Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Boating

The Hobie Mirage Eclipse 10.5 is a stand-up paddleboard without a paddle; or it’s a pedalpowered paddleboard or an aquatic Stairmaster propelled simply by walking (or maybe running, if you really want to work up a sweat). For balance, which paddleboarders can take lessons to achieve, the Eclipse comes with bicyclelike handlebars. (And you know you never forget how to ride a bike.) Support yourself by gripping the handlebars, which also have bicycle-brakelike levers — only instead of for stopping, they’re used for turning. (Squeeze the right-brake thingy and you turn right, squeeze the left-brake thingy to turn left.) While its handling in light chop and rough water depends on the pilot’s balance and center of gravity, Hobie says the Eclipse can cruise at up to 7 mph. The Mirage…

THE PROBLEMS WITH ETHANOL-GASOLINE BLENDS SUCH as E10 (10 percent ethanol) for marine engines are wellknown. Yes, ethanol provides oxygen to help gasoline burn cleaner, which is good for our lungs, but it holds less energy than gas, attracts water to fuel tanks, and is corrosive to fuel lines and fittings. In higher concentrations like the 15 percent blend (E15) now available, it will void the warranty on most marine engines. For the last five years, a group of marine manufacturers has been testing isobutanol, another form of alcohol that does not attract water or corrode fuel lines and boasts 30 percent higher energy density than ethanol. It can be distilled from the same plant sources that ethanol is made from. Engineers from Evinrude have taken the lead along with…

1 GROUNDED Don’t rely on the coupler-to-ball connection for grounding. Instead, secure the white ground wire included with the trailer-plug connector onto the frame near the coupler with a bolt, nut and lock washer. If your trailer is painted, scrape away some paint to obtain a solid connection. Daub some liquid electrical tape over the exposed steel and wire connector. 2 STRAIN RELIEF At the coupler, provide some strain relief for the socket wire lead by securing it with a cable clamp and using enough length to reach the tow vehicle’s connector socket without the wire pulling tautly in tight turns or dragging on the ground. Tip: Use split loom, spiral wrap or braided sleeving to protect your trailer’s wiring. CORROSION-PROOF Use heat-shrink tubing (the kind with the melting inner…

THE NEW CROWNLINE E29 XS IS A thoroughly modern boat, but operating it evokes memories of driving a vintage Mustang convertible: It can flex like a muscle car, but its sporty lines give it serious sex appeal. When we pushed down the throttles, the first thing that struck us was how quickly the twin Yamaha F250s pushed 4 tons of boat onto plane — 3.8 seconds. We also marveled at the minimal bow rise; outboards move the center of gravity farther aft than sterndrive installations, and many larger boats that have been converted struggle with squatting issues coming out of the hole. The E29 XS did not. When we made hard-over turns at speed, the nimble bowrider responded gracefully with no blowout or prop slippage. Crownline would credit this boat’s…

WE SAY This big dual console proves to be a capable fishing machine and a fully appointed day-cruiser. The motorized portside ensemble lets you create an inviting dinette (table is optional), lounge or seating for six. A summer galley to starboard includes a sink, 18-gallon cooler and prep surface. The hardtop melds with the full windshield to provide shade. Soak up the sun on the twin bow loungers. Under the seating you’ll find stowage aplenty. In the forepeak is the rode locker that features an in-stem anchor chute/roller and windlass. Astern is a foldout transom benchstyle seat for three and a passageway in the starboard quarter leading to the swim platform. A starboard dive door makes embarking easy. Use the space within the port console to slip into your bathing…

In my gearhead fantasy, I have an account with the Snap-On truck and a big, red stacker tool chest stocked with drop-forged wrenches and sockets. A shelf of assorted solvents and lubricants is in the corner, and my air hose dangles from an overhead reel. “Chuck” is embroidered on the front of my shop shirt, and sad boaters bring me disabled outboards. With my tools and know-how, I save their weekends or seasons, or maybe even their marriages. In reality, I’m sitting in a classroom with 10 lucky people who have a chance to make my fantasy their careers. It’s the first hour of the fourth day of a two-week Yamaha Marine Service Skills Training session, and the instructor is discussing the use of a Fluke 78 multimeter, which was…

