Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2019 i Boating

WEATHER WISE Great for the days when the seas are sporty and chilled. FISH ALL DAY Stain-resistant and snag-free, with good traction on a nonslip deck. SUN DAY FUN DAY Fast-drying and good traction, while providing arch support. COLUMBIA DORADO SLIP-ON PFG THE GRIP: With no shoelaces to tie or snag, these are ideal for the angler looking to keep things as snag-free as possible on board. The mesh body is also water- and stain-resistant. The non-marking grip provides great traction for nonskid decks. THE SLIP: Any slip-on’s fit isn’t going to be as adjustable for comfort as a shoe with laces. PRICE: $60; columbia.com OLUKAI HOKUA MESH SANDALS THE GRIP: Olukais have possibly the best arch support you can find in flip-flops. The mesh strap is quick-drying, and the…

At 40 feet, 7 inches LOA, counting the extended platform, Formula’s 380 Super Sport Crossover fits between its 330/350 Crossover Bowriders and the larger 400/430 SSC and ASC models. The 380 SSC incorporates a FAS3Tech multistep hull with 21 degrees of transom deadrise and a molded structural grid, promising to deliver the performance and ride that are Formula’s hallmark. The 380 SSC also provides a full-width cockpit and overnight capabilities for four people. The 380 SSC’s SmartZone design utilizes all available space for a variety of entertainment possibilities. The single-level deck offers a seamless transition to the bow from the full-width hardtop with an exclusive sliding bow window. Triple command seating, two aft lounge areas, plus the outdoor galley supply comfort, as does the aft-facing convertible sun lounge. Consider an…

Once detached from a marine engine, a sterndrive or outboard lower unit is unwieldy and heavy, making repairs and storage awkward at best. Some boaters use bench vises to grip the skeg and keep lower units upright while undertaking work, but this is best reserved for smaller outboard lower units, and even at that, it risks breaking or bending the skeg. The best solution is a sterndrive/lower-unit stand. You can buy top-quality models from companies such as Stumpy’s Fab Works for about $210. But unless you’re a full-time marine mechanic, it might not be worth the investment. Another option is to build your own. While there are a number of ways you can engineer and build a stand, here’s one of the least expensive approaches based on a 12-by-18-inch-wide store-bought…

Beneteau built the Gran Turismo 36 in the United States for the North American market. This new boat is wider, longer and more spacious than the old GT 35 while retaining speed and agility. Its mission? All-day entertaining and occasional cruises for four people. It’s available with either twin sterndrive or outboard power. Beneteau’s design team considered what entertaining means, from comfortable cruising, socializing, food preparation and consumption, to sunning, swimming, and privacy for changing clothes and other … activities. For cruising, the helm and companion seats are contoured double benches with flip-down bolsters, so four can participate in piloting. A large windshield, dramatically curving side windows, and an overhead moonroof provide abundant light and sense of space. Performance is lively; our test boat, with twin MerCruiser 6.2-liter V-8s turning…

While it’s hard not to notice a bright-pink boat with metal-flake treatment, what really sets Centurion’s 2020 Vi22 apart from other wake-sports boats are its ultraclean lines and lower, sportier gunwales. The Vi22’s style hearkens back to another era. Take off the tower, and the Vi22 would look like a beefed-up version of an early ’90s ski boat, and in the opinion of this 30-something editor who grew up on those boats, that’s a good thing. From the bottom up, the Vi22 possesses the distinct advantage of running on Centurion’s Opti-V hull. With 20 degrees of dead-rise, and designed specifically to push more water at wakeboarding and wake-surfing speeds, the Opti-V hull shapes up sizable and symmetrical wakes and waves. Add in the 2,850 pounds of subfloor ballast, plus another…

It’s a cruiser wearing a dayboat’s clothes. Or maybe it’s a sporty dayboat that works as a weekender on demand. Our first impression of the Beneteau Flyer 32 resounds with words like versatility, ingenuity and functionality. The Flyer 32’s lines, accentuated by a full-beam windshield with side panes, catch the eye. Four people can enjoy the thrills at its helm station, with two bolster seats at the console and a double companion seat to port. The cockpit offers increased space and modularity, with footrest seats, plus an aft bench that folds to form a large sun pad. A rigid T-top, or a Bimini top, can be installed to shade this area. With the “smart walkaround” concept, the Flyer 32 combines easy movement on board with safety. With an asymmetric single…

In the October 2019 issue, reader Ed Dankievitch, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed chief engineer, questioned the use of self-solder-and-seal electrical butt connectors (which we tested in the July/August issue), indicating that these connectors are not Coast Guard-approved for boats. We checked the ABYC standards, and section E-9 indeed states: “Solder shall not be the sole means of mechanical connection in any circuit.” The standards specify pull tests for electrical connections based on wire size. For instance, 16-gauge AWG wire connections must handle a pull of 15 pounds, 10-gauge terminals must withstand 40 pounds Since the NTE self-solder butt connectors also have heat-shrink collars serving as another mechanical means of connection, we conducted pull tests to ascertain the strength of the heat-shrink collars only (to replicate a high-heat scenario in which…

I’m an avid boater with years of experience. I also know my way around motorcycles. The two might not seem like they have much in common, but both skill sets recently came into play when I had an opportunity to drive a surfboat while others got to play in the wake. Though I have little experience towing people behind a boat, I figured the fundamentals would cross over. I was able to apply that theory when I joined a merry group of motorcycle enthusiasts comprised of boating-industry pros who also enjoy touring on two wheels. They meet annually for a multiday road trip that combines their passions for boating and biking at the Boaterz’n’ Bikerz Hull of a Tour. Organized by boating-industry veteran Wanda Kenton Smith, routed by professional boat…

