Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2016 i Boating

Boating is about getting out on the water and enjoying the sun, right? Well, not always. Sometimes you need a break from sweltering rays. That’s why boats have Bimini tops, T-tops and hardtops. Yet aboard many boats, the aft cockpit — the area where much of the socializing takes place — remains exposed to the sun A cool solution: SureShade, a canvas that telescopes aft over the cockpit to provide extra shade. SureShade quickly retracts and tucks out of the way. Motorized SureShade canvas extensions are offered as options on the hardtops of many new boats. Now SureShade offers the RTX, a manual version that you can custom-order and add to an existing hardtop, T-top or even a wakeboard tower to create extra shade. Here’s how to specify and install…

LET’S JUST START WITH THIS: THE 378 SE likely has the most livable berths and head in any open-bow day cruiser available today. Stepping below via the wide hatchway, there are two steps down from sole to sole where we met a wide settee along the starboard side and a forward bulkhead equipped with the house system’s electrical control panel, voltage monitors and a microwave. Recline in the settee and you’re facing a 40-inch TV with a sound bar and subwoofer, all secured in dedicated compartments. Aft of the settee, the queen berth boasts plenty of space and full headroom for climbing into the bed. Put your kids on the settee — it slides out to make a double berth. The head is accessible from a separate hatch across from…

WITH BASS BOATS, THE BUZZ STARTS behind the helm, with a hand on the throttle and an extra snugging of the life jacket. We set up the Z18 that way for our test. I jammed down the gas, expecting the bow to stab skyward before settling into a running attitude. But it didn’t. Oh, it shot forward with head-snapping acceleration, but that bow lifted gently, barely obscuring the horizon immediately forward — an experience that bass boats don’t often give. This gentle step to plane and blistering acceleration come from a new hull that engineers call Nitro Vortex Technology (NVT). What makes it work are longitudinally curved parabolic bottom surfaces that are so different, Nitro won’t even label them strakes. These are “parabolic curved surfaces” that meet every 6 inches…

OF ALL THE TOW SPORTS, WAKEBOARDING IS KING. A cross between skateboarding and surfing with an emphasis on maximum airtime, wakeboarding exerts the single greatest influence on tow-boat design. In short: It’s cool, and seemingly everyone wants to do it. But depending on how you go about it, the process can be fun and easy — or a prolonged duel between rider, boat and driver. For every rider who’s a natural and every boat driver who delivers the perfect pull, there are countless others who struggle: riders who can’t get the hang of the wakeboard start or sideways stance; kids who are intimidated to even give it a try; and boat drivers who don’t do either any favors by messing up the water when those riders fall, or by having…

For many reasons, tablets have become common on today’s boats both big and small, but most of these mobile devices aren’t really built for the aquatic life. That’s changing, however, thanks to companies like Buffalo, New York-based Bak USA and its Seal 8 marine tablet. — Jim Hendricks The name sounds like an elite fighting force, but Bak USA spokesman Tim Connelly says that was unintentional. “We thought about creatures that live in water, and we came up with a seal,” he explains. “The 8 refers to the diagonal screen size.” Yet this rugged marinized LED touchscreen Android-based tablet might be a tool that Seal Bak Seal 8 Marine Tablet Team 8 could use. It features a built-in GPS that works in the absence of cell service or Wi-Fi, and…

Do you want to try competing in the sport of wakesurfing? We got our hands on the Endless Wave Tour’s 2015 rulebook. Take our test to see if you already know the rules or if you need to get your own copy. (Answers on page 28) 1 How many passes does a rider get in a round? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 3 A rider decides halfway through a pass that he wants to change boards. Can he or she leave an extra one on the course? A. Only if the first one breaks B. Yes, but only if it’s an exact duplicate of the one he or she is riding C. Yes D. No 2 How many falls in each direction is a rider allowed? A.…

Your engine won’t start with one turn of the key anymore. It idles rough, and it surges on its way to full throttle. The boating season has just begun, and you’re already having problems. It could be that your engine’s fuel injectors are dirty, clogged with stale fuel that has dried and turned to varnish. It’s possible to juryrig a simple home-cleaning method, but the best remedy for dirty injectors is to remove them and send them to a professional. Why No DIY? Fuel injectors can be difficult to access. Also, without specialty calibration and cleaning equipment, you might not get them back to spec. Additionally, the only way you will know if you got it right is to reinstall the injectors and take the boat for a run. In…

