Boating is the world's foremost magazine for boating enthusiasts. Written by experts for those who love the sport, the editorial covers the waterfront -- from runabouts to sportfish convertibles to luxury showpieces, and everything in between.
WHILE THE FAMILY SUV or minivan may be designed to climb a mountain range, cross a desert, and run in conditions that range from scorching heat to a blizzard, most boats are much more specific in their designs and intended uses. Thus, the qualities that make a good boat vary wildly. As a result, many boats possess features or attributes that may be tough to figure out, unless you happen to belong to the particular subset of boaters for which the feature or attribute was designed. Automobiles are much more inclusive. Boats are all about cliques. Case in point is the Dyer Dhow Midget. The Midget is a dinghy that can be motored, rowed or sailed. Designed by Philip C. Rhodes and built by the Anchorage in Warren, Rhode Island,…
To raise awareness about military families who have lost a loved one, ex-Navy SEAL Chris Ring of the nonprofit group Legacies Alive had an idea: swim the entire length of the Mississippi River. So in June 2015, Ring started swimming. He swam for six months, finishing in the Gulf of Mexico. We asked him about his goal to help military families. MORE ONLINE! To read the full interview online, go to boatingmag.com/chris-ring. What is Legacies Alive? Legacies Alive (legaciesalive.com) is a nonprofit group that honors our fallen heroes and the families left behind. We raise national awareness about Gold Star families, which are families that have lost a loved one in war. We do this by doing an extreme challenge — a mental and physical endeavor that the average person…
West Marine Deluxe Kids’ Rapid Dry THE SAVE: This jacket is lightweight and designed to fit active kids with its contoured, sculpted design. It has a front zipper and two quick-release buckles, so it fits snugly and is less likely to ride up when kids are swimming or tubing. The stretchy flex-back panel creates good range of motion. THE SINK: There isn’t a leg strap on the 50-to-90-pound version, though one is offered on the infant and small-child versions. PRICE: $49.99; westmarine.com Kent Camouflage Sport THE SAVE: This jacket’s camouflage graphics will appeal to kids who like to hunt or fish, and it’s equally comfortable for tubing or boarding. It has easy-access pockets, so kids can store a bobber or other nonsharp fishing implement. Foam contours well to the body…
If a smartwatch is on your radar, don’t jump until you’ve looked at the Garmin Quatix 3 Marine GPS smartwatch and the Garmin Connect IQ app. More than a watch, it combines powerful boating with multisports widgets and text, email and social notifications, along with audible and vibrating signals. Wirelessly connect to your Garmin navigation suite to stream location, sonar depth, water temp or any engine data. The Quatix 3 is waterproof to 328 feet, and it’s impressive battery power keeps it running up to 20 hours in GPS mode, or up to six weeks in watch mode, without charging. The onboard three-axis compass and altimeter make it the ultimate personal-navigation device. The Garmin Connect app captures workout data and steps and stairs climbed, giving an hourly update of yo…
1 If a crew member falls overboard, what is the first thing you should do? A. Yell “Man overboard!” B. Get to the helm and reverse direction C. Shift into reverse gear D. None of the above 2 Immediately after alerting the crew to the MOB, what do you do next? A. Throw a lifeline B. Assign a crew member to maintain an unceasing visual on the victim C. Find the victim and keep an eye on him as you drive back to him D. Radio the U.S. Coast Guard 3 When should you make a Mayday call in an MOB situation? A. Only in rough conditions B. Any time a person falls overboard C. When two or more people are in the water D. When the situation is life-threatening…
Sea Ray is known today for its line of family boats, cruisers and luxury yachts, but does anyone else remember when it made performance boats? From our July 1986 issue, here is Sea Ray’s ad touting the Pachanga II, a 22-footer powered by the classic MerCruiser 350 MAG. As Sea Ray says in the ad, the Pachanga featured “an innovative new lightweight high-strength Raytec modified deep-V hull” that gave the boat predictable handling through its “considerable speed range.” Sea Ray actually briefly brought back the Pachanga — we reviewed the new version in 2009 — but the original boat is what most boating enthusiasts remember.…
