Test more than 90 boats, as our test team did in creating this year’s Boat Buyers Guide, and certain patterns emerge. For one thing, the outboard continues its rise in prominence. It began when new emissions regulations drove up the cost of sterndrive and inboard engines. For the longest time, a sterndrive was the best…
BOAT-TRAILER BREAKDOWNS Proper boat-trailer maintenance will help you avoid a breakdown. By Rich Johnson At the top of the launch ramp, the trailer suddenly lurched and fell slightly to one side. In the side-view mirror, I could see one of the wheels cocked at an ugly angle. The axle had broken just inboard of the…
The boat-buying process is not overly complicated, even for a first-time buyer, but it’s still wise to know the steps involved. Every boat deal is different, but there is a general process buyers should be familiar with before purchasing a sport-fishing boat. As I mentioned in a previous article, brokers are quite helpful throughout the…
10 Ways Boat Trips Are Good For the Soul Boat trips are just plain good for the soul. The sense of peace and tranquility that can be restored to you while gently rocking on the waves is undeniable. Although, if you need more reasons to take a boat trip, or are trying to convince someone…
Inboard Boat Engines Are Not Car Engines I’ve talked a lot in this blog about the differences between boats and cars — how they’re built and serviced differently, and how their wiring and other replacement parts are not the same. There are also critical differences between marine inboards and car engines, so before you let someone tell you that a crate…
Boating with dogs and cats aboard your boat can be fun. But before you head out, your pet should receive some initial preparation if it’s to be the first boat trip for your pet. Consider having an ID microchip implanted in your pet if it doesn’t already have one. It’s fairly inexpensive and if a…
All-New Portable Model Recognized for Class-Leading Characteristics, Performance ALPHARETTA, GA — The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), along with a judging panel from Boating Writers International (BWI), has named the all-new Honda Marine BF6 portable engine as a recipient of a 2016 International Boat Builder’s Exhibition (IBEX) Innovation Award for outboard engine technology. BWI and the…
In his Seamanship column for Boating’s July 1960 issue, Elbert Robberson wrote: “In daylight, objects around you are easy to identify. They are big or little, short or long, round or square, and they appear very plainly to be bridges, docks, land, beacons, buoys, or boats of various kinds heading one way or another. But at…
Introducing BoatMatrix a single source inventory management tool for marine dealers. BoatMatrix was designed with the marine dealer in mind. After consulting dealers and industry porfessionals this online management tool has everything you need to manage your inventory in one place along with offering built in marketing tools that drive consumers to your website to…
The estuaries on the East and West coasts of Florida are being deluged by nutrient laden, sediment filled water. This is causing long term damage to our fisheries. Meanwhile Florida Bay is starved of clean fresh water needed to sustain the fishery. The solution is to #BuyTheLand south of Lake Okeechobee and #SendCleanWaterSouth Thanks to…