TO INBOARD PURISTS, THE MASTERCRAFT NXT20 Global Edition is a simple commission of towboat apostasy, but this new runabout will make perfect sense to those predisposed to outboard power. Conceived for export coastal markets where an outboard is mandated or preferred, the new NXT Global Edition should appeal to a broad section of the domestic market as well. It offers the beachable benefits of a trimmable drive, spacious cockpit, complete list of tow-sports options, and a hull form that’s been “MasterCrafted” with primo wake shape as a priority. MasterCraft says an outboard-powered NXT was in the plans when it devised its entry-level, inboard-powered NXT20 and NXT22 models. Intended to put more boaters in a MasterCraft — best-selling models are routinely priced above $100,000 — the NXT line starts at about…

WE SAY The Premier 270 S-Series is a fast, agile pontoon with a cool profile. Premier enhances this ’toon’s sleek look with retro rectangular windshields over both consoles. That’s right, the 270 S-Series is a dual console. The windshields offer ample wind protection for the captain and co-pilot, as well as the crew lounging on the plush furniture in the main cockpit. The forward raked sport arch includes a Bimini to provide more protection. With a Mercury Racing 400R outboard, the boat takes off like a rocket. In our efforts to record time to plane — hard enough to do on any pontoon — we had to settle for declaring it instantaneous. It took a mere five seconds to hit 30 mph en route to a 48.7 mph top speed.…

This new boat was developed under the code name Wake Tractor, an especially apt label for a craft designed to plow a hole in the water. Now set to launch as the Heyday Inboards WT-1, it’s an inboard tow boat designed by a millennial wake-sports fanatic for his peers, featuring a millennial-friendly target price of just $40,000. The WT-1 also represents an effort by Heyday Inboards to make boat ownership accessible to that generation by following a new approach to the purchase process with an emphasis on personalization and community. TRACTOR PULL The Heydey weighs less than 4,000 pounds, with trailer, which is well within the tow ratings of most midsize SUVs. That means you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on a tow vehicle, either. Heyday…

Certain brands become so ubiquitous with their categories that their names come to mind before the actual products do. Think Kleenex for tissues, Harley Davidson for outlaw motorcycles and Cigarette Boats for high-performance “go-fast” powerboats. This ad from our July 1991 issue shows that Cigarette has always been about selling more than just pure speed. It’s selling a lifestyle. While Cigarette hails each boat as “a deep-Vee marine meteor that deftly handles jowl-taunting speeds,” it makes sure to also point out “a boat is a boat … but a Cigarette is an event.” Just in case you missed the point, the picture below the headline spells it out. Certain things, they say, always sell. Online This Month If you’re going to partake in watersports, you need the gear to get…

HERE’S A CROSSOVER OPEN-BOW BOAT that redefines the category by dramatically expanding forward seating space yet retaining the nimble, responsive and smooth ride of a premium V-bottom. The Four Winns HD270 does it with outboard power too, making it a sure hit in coastal settings. The Mercury Verado 300 proved responsive with integrated power steering. Even with a large crew, acceleration was exciting with power to spare. Sitting at the bow, you could stretch out fully across the beam. The seating area was nearly square with ample fore to aft seating as well. Both the design and the upholstery, our notes reflect, make for a comfy spot. Coaming pockets are richly upholstered and protect stereo speakers and stainless-steel cup holders. There’s a bow boarding ladder and you can access the…

WE SAY The word for incredible in French is incroyable, and it is written large on the Jeanneau Cap Camarat 7.5 WA Series 2 we tested. Tied stern-to, stepping aboard is easy due to two decks flanking the outboard. With side benches stowed under the gunwales, the cockpit is clear for those who want to fish. Two padded helm chairs with flip-up bolsters give the captain and mate support. The helm is offset to starboard and offers a dash large enough for two 7-inch screens, such as the Lowrance Elite or HDS Gen III in the option list. The helm is glare-free and compass is centered. A clear companionway hatch lets in light for those below. A compact galley, enclosed head and a dinette, which converts into a double berth,…

With the advent of Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive propulsion system, the popular sport of wakesurfing can now be practiced safely with sterndrives, which opens up a whole new category of boats to the surf-minded yet landlocked. If you haven’t heard of it, this unique Volvo Penta system consists of a sterndrive with two counter-rotating propellers that face forward versus the aft-facing props on a conventional sterndrive. That means the Forward Drive props are tucked under the hull, so there’s no chance of catching a handful of sharp, whirling blades when you pearl the nose while surfing. The Forward Drive system has taken the wake-sports world by storm, with boat manufacturers jumping on board as fast as their tooling can accommodate. Boating sent me, an avid inboard wakesurfer, out to surf…