Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2016 i Boating

ASK THE MASSES Go to boatingmag.com/forums to ask fellow boaters your questions or to answer theirs. Max Service [ Q ] I was excited to see my letter today in the July/August issue (“Rattle and Hum”). I must give kudos to my local Marine Max dealership for solving the problem. It felt that the noise was louder than normal, removed the lower unit, and found a thin aluminum plate had broken in two. I am not sure what its function is, but replacing the $3.50 part solved the problem, and the motor now sounds and runs like new. JIM HOGAN Stuart, Florida [ A ] Glad you got the problem solved, Jim. A dealer you can count on is one of the best boating resources. Enjoy your boat. New Carb…

THE MJM 40Z IS A UNIQUE VESSEL, BORN of experience, refined through the input of active owners, and realized at the highest levels of the boatbuilder’s art. Above the water, its lines take design cues from classic yachts, yet the 40z resides in a class of one, melding blue-blooded looks with the highest degree of functionality. Below the waves, a thoroughly modern hull form and Volvo Penta’s IPS pod propulsion deliver a seakindly experience, combining spirited handling, economy of operation and the dockside confidence provided by joystick control. What else did we learn about this new epoxy-composite-built boat? Read on. During our testing, the 40z delivered startlingly good fuel efficiency, as our data chart shows, posting 1.2 mpg or better in the cruising range. That kind of performance not only…

THE NEW CROWNLINE E1 XS IS ANOTHER volley fired in the outboard runabout revolution. This 21-foot-4-inch broad-bow sport boat anchors the five-model Crownline Cross Sport EX line of outboardpowered models. Changes in the way engine maker General Motors does business with boatbuilders is one reason outboards are hot. Demand by boaters is another. Are outboard runabout sales booming? Crownline says its E4 XS and E6 XS are its best sellers. When the outboardpowered E1 XS was revealed, dealers told Crownline to just drop the similar sterndrive-powered Eclipse E1. To add to the momentum, Crownline is offering the E1 XS packaged with a Mercury 150 FourStroke, a tandem-axle trailer and some nice extras for just $44,995. Crownline created the E1 XS by modifying the transom of the Eclipse E1 so that…

THE WIND PINNED THE STARBOARD SIDE OF THE MASTERCRAFT I was testing against the dock. For most single-inboard-powered boats, clearing the dock would require the use of a spring line or lots of inelegant pushing and shoving. But since this boat was equipped with MasterCraft’s new Dockstar system, I simply spun the wheel to port and backed away without hitting the dock, doing so just as easily as when running an outboard or sterndrive. In forward gear, a watersports boat’s propeller delivers a steady fl ow of water over the rudder, producing agile, spirited handling. Shift into reverse and that rudder is effectively nullifi ed. There’s nothing forward of the prop to defl ect prop wash and no vectored thrust as with outboards and sterndrives, so no matter which way…

The day before offshore racing’s national championships in Clearwater, Florida, Dan Lawrence, throttleman for The Hulk, made what sounded like a simple statement. “It’s all going to come down to setup,” said the 11-year veteran. Lawrence, from Sarasota, Florida, and driver Rob Nunziato, from Dania Beach across the state, race a 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran in the Superboat Stock class. They were the 2014 national champions under the sanctioning body Super Boat International. The Stock class is one of the most competitive in the sport because all the teams run stock Mercury Racing 280 hp 2.5 EFI Offshore outboards. (Because Mercury Racing stopped building the 280 hp 2.5-liter engine in 2005, Super Boat International has pushed to make the Mercury Racing OptiMax 300XS the Stock motor moving forward, although the…