If your current marine head is causing olfactory problems, here are three tips to help it. 1. After pumping out your head at the station, fill it with a 50-50 mix of bleach and water and pump it out another time. 2. After the tank is empty, pour in a solution of two cups water softener mixed with hot water to prevent solids from sticking in the system. 3. Change the system’s hoses at least every four years. These are frequent odor culprits.…

“IT’S ARCING!” I WONDERED WHY BUBBA KEPT SAYING THAT. How did I get into this situation? First, let me tell you about the new boat for my business, Red Charters in Port Charlotte, Florida. It was a project boat, heavy with neglect, but with good bones and a strong engine. The price was right, so I bought it. A week after I purchased it, family came for a visit. That’s when Bubba, the head of the visiting clan, announced that I would take them for a boat ride. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “The boat needs work before I can feel good about going anywhere in it.” Bubba would have none of it. “You said it ran fine. You have life jackets — will it sink?…

THE M-16 AUTOMATIC RIFLE IS A WEAPON of war, much like the new Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid. The only difference is the Pathfinder is waging war against fish. This is one serious fishing machine. It’s labeled Hybrid because it’s equally at home in the bay, in the pass or offshore and, as a crossover platform, it does all of them well. The first Pathfinder to be fully infused with foam coring, it has a double-stepped hull for speed; hammered down, we hit nearly 60 mph. Beautifully built and designed by anglers, the spacious forward casting deck conceals three oversize lockers with gaskets for waterproofing, plus an anchor locker. The fullwidth step that makes foredeck access easy also hides a 47-gallon fish box that’s big enough to ice down a trophy wahoo…

WE SAY If you’re buying a pontoon boat for entertaining, it’s hard to look beyond the Premier 260 Grand Entertainer. This boat is rated to carry 16 passengers. The crescent-shaped Entertainer bar in back has been upgraded from past models to include four total bar stools, now with higher backs for increased comfort. A shade overhead keeps everyone in comfort and features built-in racks to hold wine, martini and margarita stemware. Behind the bar, there’s a sink and cooktop, with space for a refrigerator underneath. The bow arrangement features Opulent Deluxe couches covered with Heritage fabric for kicking back. From the high-backed captain’s chair at the ergonomic, elevated Liberty Deluxe helm, the captain can see over the crowd up front and safely operate the boat. A touchscreen Beacon II system…

I was 16 when I was invited on my first boat date. She was my age, pretty, tall and slender, with dark hair and an olive complexion. She was visiting our resort and rental marina on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri with her aunt and uncle. They had an Art Carlson-designed Glastron CVX with a taxicab-yellow and metal-flake finish. The dagger-shaped skiff was pushed by a Mercury “tower of power”: six cylinders stacked straight up that generated a righteous 115 hp. I fell in love with that boat. I’ve forgotten the girl’s name. Since the beginning of fiberglass boatbuilding, few hull designs warrant the term “classic.” Unlike any 40-year-old car resurrected from a scrap heap, most old boats are just that, and less. But when one of the first…

The 4.01 software upgrade from Furuno offers 20 enhancements to the NavNet TZtouch2 multifunction display, including faster performance and new functions. The update improves on Furuno’s edge-swipe touchscreen system for accessing menus and operations. No longer do you need an exact vertical or horizontal swipe to activate the edge swipe, making it easier to use in rough seas. In addition, you can now access CZone digital switching as well as fuel-management data via the MFD. The upgrade also adds radar echo trails and echo averging to the solid-state Furuno Doppler NXT radar functionality. The software facilitates use of the NavNet Remote app for tablet and smartphone, be it an Android or iOS platform. In a bit of a throwback that old-school boaters will appreciate, the software lets you display position…

[1] Visually inspect ceramic guides and tip tops, as the interior rings can chip or even pop out completely. If the ceramic is chipped, loose or missing, replace that guide. [2] Check the tip tops on your rods to make sure they haven’t loosened up. These can easily be reaffixed with tip cement and a heat source. While you’re at it, check the thread wraps to see if any guides are coming loose, and either rewrap the guide yourself or take it to a trusted shop. [3] Stainless-steel guides can also be subject to damage, scratches and corrosion, though it can be hard to see. A good way to tell is to run a piece of nylon pantyhose through the guides; the material will hang up on any rough spots.…

