Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Boating

YETI HOPPER BACKFLIP 24 THE CHILL: The most rugged (and expensive) of the three, the Yeti can withstand any bumps and bangs thrown its way on board. The DryHyde shell is both puncture- and UV-resistant. It includes a removable chest, and waist straps help distribute the load and make it more comfortable to tote around. Holds up to 24 cans plus ice. Keeps iced beverages cool for 24 to 72 hours. THE SPILL: Empty weight is 5.3 pounds, the heaviest of the bunch. Rugged frame doesn’t collapse for stowage. PRICE: $299.99; yeti.com ICE MULE PRO X-LARGE THE CHILL: This soft bag is totally waterproof and can be rolled up for stowage when not in use. It opens and closes by rolling and latching the top, so there is no zipper…

Loading a boat on a trailer is easy, but new trailer boaters sometimes struggle. These tips, combined with a bit of practice and experience, will quickly convert a newbie to an expert. It’s easier and faster with two people—a driver for the tow vehicle and another for the boat. However, many skippers load their boats single-handed. —Jim Hendricks WINDOWS DOWN Roll down the vehicle windows and turn o. the radio. This facilitates communication and enables an escape should the vehicle somehow roll or slide into the water. POSITIONING Ramp conditions and the type of trailer determine how deep to back in the trailer. A rule of thumb for a bunk-style trailer: Position it with the tops of the fenders barely awash. This allows the bunks to capture the boat’s hull…

FUSE BLOCK, NOT SPADE CONNECTORS Many boatbuilders add circuit breakers to their wiring systems, and take a power and ground from the battery to a spaded ground block and a spaded terminal panel. That’s ordinarily where your GPS, stereo and other devices will be powered using a female spade connector held onto the male spade by friction to complete the circuit. In most cases, circuit breakers protect the circuits, but the device manufacturer calls for an in-line fuse to protect the device. Many electronics call for a 5-amp fuse per device. A stereo amp can require a 30- to 60-amp fuse. If your boat has many devices going to that spaded panel, each with an in-line fuse, the panel becomes an indecipherable bird’s nest, and troubleshooting fuses is unnecessarily difficult.…

Miami-based Belzona Boats carved a brand-building course with one of the marine industry’s most unique features. The 32- and 40-foot models offer side doors that slide aft for wide-open access to the aft cockpit, be it at the dock or on the water. The compact new Belzona 27cc carries forward that tradition with a starboard side door that operates differently yet just as easily. More about that later. One of the smallest Belzonas, the 27cc ranks as the brand’s most angling-centric to date. Gunwales reach to midthigh for a superb combination of onboard security and fishing access, and coaming pads encircle the interior to cushion legs while fishing. A level self-bailing deck with grit-style nonskid features wide walkways aside the console. Recessed handrails bracket the bow for security when going…

Malibu’s all-new 23 MXZ slots right between the already popular 22 and 24, and may just be the Goldilocks of the group. With room for 16, the 23 MXZ is set up for comfortable fun for everybody aboard. In the oversize bow, there is room and comfort for sitting forward or aft. Under the walkthrough cushion, Malibu has relocated the batteries, thereby creating valuable space for stowing items behind the spotter seat. In the main cockpit, the aft bench slides forward and easily converts into both a rearfacing seat for watching the on-water action as well as a tabletop. At the transom, two inset upholstered seats provide a comfortable spot for just hanging out or a convenient place to get ready to ride. Speaking of riding, the signature calling card…

This lets you use a multifunction display to control systems. Yet another benefit is remote control from a distance. Leading the way in boat telematics is Siren Marine, which has worked to interface its mobile-connectivity module with digital-switching systems from technology partner CZone. After a boat is equipped with the Siren/CZone telematics, a skipper can control a wide range of onboard systems using the Siren Marine mobile app on a smartphone or tablet from his home, office or car. “Once connected, the app auto-populates with the same CZone digital-switching screen you see on an MFD,” says Daniel Harper, founder and CEO of Siren Marine. “This system, for example, can turn on the fridge, and cabin and spreader lights before you arrive at the dock.” It connects via cell service and/or…

“The 267 SSX OB is a trendsetter in design, performance and function,” says Chaparral founder Buck Pegg. The features and styling of this new outboard-powered bowrider appear to back up Pegg’s statement. Equipped with state-of-the-art dual 7-inch touchscreen multifunction displays for ease of access to the data boaters demand, this boat’s cockpit is open and spacious, and features a multiposition aft seat that transforms into a large sun lounge. The 267 SSX OB is fitted with stereo speakers, stainless-steel beverage holders and concealed grab rails. On the port side, an L-shaped settee accommodates a cockpit table for entertaining. A full-width swim platform o. ers access around the outboard and is easy to board at the dock. Popular options include SeaDek flooring and an electric folding watersports tower. Choose either a…

