Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Boating

The language of an activity provides a reliable indicator to that enterprise’s complexity and potential for both expression and learning by its participants. The vocabulary for using a shovel consists of the single word “dig.” Playing the oboe requires myriad vernacular, from addorato to Zwischenspiel. Boating proves more musical than menial. Since starting at the beginning usually makes sense, let us begin with the letter A. Most of us know the terms adrift and afloat, and an equally large number understand the word aground. Many of us understand abaft (just behind; abutting behind) and athwartships (across the beam of the boat). Fewer of us, I’m sure, would profess familiarity with some of the terms used to describe the finer points of executing one of boating’s most common and most important…

IROCKER 10 ALL AROUND BIG AIR: This one is also solid and stable, and measures 10 feet by 2 feet 8 inches when fully inflated. It is also 6 inches thick. It comes with an adjustable paddle, air pump, leash, removable fin, backpack and repair kit. It weighs 24 pounds can hold up to 370 pounds, the most of the three. DEFLATION: On the heavier side for its size. PRICE: $569 for package; irockersup.com TOWER ADVENTURER 1 BIG AIR: This stable, solid inflatable SUP feels like a fiberglass one. It measures 9 feet 10 inches by 2 feet 8 inches when inflated. It comes with a hand pump and an adjustable paddle, weighs 24 pounds and can hold 300 pounds, and inflates to 6 inches thick, compared to the 4-inch…

POLK P1 STEREO This two-piece Polk source unit is made from corrosion-resistant materials, and the command module is IPX6-rated. Its hideaway module is IPX5, and the combination makes them easy to install. Control from the boat or dockside using the Polk Ultramarine app. $549.99; polkmarine.com SPORTSSTUFF PUNK PIRATE DUCK FLOAT Perfect for chilling at the cove or sandbar, this punk duck float comes with a drink holder and tons of the right attitude. What more can we say except rock’n’ roll! $50; sportsstuff.com RAPALA BX BRAT FISHING LURE The No. 3 size of the Rapala BX Brat square-bill crank-bait features a balsa inner core with an armor coating of rugged copolymer. Equipped with VMC black-nickel treble hooks, it’s great for bass and walleye. Available in a wide range of lifelike…

Q: SPRING COAT Hi Boat Doctor. I’ve just purchased my first boat. It is a used Grady-White walkaround cuddy cabin. I will keep it on the water and need to bottom-paint it. What is the best brush to use for bottom paint? And can I apply bottom paint with a roller? Rich Schano Somerville, Massachusetts A: Welcome to the world of boat ownership! You will find it an enjoyable journey. As to your question, use disposable “chip” bristle brushes to cut in and for tight spots. For large, flat expanses, feel free to use a low-nap roller. Avoid foam rollers and brushes because the solvents in some anti-fouling paint degrade them almost immediately. Q: CORKED Doc, I’d like to renew the caulked seams in the cockpit sole of my boat.…

Marine thermal-imaging systems detect heat signatures of objects – the infrared light that’s invisible to the human eye. The technology lets you see the surrounding waters and spot potential hazards at night, even in complete darkness. Such systems also let you see low-lying obstacles in the dark, such as floating timbers and lobster-pot buoys that marine radar cannot pick up. Fixed-mount thermal-imaging cameras from brands such as FLIR and Iris come in a wide range of models and prices, and all will network with a touchscreen multifunction display for viewing and control. For this project, we chose the FLIR M232, featuring a single 320-by-240 imaging system with pan, tilt and zoom functions. It is currently compatible with Garmin GPSMap and Raymarine Axiom series MFDs. While there a number of possible…

You pull the cover off your boat one day and are dismayed by blotchy pink stains on your vinyl cushions. You try every cleaning agent known to man, but nothing eradicates the stains. The scourge is called pinking, and it is one of the least discussed topics in the boating industry. Until recently, there was no fix, short of replacing the upholstery. Today, there is a treatment, and based on our testing, it appears effective. “Pinking affects 10 to 20 percent of boats worldwide,” says engineer Scott Laster, CEO of Gestalt Scientific Corp. in Redmond, Washington. Based on 12 million vessels in the United States, that means anywhere from 1.2 million to 2.4 million boats suffer from pinking. The stains are caused by a strain of bacterium known as streptoverticillium…

Seven Marine expanded its mega-power outboard line to three models a little more than a year after its acquisition by Volvo Penta. The new Seven 527’s reduced price is intended to make Seven models accessible to more buyers, although Volvo Penta policy, unlike that of other engine-makers, dictates that Seven no longer publishes retail pricing (in 2016, we reported a Seven 557 base price of about $80,000 plus rigging). Behind the scenes, the affliation has reduced the cost of some basic components and opened the door for Seven at new suppliers. Volvo also offers more-advanced testing and validation processes for Seven, according to Rick Davis, Seven Marine president and CEO. The company says a redesigned cowl significantly reduces the cost of the 527 versus other Seven motors. The cowl features…

Satellite-communications products for boaters are expanding at, well, an astronomical rate. One of the newest products is on the drawing board at Icom, a company best known among boaters for its wide range of marine VHF radios. Recently, Icom announced a partnership with Iridium Communications, Inc. to develop and sell a new satellite push-to-talk handheld radio that uses the Iridium satellite network. The compact Icom Sat 100 will enable communications anywhere on Earth using Iridium’s unique interconnected satellite architecture. The new satellite radio looks very similar to a handheld VHF radio, but the antenna is distinctively different, resembling the antenna on a satellite telephone. In addition to vastly expanding the communications range for all kinds of customers, Iridium’s satellite system ensures stable communications, even in the face of large-scale disasters…

