Not so fast… At a recent meeting, I had dinner with a rep for one of the major diesel engine manufacturers. I asked him why we were are still seeing new models and developments in internal combustion engines when the world seems to be diving headlong into electric propulsion. He made several interesting points. Current battery technology does not…
Last time, we focused on why more people don’t wear life vests, lifejackets, or inflatable PFDs. Now, let’s talk about who should wear one, when and why. The obvious answer is everyone, all the time, because it is the number one safety tool on the boat. After all, you wear your seatbelt all the time,…
Why don’t more people wear PFDs (personal flotation devices), aka lifejackets? It is a fact that most drowning victims are not wearing a PFD. We wear seatbelts, helmets when we ski or ride a bike (at least you should, my bike helmet has two dings in it from falls), and in general we are more…
Growing up here as a kid in the 1950s and early 60s in Youngstown, NY, on the Lower Niagara River, we would watch the new Shepard mahogany runabouts being tested on the river each spring. They were built right across the river in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Before long the Hinterhoeller and C&C plants came along, again…
‘Tis the time of year when used boats are selling rapidly and almost all of them need condition and valuation surveys. Marine surveyors are harder to find these days since many have retired, and their reports are more expensive. However, insurance companies and some lenders want a survey, and you would be wise to have…
Bow thrusters and back-up cameras: what do they have in common? They both reduce the possibility of hitting something you don’t want to hit, and they take much of the anxiety out of close quarters maneuvering. Most would never buy a vehicle that didn’t have the back-up camera, and likewise it is becoming almost standard…
For years, boaters didn’t much worry about obtaining insurance on their boats, they were mainly concerned with who gave them a better quote. The tables have turned. Prices for coverage have gone up and insurance carriers are pickier about what they will insure. The main reason is the number of “catastrophic losses” over recent years,…
The last two summers, I had the privilege of sailing our J/9—both non-spinnaker racing and daysailing. With that much time aboard, I feel very confident in writing about it. For starters, the J/9 was designed first and foremost as a daysailer; everything about it was created with that purpose in mind. Like all J models,…
I was finally able to look this new boat over in more detail, and the more I looked, the more impressed I became. We would like to point out some of the features that are new and different from most others we have seen. The boat is built in a Slovenian factory by different craftsmen…
What are the must-haves for today’s boat buyers In keeping with what today’s customers expect in a new boat, the list of options and standard equipment includes many things not seen before, at least on most production boats. Some are to increase comfort and convenience, others are to allow new boaters to safely get up…