It was a foggy morning at the Frankfort Municipal Marina in Frankfort, Michigan, back in July 2018. We were on a cruise northbound on the big lake (Lake Michigan) in our 1994 Island Gypsy Therapy, a 32-foot trawler. On the morning of July 23, I backed out of our slip and headed to the channel, which is protected at its entrance by two large breakwaters. A couple of days before, I had guided Therapy past the opening and into the channel—something I had done at least twice a summer for the previous three seasons. I know there is a seawall on the north and south sides. I saw it. I navigated around it. I know it is there. I was falsely depending on trailing the lead boat ahead of me…

Q: Dear Boat Doctor, we purchased new dock lines earlier this season, and they turned green with moss or slime. This has never happened before. How can we clean the lines, and what can we do to prevent the green from returning? Adam McCoy Rehoboth Beach, Delaware A:I don’t know why your lines turned green. I can say that things often turn mossy around the water. What I can also say is that I have had good luck cleaning grimy dock lines using a solution of water and sodium hypochlorite (sold in powder form at paint and hardware stores). A scrub brush will help the process along, but often a two-day soak in a bucket gets the job done. MISTER-COMFORT MARINECOOL If you’ve ever experienced a misting system on a…

Articulating assemblies of “wobble” rollers represent the key components that ease launching and loading boats with a roller trailer. These trailers are well-suited for shallow or primitive ramps, letting you slide the boat in and out of the water with minimal effort and without completely submerging the trailer. However, if one or more of the many rollers stop spinning, the boat tends to hang up on its way on and off the trailer. Wobble rollers can wear out and malfunction. They require regular inspection, maintenance and, at times, replacement. Here’s what to keep in mind when shopping for and installing new wobble rollers. —Jim Hendricks INSPECT AND TEST With the boat off the trailer, inspect each roller for excessive wear, cracks or breakage. Also, look for corrosion around the spindles…

On a sticky mid-June day, I found myself in the Fountain 38SC, bolstered next to pilot Jeff Harris (legendary offshore-performance driver and Iconic Marine Group’s COO) as we roared, fighterjet-like, down the tight channel in the Pamlico River just outside the Fountain plant in North Carolina. My Stalker radar gun and handheld GPS agreed with the boat’s VesselView screen: 94.7 mph, which we repeated several times on subsequent up-and-downriver runs. While it’s not the century mark Fountain was hoping for, in this writer’s opinion, 100 mph is not out of the realm. After all, our test rig only had a few hours logged, with no time for engine break-in, or propeller, engine-height and weight-placement changes. For many boaters, 95 mph is more than fast enough. But some folks want more,…

As testers for this magazine, we live by the quantifiable, taking performance numbers aboard every boat we review. But for me, the defining moment for the Tiara Sport 43 LS came not in the data, but in the looks we got idling through the inlet in Holland, Michigan. Several people walking along the jetty stopped and stared, and I watched as one person’s jaw dropped and he mouthed, “Wow.” The flagship of the Tiara Sport lineup, the 43 LS is everything a large luxury dayboat should be. It’s equipped to entertain abovedecks for days while pulling off overnight duty with style and comfort. And like all Tiara Sports, the 43 LS is overbuilt to withstand rugged Great Lakes boating, so it’s got the off shore chops to reach distant outposts.…

Having rumbled to the end of the no-wake zone, you look around, and then twist the throttle on stylish ape-hanger handlebars. Your honey grips your waist, snuggling against your back, and the King Hell Attitude 17 Sport roars—and I do mean roars—onto plane, dew drops on the bow deck’s varnished mahogany peeling aft in speedy rivulets as you head for a top speed of 36 mph. The Attitude 17 Sport brings key attributes of a big, brawny V-twin motorcycle to the water. The handlebar steering, the twist-grip throttle, the V-twin engine, and the springer-style saddle seats all contribute to its biker vibe. These trappings come wrapped in a glossy, varnished, low-slung hull painted flag blue and boasting varnished wood topsides and a sweet sheer that incorporates oodles of tumblehome as…

Lake of the Ozarks (LOTO for short), a sprawling impoundment built in Missouri in 1929, was the first body of water I was fortunate enough to call home. More recently, a labyrinth of canals etched in a fat, round point at the headwaters of Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda, Florida, has become home. I’ve been lucky to have powerboats docked on waterfronts of both, and during that time I learned more than I wanted to know about navigating regulatory quagmires designed to keep the neighbors and bureaucrats happy when building a dock. Local water conditions—and sometimes customs—dictate a docking system. If your water level fluctuates due to tides or hydroelectric dam operations, you’ll have to allow for water-level changes of a couple feet to 10 or even 20 feet. If…