Hope springs eternal in the canine brain. Each morning, I stand at the kitchen counter and open two cans of cat food, and without fail Mr. Darcy, our white standard poodle, trots over and gazes up with lip-smacking expectation. He has never been served the cat food, and he will never get the cat food. But he’s there every morning, because this might be the day. She began a slow and steady dog paddle, her best stroke, back toward the dock with 1,500 pounds of boat in tow. My good friend Chuck Larson has a jet-black 130-pound Newfoundland named Tula. A Newfie loves the water, and hope springs eternal in Tula’s canine brain every time Chuck drops the boat trailer on the hitch ball. He’ll walk into the house and…

Did you grow up boating in North Carolina? No. The only time I ever went on a boat was when I visited my uncle in Mobile, Alabama. I remember riding his Jet Skis. How did you wind up with a pontoon boat? South Bay is a partner of my racing team. I’d never had any desire to live by the water or own a boat, and then I went out on the lake [where I now live], and we found a rope swing in a cove where lots of boats raft-up for the day. It was really cool. When did you start racing? I started racing go-karts when I was 9. I just kept going and racing in every circuit as I got older and better, and now I’m with…

As teenagers growing up in a small village on Long Island Sound, 30 miles east of the busy Port of New York, my friends and I spent most of our summers swimming, fishing and boating during the daylight hours. We completed all of the boating safety courses and had hands-on boat-handling training by our elders. All of that. One hot, humid evening, three of us decided to take my friend’s family’s 15-foot Glastron with a 55 hp Johnson outboard out trolling for striped bass. None of us were experienced boaters after dark, but we knew enough to turn the navigation lights on en route to the fishing grounds. Chugging along at trolling speed, we soon grew frustrated because we hadn’t had a strike yet. One of my buddies raised the…

1. What is the weather symbol for a cold front approaching? A. A blue curved line with trianglesB. A large picture of the Winter WarlockC. Three blue and yellow linesD. None of the above 2. How is the weather symbol for a hurricane different than for a tropical storm? A. There is no difference in the symbols.B. The tropical storm symbol has an open center, whereas the hurricane symbol is solid.C. The hurricane symbol shows higher wind speeds.D. None of the above 3. What is the weather symbol for calm winds? How does it differ from the symbol for 5-knot (5.7 mph) winds? A. The calm winds symbol is a blue circle, whereas the 5-knot wind symbol is a horizontal blue line with one short hash mark on the left…

If you happen to be taking your first spring cruise along the western shores of Lake Michigan, and you’re looking for guidance from the South Pier Light Navigational Beacon to guide you into Wisconsin’s Manitowoc Harbor, you’ll be in for an unpleasant surprise. Back in January, a huge storm wave knocked the beacon off its pedestal. Though it had stood for decades, it was gone in an instant. Winter changes things on the water every offseason, be it from ice floes or storms and other natural processes, or even human activities. When you take your boat out of storage and take your inaugural cruise of 2019, here are a few things to look for at the start of the season. MISSING NAV AIDS Fortunately, for boaters around Manitowoc, the long-standing…

Grab rails in the cockpit seating prove convenient for crew to hold on to when banking into turns. Plus, grab rails offer added safety: They are required by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC). But the placement and design of these grab rails should always take into account the comfort of the passengers. The sharp angles at the corners of the handrails shown in the photo stick out too far into the interior space. Thus, if the boat is carrying a decentsize crew, some of whom are facing a certain way or forced to sit in a certain location, the handrail will prod them in the back or thigh. Essentially, a person can’t sit where the handrails are located, which wastes valuable space. Aboard many boats, the grab rails…

SHEARS Watersports injuries are common, and it can be difficult to remove a wake-board or water ski from a hurt rider. Thick, rubber and composite bindings are best cut away with a pair of heavy-duty shears, such as the Leatherman Raptors shown. A knife might work but risks further injury more than shears do. GLUE I’ve closed wounds from knife cuts and shark bites (just a nip, luckily) using cyanoacrylate glue. Use it when you’re located hours away from the hospital. Pinch the wound together and apply. Other techniques are preferable when closer to shore. ANTIHISTAMINE Taking an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or a non-sedating one such as loratadine (Claritin) will help with itching and swelling due to bites and stings from insects, fish and jellyfish. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen…

Exploring Hudson Bay aboard C-Sick gave photographer and author Paul Souders a crash course in single-handed cruising. Here are a few words of advice for anyone who might fancy a solo boating adventure far from the nearest launch ramp — or service department. 1. Learn how to navigate with paper charts. Modern technology is wonderful, but you’ll need backup skills if it fails. 2. Have backup systems as well, such as a second depth sounder and a handheld GPS. Redundancy is key. 3. Bring spares. If the engine needs a new spark plug or a belt, you’re going to need to fix it yourself. Make a list of spare parts to bring. 4. If you’re using an inflatable dinghy, make sure you have patches big enough to fix bear bites.…

Digital selective calling (DSC) lets you communicate digitally with other boats by direct-dialing their boat’s special MMSI (electronic Maritime Mobile Service Identity number), thus avoiding an on-the-air voice call. Advantages include greater message accuracy, less threat of misunderstanding a message because of audible noise, and the ability to direct your call to just one or more individuals without anyone else monitoring the messages and without adding to radio voice channel congestion. To send DSC messaging, you must have a connection between your VHF and GPS, obtain your own nine-digit MMSI number (available from the FCC or through BoatU.S., Vessel Assist or the U.S. Power Squadrons) and enter that number in your radio. MMSI numbers of friends, fishing buddies, club members and others can be stored in your radio’s address book.…