MY FIRST VISIT TO CRUISERS YACHTS WAS in 2008, on the leading edge of the Great Recession. Few companies were tooling up for new production, but thanks to the good-old Midwestern strong work ethic and deferred gratification, Cruisers Yachts remained tough and moved forward, still designing and aggressively building beautiful and smooth-running cruisers for its customers. Just three years earlier, Volvo Penta had introduced its pod drive, called IPS 1, along with a new line of D series diesel inboard engines. Though they were targeted to express cruisers under 40 feet, by 2008, Lazzara Yachts had incorporated four of them into one of its new yachts. The IPS 2 came next, but it was targeted to still larger vessels. Now, eight years later, Volvo Penta introduced the D8-IPS800, the center…

SEA-DOO’S BUDGET-PRICED SPARK ALREADY sports the playful feel and handling of old-school personal watercraft. The new-for-’17 Spark Trixx attempts to take that fun to the next level with a collection of add-ons designed to further enhance the craft’s freestyle characteristics. The primary addition is a retooled version of Sea-Doo’s electronic Variable Trim System (VTS). For the Trixx, Sea-Doo increased both the upward and downward range of the jet-pump nozzle, allowing angles as high as 17 degrees upward and negative-6 degrees downward. It’s the 10 degrees of additional upward movement that makes the most difference. Tap the trim-control toggle on the left side of the handlebars and the Trixx pulls a serious wheelie, pointing its bow to the sky with minimal throttle. Chocks at the rear of the footwells, angled at…

SPECS ENGINE DESIGNATION: D8-600 CYLINDERS: In-line six INDUCTION: four-stroke, direct-injected, turbocharged diesel engine with aftercooler BORE/STROKE: 110/135 mm (4.33/5.31 in.) DISPLACEMENT: 7.7 liters (469.7 cu. in.) COMPRESSION RATIO: 16.5:1 DRY WEIGHT (BOBTAIL): 840 kg (1,852 lb.) CRANKSHAFT POWER: 550 hp or 600 hp EMISSION COMPLIANCE: IMO NOx, EU RCD Stage II, US EPA Tier 3 Rating R5 RECOMMENDED FUEL: To conform to ASTM-D975 1-D and 2-D, EN 590 or JIS KK 2204 CHARGE WITH POWER The D8 has both a turbocharger and supercharger to maximize power. VOLVO PENTA CASTS ITS OWN BLOCKS FROM PROPRIETARY alloys, and mills and assembles them with precision in a state-of-the-art factory in Skovde, Sweden. I visited that factory a few years ago on a day after the foundry had poured a dozen or so heads…

1NETWORK POWER NMEA 2000 networks require electrical power. Connectors with integral positive and ground wires (with in-line fuses for the positive wires) supply onboard power to the backbone — the main communication channel for the system. In order for the system to function properly, connect the power in the middle of the backbone. 2VERIFY VOLTAGE NMEA 2000 networks use 12-volt DC power only. Avoid connecting the power wires to any other power source such as 24-volt DC. 3T-JUNCTION FUNCTION There’s a tendency to string together a number of T-connectors while tying into the system, but such strings are prone to damage and broken connections. Instead, use T-connector junctions. These are more robust and compact. 4SHORT AND SWEET NMEA 2000 signals can be hampered by resistance, which increases with cable length,…

FIND ’EM FIRST Trolling with small soft-plastic or feather crappie jigs is a great way to locate schools. When you get bit, there will be others nearby. Use your sounder and GPS to zero in on fish-holding structure, then fan-cast the area to pinpoint the school. Double or triple hookups are common when you get on a school. Save the waypoint for future trips. EASY DOES IT Whether crafted from soft-plastic or from old-school marabou feathers, crappie jigs imitate minnows and other small fish. Cast the lure out, let it sink to the level of the structure, then work it slowly back to the boat. Subtle twitches of the rod tip impart a lifelike action. Crappie often follow the lure right to the boat before hitting. The bite is often…