1Add fuel stabilizer, top off tanks, and run the engine in fresh water for at least 10 minutes. “With the green Sta-bil, it’s easy to see when the additive makes it through all the fuel lines to the fuel fi lter,” says Assistant Service Manager Nicholas Thurston. 2Thurston connects a portable tank directly to the motor with his winter-storage blend — 50 percent gasoline with fuel stabilizer, 40 percent fogging oil, plus a bit of two-stroke oil and gasline antifreeze — that protects the fuel system and fogs the motor in fi ve minutes’ running time. 3If he uses traditional fogging oil rather than his storage blend on a four-stroke outboard, Thurston disconnects the hose that carries oily air from atop the cylinder head back to the engine’s air intake…

THIS NEW OUTBOARD-POWERED RUNABOUT restores the promise of smooth-running, reliable power that was nearly suspended by sterndrives. It was horsepower that gave sterndrives the nod back in the day, but that advantage is now gone as General Motors downsizes engine blocks and replaces them with smaller, more expensive super- and turbo-charged engines that don’t seem to marinize as well as big displacement motors. TSure, Mercury has scored big with its Verado series, and a pair of them would be a joy to drive on this full-size luxury day boat. But Yamaha got the nod on this transom and for good reason. Yamaha’s newly refined in-line four-cylinder 200s are weight watchers on the scales but have Indy-car muscle on tap at the throttles. Outboards! Always the luxury builder, Regal has a…

WE SAY The 250 Solaris RF is Premier’s most popular pontoon model, which shows you that despite all the innovations in speed, size, shape and handling, many people are just looking for a ’toon to take on a relaxing ride. The Premier 250 Solaris RF is an excellent choice for that objective. Our test model sported the traditional twin-tube construction and featured a 115 hp Evinrude outboard. While we did not exceed 30 mph, we enjoyed a comfortable, safe and secure ride. The RF in the model name stands for “rear facing,” which describes the furniture arrangement abaft the luxurious helm and co-pilot chairs. The twin opposing couches both feature rear-facing backrests that create an ideal spot to kick back and relax. At the wheel, the captain enjoys an expanded…

Real-time Charting The latest enhancement to electronic charting technology gives boaters the ability to instantly create their own high-resolution marine charts — cartography with more detail and up-to-date depth data than anything you can buy off the shelf. This is real-time charting that you can utilize immedi -ately and in the future. Three marine electronics brands now offer this technology: Humminbird with AutoChart Live, Garmin with Quickdraw Contours, and Raymarine with the Navionics SonarChart Live. Older plotters might require software upgrades (usually free online). Activating live-charting functions is as easy as pressing a few buttons on the touchscreen menu of your compatible plotter or fi sh-fi nder system. Depth contours are selectable down to 1-foot increments. You can make the live-chart overlay semitransparent, allowing you to read chart data underneath…

“I just got the new Excursion Dive Watch... I love it. I have several Stauer watches and once again you don't disappoint.” — F. from Jersey City, NJ The market’s swimming with overpriced dive watches. We’re here to tell you those guys are all wet. At Stauer our philosophy is everyone deserves the best without having to dig deep into their pockets. We’ve been in the watch industry for decades and know more than a thing or two about getting the ultimate bang for our buck— which means we can pass the fruits of our know-how onto our clients. Case in point: The Excursion Dive Watch. This toughas-nails sophisticate would cost you in the thousands if you got it from a high-end retailer that’s really in the business of selling…

THE WEATHER MAY HAVE COOLED, BUT THE PASSION TO continue boating burns bright for many. Once fall sets in for good, the skies get bluer, the air gets crisper, and the crowds get thinner. Use these tips to maintain personal safety and convenience during the cold months. Wooly Bully The adage “Dress for the water, not the weather” applies. Odd balmy days will spur boaters to cruise. But cold water behooves us to wear fabrics such as wool that retain heat, even when wet. Also consider an insulated fl oat coat, which will keep you warm and serve as a life jacket should you end up in the water Killer Tradition The survival technique of fl oating in place while lowering one’s head into the water will cause you to…