1. What are the three popular sizes of trailer hitch balls in the US? What about Europe? A. ¾-, 1- and 2-inch for US and Europe. B. All hitch balls are 2 inches in the US and Europe. C. 1⅞-, 2- and 25/16-inch for the US; for Europe, 50 mm. E. None of the above 2. When you hitch up to go to the water, what are some areas to check before leaving for the ramp? A. Coupler connection to the hitch ball, trailer lights, and tire condition and inflation. B. Cooler of beer, sammies and beach towels. C. Boat tie-downs, engine-start battery condition, winch strap and bow-eye safety chain. D. A and C E. None of the above 3. You’re buying a used trailer. What are some critical areas…

Based on the acclaimed Axopar 28, the Brabus Shadow 500 Black Ops delivers a custom boat experience. “In the time it takes us to hand-paint just one Brabus Shadow 500 Black Ops Limited Edition ‘1 of 28,’ we could have completed construction of 30 Axopar 28s,” declares Jan-Erik Viitala from Brabus Marine. Other touches include carbon-fiber structural reinforcement and dash trim, the intelligent steering module (ISM) with integrated trim tab, bow thruster and audio controls, and “black-ti” titaniumcoated hinges and latches. A 12-inch Garmin GPSMap 8412 is standard. The interior boasts illuminated aluminum plates, quilted leather carpet, a large cabin mirror, an Alcantara pocketsprung mattress, and cool-gray Brabus fine leather, with red contrast stitching overhead and on bulkheads. Available in T-top (pictured) and Cabin versions with twin 250 Mercury Pro…

But don’t let the ease of use of today’s navigation technology lull you into a false sense of security. At the very least, before you head out on a cruise where you will be relying on charting software, you should know how to read a chart. Let’s take a look at some of the basic symbols and numbers on charts and what they all mean. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to focus on the official symbols found on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s paper charts. Navigation companies scan these to appear on your plotter’s display as raster charts. For the more dynamic vector charts, some of the symbols, and the chart itself, might appear differently depending on the software provider. (See “Same Place, Different Views.”) TRUE VS.…

Most boat trailers employ bunk boards to cradle the hull during towing and storage. In fact, many boats spend far more time on wood bunks than they do in the water, so these boards should be inspected regularly for excessive wear or broken lumber. A bunk that snaps or falls off results in a loss of support that affects trailer balance and exposes the hull to the metal crossmembers, axles, bunk brackets and other structures that can gouge or puncture a boat. If you see signs of a damaged bunk, replace it as soon as possible. With bunks that are more than a few years old, replace them all at the same time. The process is easy, but you will need to remove the boat from the trailer to take…

Less than a year after its debut, Seakeeper started showing up at boat shows with progressively smaller gyros to cover even more recreational boaters’ needs. The latest, the Seakeeper 1, fits boats from 23 to 30 feet long. It proved critics wrong, and now most boatbuilders offer it as an option. Plus, companies such as NorTech build every boat they make capable of accepting one without an expensive retrofit. The naysayers are offcially shot down. What is a Seakeeper? Most people old enough to boat had a toy gyroscope as a kid. It was a metal flywheel on. a. spindle, housed in a wire cage. Consider it a spinning top confined to a cage. When you wound a string around the gyro wheel’s spindle and yanked it out, it set…

You don’t have to be a computer geek to know that abbreviations abound on everything from Twitter to emails (LOL), so I’m inventing one right now that will come up regularly in this test of the new Jeanneau NC 895 Sport: SFABTS. It stands for “Surprising for a Boat This Size,” and I’ll use it a lot. The 895 translates from meters to just over 28 feet LOA. The NC stands for New Concept, which it certainly is for those of us on this side of the Pond. (It’s called the Merry Fisher in France, but I can see all kinds of issues with that translation.) This is the Sport version with twin outboards, and a boat that will find ready acceptance whether in colder northern waters or steamy tropics,…

“Go anywhere, do everything” is the mantra for Regulator’s new 24XO crossover boat. The 24XO offers a graceful Carolina sheerline and a shallow-running, Lou Codega-designed 17-degree bottom that sharpens into a wave-cleaving, flared bow. It’s handy inside, plus able to accept coastal assignments. Though rock-solid in build, the 24XO is light enough to easily tow. It’s made to order for all sorts of adventure and exploring. Fishing comes first. With an optional Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra trolling motor and its iPilot system, the 24XO can masquerade as a bass boat in fresh water one morning, work an eelgrass bed for speckled trout the next, drift for flounder the third, and jig an oyster reef or an off shore wreck for sea bass the fourth. Lockable racks port and starboard hold…