The Finseeker 220 Center Console is the first of a new line of saltwater fishing boats by Crownline Boats of southern Illinois. Skeptics would query, “What does an Illinois luxury runabout-maker know about saltwater fishing?” Our tests revealed the company did its homework and developed a model that not only fishes well, but also incorporates everything Crownline knows about building luxury cruising features into a seaworthy machine. The 220 CC possesses a look of its own. Not borrowing from low-slung fishers from South Florida and avoiding a copycat Carolina flare, the Finseeker’s designers gave the high bow a new look and lines that enable safe passage through rough inlets with the strength of a sumo wrestler and the agility of a martial-arts champion. Both fishable and seaworthy, the Finseeker does…

Chaparral’s 21 SSi OB represents a new series of runabouts that build on its H2O series by adding more luxury and style while keeping Chaparral’s commitment to quality and family pricing firmly in place. We reported on the sterndrive in our October issue, and the pair presents a formidable choice We liked the outboard for several reasons. First, with the outboard, you know before you hit the throttle which way your motor is pointed. That’s helpful when pulling away from the dock or sandbar, or unloading from the trailer. A sterndrive is hidden from view, and you can’t tell if it’s tilted for safe launching or, for watersports, if the helm is straight enough to give your skier a clean hole shot. Outboards are easier to flush after saltwater use,…

After teasing the boating world with a 42-foot prototype sportboat in 2017, Lexus (the car guys) have collaborated with Marquis/Carver (the boat guys) to produce the Lexus LY 650, a production 65-foot luxury yacht that is, as Lexus says, “Where Road Meets Water.” Drawing on the Marquis team and Italian designer Nuvolari Lenard, the yacht has strong Lexus DNA, from the L-shaped air vents to the clear-coated carbon-fiber dashboard. As the first journalist to sea-trial the LY 650, I can report that this is no cocktail cruiser, but a quite serious contender in the fast but seaworthy category occupied by the likes of Princess and Sunseeker. Our test, in rough Gulf Stream conditions, dissuaded any thoughts that it is only for turning heads in quiet harbors. Lexus devotees may be…

Winter covers are gaining popularity. “People are keeping boats longer,” says Brad de Wolf of the Rhode Island canvas shop Kinder Industries. “Custom covers pay for themselves [compared to shrink-wrapping] in about four winters. They also provide a more protective, more consistent envelope for expensive boats and equipment,” he says, “versus shrink-wrap, which varies year to year.” MATERIAL CHOICES “Moisture penetrates into breathable fabrics, and then snow and ice stick,” de Wolf says, so he prefers woven polyester and waterproof fabrics such as Top Gun or HarborTime for winter covers. “Snow falls right off that slick surface.” Double-coated fabrics hold up well under wet, heavy snow. Single-coated-fabrics are lighter, less bulky and less expensive alternatives in lower latitudes. Choose Tenara thread for ultraviolet protection. APPENDAGES AND VENTS To mitigate moisture…

From a church pew as a kid, I heard a minister quote from the book of Ecclesiastes: “There is nothing new under the sun.” Well, that preacher never laid eyes on the Solace 345 nor met the company co-founder, CEO and chief designer, Stephen Dougherty. This new center-console fishing boat reflects truly new thinking, starting with the most prominent feature—a patented FishThru transom platform that extends aft between and beyond twin outboards that are spaced out on the edges of the hull. Riding above the waterline, the 52-inch-long platform lets you fish astern of the outboards and steer a hooked fish around the motors. The 23-inch-high gunwales lead to a beefy transom door. From below, a hydraulically operated swim platform with a boarding ladder extends farther astern. This deep-V monohull…

I started liking the Release 301 RX seconds after throttling up. It transitioned to plane easily, without loss of sightlines. More, I coaxed it to stay on plane at just 12.1 mph. Two great attributes. Of course, discerning boat buyers seek more than just a good ride. Take, for instance, the 301 RX’s wood-free construction with fiberglass stringer system and hand-laid hull. Rigging exceeded my every expectation, with neat, well-supported wiring and plumbing consisting of quality hoses, double clamps, and pumps located for easy service. Comfort and style? The helm seat featured two-tone, pebbled vinyl, folding armrests and footrests, and a commanding view for the captain and mate. A handy catch-all tops the helm, and switches, instrumentation, and big-screen, flush-mount electronics exist in ergonomic splendor. Overhead, the T-top’s brawny pipework…

Outboard-powered cruisers have never been more prevalent than they are today, owing largely to the growth of outboard motors themselves. The Yamaha 425 XTO Off shore V-8, for example, stands near the pinnacle of available outboard oomph and technology, and is well-suited for boats such as the Pursuit OS 355, which serves as both a capable cruiser and an off shore fishing machine. A pair of 425s could supplant a trio of Yamaha F300 V-6s on the transom of the OS 355 (with a dry weight without power of about 15,770 pounds and a maximum horsepower rating of 900), and reduce the rigging, complexity, maintenance and drag created by the propulsion system. Yet how do these two outboard configurations compare in real-life performance? TRIPLE 300 HP YAMAHA F300 OUTBOARDS DRIVE/PROP:…

The new Cortex from Vesper Marine is more reminiscent of a smartphone. The touchscreen handset (the size of a mobile phone) combines a Class B AIS transponder and remote vessel monitor with VHF. Vesper CEO Jeff Robbins says, “Cortex fundamentally changes how you interact with safety communications systems.” For example, have you tried making a direct DSC call to another boat? You might try it, but few people use this function regularly because it’s complicated. With Cortex, you simply touch the vessel on the screen and press “call” to make a direct DSC call. Cortex includes Vesper’s SmartAIS technology to alert boaters of potentially hazardous situations. It continuously calculates and shows crossing situations with navigation light sectors on screen, and even allows trial maneuvers while a boater talks on the…