in early tests, even though we were seeing lots of propeller slippage despite changing props. This boat is so light and strong that no one knew how much prop bite was needed. Dialed in, I’d expect this boat to hit the low 80s. A beautifully handcrafted center console, the Paragon is spare-no-expense first class, from the electric head in the spacious helm console to the gorgeous bright-red upholstery and…

“Eric looked at boats running quad outboards and thought that two really powerful outboards would be a better solution,” says Rick, 64. “His original idea combined a big-block Mercury Racing engine with the transmission from a Zeus pod drive and a Merc Racing Six gear case. He actually created a CAD drawing. He had a why-not attitude and an answer for every ‘yeah, but’ problem I could identify.” A fortunate confluence of circumstances made it possible. First, internal debate over future engine designs at General Motors pitted supporters of the dualoverhead cam Northstar V-8 series against proponents of the pushrod small blocks. “The small-block faction won, and we have this very compact, lightweight and powerful Gen IV V-8 for our outboard,” Rick says. The ZF transmission used by Seven was…

While POV cams lately are yawn-worthy, the Sioeye Iris4G crushes other ho-hum products with its 4G LTE cellular connectivity that lets you stream crystal-clear sound and video live right to your Facebook or Twitter feed. After the live stream is over, the video is stored on your free Sioeye cloud account. The app-based system makes it easy to manage your video stream and link it to social accounts. A touchscreen on the back of the camera makes operation incredibly easy, and the water-resistant camera comes with a dive housing. We’ve streamed via T-Mobile (it works with AT&T as well), and the quality of video and audio was astonishing. $429; sioeye.com…

Q How can I make use of the hail function on my VHF radio? A Connect a length of 18- or 16-gauge, twoconductor cable from the hailer or PA terminals on your radio. Run the cable to a marine loudhailer speaker/horn such as the Standard Horizon 240 SW ($45, westmarine.com), which can be mounted in a forward section of the boat, hardtop or arch. Before mounting, test the speaker to be sure it is positioned an adequate distance from the radio to prevent feedback or a screeching sound when speaking into the microphone. On larger boats, a second speaker facing aft can be useful to communicate to boats approaching from behind as well as to anyone in the cockpit. A toggle switch lets you select between the forward- or aftfacing…

Once upon a time, companies such as Coleman and Igloo dominated the world of keeping things cold outdoors. In terms of volume of units sold, they probably remain the 800-pound gorillas. But Yeti, Engel and a few other brands took the game up a notch with bearproof, crushproof, bash-up-and-downon-the-deck-proof coolers, which caused traditional cooler makers to develop similar competitive products. Just when Coleman (with its Esky) and Igloo (with its Sportsman) were getting their game on, the Yeti Hopper and Engel Backpack coolers moved the playing field altogether — again. These new, soft supercoolers have reenergized the marketplace with easier-to-pack, stuffable sidewalls and watertight-zippered, colder coolers. Now it’s game on — again. Engel Soft-Sided Backpack Size: 23 quarts $159.99; AMAZON.COM The three-layer insulation system sandwiches thermal-insulating foam between two reflective…