Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2017 i Boating

Diesel engines are no longer reserved for large yachts and off shore-fishing battlewagons. Today’s diesels are clean-burning and quiet, and they meet EPA emissions standards. Let’s take a closer look at what makes today’s diesels worthy of consideration. 1. What is the minimum psi for a high-pressure direct-fuel-injection system? A. 5,000 B. 10,000 C. 15,000 D. 20,000 2. Of the two basic and common cylinder configurations for marine diesel engines, which is the simplest, featuring just one set of cams? A. In-line engine B. V engine C. W engine D. Rotary engine 3. In a common-rail direct-injection system, what does the rail feed? A. Fuel injectors B. The cylinders C. The intake manifold D. Individual solenoid valves 4. Octane is the measure of combustion and ignition characteristics in gasoline. What…

Style isn’t what we thought about at the helm of Mako’s 414 CC Bluewater Family Edition when we pressed the Mercury Marine electronic throttles with one hand and tapped the fingertipcontrol power steering with the other. The boat proves solid and ready to cross the Gulf Stream, and with a fuel capacity of 464 gallons, it’s good to make many Bahamas destinations. Our boat was factoryequipped with dual Garmin multifunction displays and sonar. The 17-inch screens are standard. Dual pressurized livewells on the transom are divided by an array of shotgun rod holders, easily reached with legs braced against the padded coamings. Under the gunwale, premium stainless-steel rod hangers are supplemented with surf-mat pads to protect the reels and the coamings from damage in hard runs. There was no shortage…

It’s still dark at 5:30 a.m. when we board Manatee at Fort De Soto State Park on the outside edge of Florida’s Tampa Bay. As I track the 53-foot-6-inch pilot boat on my smartphone’s Vessel Traffic app, veteran boatman (launch captain) Steve Jean idles us away from the dock at 2.9 mph. A glance at a sound meter shows the noise level from the boat’s twin 503 hp Volvo Penta D11 diesels at a whisper-quiet 60 decibels. Seated next to me in one of the pilothouse’s comfortable Stidd shockabsorbing chairs is Pilot Capt. Joe Lachnicht. We chat for a couple of minutes about the Tampa Bay Pilots Association before I glance at the phone again. This time, our speed is at 27 mph, with sound at a quiet 65 dBA.…

TIME TO UPGRADE Four signs that you need new marine electronics The pace of technology can render new electronics obsolete in months. Yet few boaters upgrade on such a time scale, opting to get the longest possible life from their electronics. When is it time to upgrade? Here are four signs. 1 TOUCH POINT Touchscreens are faster and easier to use than old-fashioned push-button systems. The speed of access also translates to greater safety, letting you keep your eyes on the water ahead, as well as quickly access information. Think of the difference between a flip phone and a smartphone. Would you ever go back to a flip phone? Some multifunction displays offer a combination of touchscreen and button controls, if that makes you feel more comfortable. The point is,…

Jim Wolf, CEO of Avalon Pontoons, had a mission in mind to take one of his boats to Cuba. Last June, he and three of his closest friends completed that mission, taking a 27-foot Avalon Ambassador from Clearwater, Florida, to Havana, Cuba. Over the four-day round-trip journey, Wolf and his crew cruised 600 miles, including a 100-mile stretch through the often treacherous Straits of Florida. The boat proved more than up to the task of handling the 4- to 6-foot swells they encountered on the way. The only modification Wolf had his team make to the stock boat was adding an additional 100-gallon fuel tank to go along with the standard 100-gallon tank in the third tube. This gave the boat the necessary range to make the trip. To make…

Proper installation plays a big role in maximizing the performance of marine radar domes. So, if you’re considering installing a new solid-state dome radar aboard your boat or checking out the install aboard a boat you are buying, keep these factors in mind. ELEVATION To perform effectively, mount the radar dome high enough to give it an unfettered, level and full-circle view of the horizon, but not so high as to be adversely affected by the boat’s pitching and rolling. The most common way of achieving this elevation on center console, express cruiser and walkaround cuddy models is to install the dome on a hardtop or T-top. On runabouts, mounting the dome on a radar arch fills the bill. The higher the elevation, the greater the radar range, but too much…

SCAN ME Watch a video highlighting key features of this boat by scanning this tag or visiting boatingmag.com/3036. For nearly a decade in the early years of the Robalo brand, its most prominent spokesman was Mark Sosin, IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame inductee and producer and host of Saltwater Journal. If you ever watched fishing TV in the ’80s and ’90s, you remember this: Robalo, the overbuilt boat. And overbuilt it is still, in our estimation, but while the early idea of overbuilt meant a thick, heavy fiberglass-laminate hull that could pierce steel, today’s definition uses newer, lighter materials; finer, more polished hardware; and modern CAD design techniques that maximize space and fishability in ways the boats featured in Sosin’s old show cannot compete with. During performance testing, the Robalo…

Put aside the style and the long list of standards and remember this: Crownline’s E23 XS is pure fun to drive. Sure, our test boat’s whisperquiet Mercury 250 Verado had something to do with it, but the true magic is in Crownline’s F.A.S.T. Tab hull. The design vents the chines in order to aerate the running surface and reduce drag. It follows that vent with a subtle chine fin to aid in handling. Fire-walling the throttle quickly affirmed the first claim, putting the E23 XS on plane in a mere 3.4 seconds with no loss of forward visibility. Keeping that throttle pinned, the boat shot past 30 mph in 7 seconds, en route to a 54.5 mph top speed. What really put a silly grin on our faces, however, was…