THE BOAT COVER PROTECTS YOUR VESSEL’S FINISH, interior and instruments from weather degradation, and helps keep critters out as well. In summer, the cover also helps keep rain out if your boat is kept in the water, preserving your boat’s batteries, bilge pump and, possibly, buoyancy. But is a custom cover worth it, or will an off-the-rack boat cover serve you just as well? Consider these issues. Custom or Stock? Owners of popular, late-model brand-name boats can purchase custom-fitted covers for their boats at discount prices online. Type in the year, make and model, and chances are good there’s a cover for your rig for less than half of what it would cost to get a high-quality cover made at a local custom-canvas shop. For owners of older models or…

12-VOLT VS. 24-VOLT A 24-voltthruster will have less current draw when running and, as a result, may be installed with smaller cables. In general, we recommend 24-volt thrusters be powered via a dedicated bank of two or more batteries. HYDRAULIC VS. ELECTRIC Hydraulic thrusters make sense when the vessel is already equipped with an existing hydraulic system. Hydraulic thrusters don’t build up heat or cut out like electric models if you lean on the switch too long. (For an exception, see below.) INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL Watercooled,electric-powered external thrusters, like the Yacht Thrustermodels at the top of this page, can be run for long periods of time. They may also require less amperage and, thus, fewer batteries. For these reasons, external thrusters are more DIY-friendly to install — though they are…

CS3 THE NEW CS3 FROM COBALT BOATS IS TRULY a new design from stem to stern. Cobalt designed the CS3 to be a gateway boat the way the 3 Series is to the BMW line of cars. That is to say, Cobalt did not skimp on quality and performance to build a bowrider with a more affordable sticker price. You can see that at the dock with the CS3’s sporty profile and graphics. The swim platform extends well aft of the transom and features Cobalt’s signature flip-down swim step. When actuated by a simple stainless-steel lever, the swim step drops down to create a seat or step in the water that makes for easy reboarding after a towing session or a swim at anchor. Note, too, how the swim platform…

WE SAY The Jaguar is Bass Cat’s latest model and the finest extension of its performance DNA. On pad, the Jaguar can hit 80 mph with a modest load of fuel, one angler and three deep-cycle trolling-motor batteries. Just jump it up on plane in a negative trim position to about 45 mph. When throttled up, feed in trim to let the rpm climb to wideopen throttle. Once on pad, the Jaguar is stable and steady, thanks to its rigid construction accomplished with a fullbeam, compression-molded composite transom and a stringer grid vacuum molded into the hull. While the Jag’s performance and ride are solid and rugged, the angler is pampered with amenities: bucket seats for two, a center seat for a third angler, and lush, durable and washable 24-ounce…

THE AMERICAN BOATING CONSUMER BEARS A REMARKABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE WHEN IT COMES TO WANTS AND NEEDS. A cursory glance at the lines of most boats proves that profiles haven’t changed dramatically over the past 60 or so years. Certainly, construction methods such as resin infusion and injection molding have altered business as usual, and ingredients have also changed to include all manner of space-age composites, epoxies, paints, computer mapping for engines that produces vastly greater horsepower from smaller blocks, and so on. Even propulsion has changed with the advent of pod drives and big outboards. But here’s the weird part: Any time a designer or builder introduces a model that looks significantly different, whether it is Euro-styled or functionally clunky, it fails. It doesn’t matter how well the boat performs,…

[ 1 ] PORTABLE: The roll-up, insulated fi sh bag was a great invention when it hit the scene in the 1990s. Roll-up bags are currently offered by Canyon, Boone, Reliable, Smith and others. I purchased a Canyon medium boat bag (30 inches high by 65 inches wide) in 1999 that I still use today. For this season, I downsized to a Canyon Striper bag (30 inches high by 54 inches long) that tucks away neatly in my EdgeWater 228CC’s head area and is eminently portable when chartering trips on other anglers’ boats. Most of these roll-up fi sh bags feature ½- or ¾-inch closed-cell foam insulation on either side, easy-cleanup neoprene inner and outer skins, heavy-duty zippers, convenient carry handles and straps on each end, plus handy drain plugs.…