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.
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,…
MORE ONLINE! To read the full interview, scan this tag or go to boatingmag.com/bountyhunter. How did you get into the business? I was a ship captain. Thieves tried to snatch a ship from underneath me a couple of times. I didn’t want to see it happen to owners and crews, so I decided to take the thieves out. The word got around. Let’s say someone stole my rowboat. Would you take the case? Most of the vessels we’ve recovered have been cargo vessels and cruise ships. We’re not cheap. Ninety percent of the time when we get a call, we’re able to resolve the situation in ways other than sneaking in during the night. Can it be dangerous? Quite a few times, the extraction is extensive. The most dangerous extraction…
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…
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…
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.…
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.…