It’s an existential question for our time: Would you like your new fun boat with outboard or sterndrive power? Ouch! I get a headache at the mere thought of having to make this choice. It’s almost as bad as the classic Ginger or Mary Ann … and just as vexing, because there really is no wrong answer. But there must be a better answer, or we wouldn’t have a choice to make in the first place. For example, would Glastron even offer the new outboard-powered GTD 200 deck boat if the almost identical sterndrive-powered GTD 205 was the better power option? No, it would not, because Glastron wants us to have the best boat. But apparently, Glastron can’t decide, because for 2018 it will offer both models and leave the…

VERTICAL LIMITS Vertical jigging proves effective on a variety of fresh- and saltwater game fish, particularly when they are schooled up on forage or water conditions concentrate fish where temperature and oxygen levels are optimal. Use your fish finder to find baitballs or fish suspended in the water column, and drop down heavy metal lures to hit them where they live. USE THE RIGHT METAL The best vertical jigs are typically heavy and slender in profile. This helps them sink down quickly to the proper depth while exhibiting a fluttering action when quickly lifted and dropped using the rod tip. It’s this wounded-baitfish dance that makes a lure look like an easy meal as it falls and flutters below a school of small fish under attack. MATCH THE HATCH Today’s…

The faster you go, the more important it is that you have both hands on the steering wheel as much of the time as possible. That’s where steeringwheel- mounted or column-mounted trim switches come in. While they are more popular with outboard-powered boats, they can also be used with sterndrives. SEASTAR SOLUTIONS PRO-TRIM THE LEVEL: Pro-Trim is popular among bass boaters and drivers of other outboard-powered performance boats. You can get it as a single lever or twins with one on each side of the column. It can control motors, trim tabs and jack plates. There are no cords to tangle when the wheel is turned, and installation is straightforward. THE DIVE: It can only be used with SeaStar Solutions steering systems. PRICE: $70.87; seastarsolutions.com UFLEX USA PADDLE TRIM SYSTEM…

My birthday dawned sunny with enough chop in Long Island’s Jones Inlet to cause the 23-foot cabin cruiser I had borrowed to rock and roll. Before we left the dock, I went through what I thought was an adequate pre-departure checklist. Let me state that I am a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and a state-certified boating-safety instructor. And yet, this day, I found myself on a sinking vessel. We drifted in the rushing current, picking up fluke on every drift. Then the boat began acting sluggish and would not get on plane. I decided to head for home, but the boat was barely making way. Plan B: Head to the Coast Guard station, because it was much closer to my present location. Then things turned ominous. The…

My boat trailer’s hubs are fitted with spring-loaded fixtures designed to apply pressure to the grease and ensure the bearings are always lubricated. This is my first boat and trailer, and I liked that feature when I bought the used boat a year ago. Now one of those fittings has failed, and I need to replace it. It does not come out. Is it threaded in or what? Doug Masterson Via email A:Doug, you likely have Bearing Buddy, or a similar product, installed on the hubs of your trailer’s wheels. These are just a press fit and should come out with some “encouragement” from a hammer applied to a block of wood. Place the wood on the outboard edge of the fixture and rap it with the hammer. Next, move…

Despite climate change, winter can still bring freezing temperatures to much of the nation. Like inboards and sterndrives, outboard engines are also subject to potential damage from freezing and from being laid up in disuse for months at a time. So outboards demand winterizing too. This project is simple enough to do yourself with the right tools, products and a bit of education. To serve as our example, we used a Yamaha F150 fourcylinder outboard. The same principles apply to other four-stroke outboards, but check your owner’s manual for procedures that might be specific to your brand and model. GEAR UP Check your owner’s manual to create a shopping list of what kinds of tools, filters, fluids, etc. (and how much of each) you will need for the winterization process. As…

SCAN ME To view our online photo gallery of the Jeanneau NC 795, scan this tag or visit boatingmag.com/3037. The Jeanneau NC 795’s biggest selling point is that it can be a pleasant express cruiser with the sliding doors wide open along with the sunroof and side windows. In that mode, it’s really a runabout with a hardtop. But if the weather turns cold or wet, the 795 can easily button up into a comfy all-weather cruiser. And with plenty of room inside, it’s not going to feel crowded. By comparison, the Cutwater 24 Sport Coupe ($110,000), with a similar layout, has soft windows and doors while offering an optional generator. No one will label the NC 795 as sleek, but she has a sort of largish appeal, much like…

COLUMBIA PFG DORADO SHOES Columbia’s PFG Dorado shoes are the most technical fishing shoes the company has developed. Features include quickdrying material, speed lacing and a plush insole. The uppers are finished with Blood ’n Guts water- and stain-resistant technology, and the outsole features Omni-Grip nonmarking, wetgrip technology, including razor siping for traction on wet decks. $70; columbia.com LOWRANCE HDS-9 CARBON With a super-bright LED backlit display plus a speedy dual-core processor, the HDS 9 Carbon is quick enough to display Mercury VesselView while charting the bottom on sonar and integrated StructureScan 3D and HD. Control Power-Poles, Motorguide Smart Steer i5 and Outboard Pilot on the touch display simultaneously. Wi-Ficonnectivity updates firmware and reports system status to Navico for easy, accurate service. $2,049; lowrance.com YETI LOADOUT BUCKET Every boater knows…

I told the man I didn’t know how to drive a powerboat. Ten minutes into the job interview, I was beginning to grasp the scope of the position. I’d answered a blind ad posted in the back pages of Editor & Publisher magazine because, after 18 months as the assistant editor of Numismatic News, I decided I would never drum up much passion for coin collecting. So here I was, interviewing for a communications position at Outboard Marine Corporation. “You need to pull up on the red part to shift it into gear,” said Fuller. “Don’t you know how to drive a boat?” “That’s not a problem at all,” said the man who would become my boss. “I need someone who can go over to engineering and get all the…