BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from January 2006

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from January 2006

Behind the buoy.
January 1, 2006... As we look out at this new year of 2006 we are reminded of the observation once made by the comic, "Professor" Irwin Corey, who said, "If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going." That being said, while change is...

Tax reform panel proposes major change in deductions.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... A presidential panel on tax reform has proposed a complete overhaul of U.S. tax law that would simplify the entire system but change or eliminate many of the deductions that have been in effect for decades. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

'05 hurricane season break records.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... The hurricane season that ended last Nov. 30 will go down in the history books for the trail of broken records it has left and enough new data for scientists to study for years to come. Not only did the National Hurricane Center run out of...

Tipping the scales.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Since the average weight of adults was last incorporated into standards for passenger boats in 1960, Americans have, shall we say, expanded in girth. So much so that the U.S. Coast Guard announced in October that it is launching a revision of...

Ethanol suspect in older fiberglass gas tanks.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Older fiberglass gas tanks may fail or cause engine damage when filled with gasoline formulated with ethanol, according to damage reports collected by BoatU.S. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BoatU.S. has learned of more than 30 cases of...

Ponte Vedra, FL, welcomes BoatU.S. National Advisory Council.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Nearly 500 years after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon reportedly set foot in this part of the state in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth and more than 60 years after a squad of German U-boat spies were captured coming ashore,...

Gulf's 'Loop Current' eddies intensify storms.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Scientists monitoring ocean circulation in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have a new understanding of how these tropical storms can gain intensity so quickly: the Gulf has a warm "Loop Current" that is likely to intensify...

Sea Lions remain protected.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... A re-writing of the Endangered Species Act as advocated in Rep. Richard Pombo's (R-CA) bill, HR 3824, won't mean open season on sea lions. The ever-increasing pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Boat boarding's by...

Used boat market huge, study finds.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... In 2004, 71% of boats changing hands were pre-owned, as compared to 63% in 1997, according to a recently released study by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). The 2004 Pre-Owned Boat Market Study reported that more than one...

Navigation data goes live for Columbia River.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... The Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest has become the 13th U.S. waterway to install a Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) providing accurate real-time oceanographic and meteorological data to mariners for free. Managed by the...

Great Lakes' 'trout truck' retires.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... For the first time since 1990, boaters on Lakes Michigan and Huron won't see the familiar MV Togue out stocking lake trout this year. This spring a new vessel built specifically for the job will replace the old workhorse of the U.S. Fish and...

Budget still shallow for ICW.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Congress agreed to minimal funding for 2006 to keep the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) operational but the $10 million appropriated for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is another "band-aid" in the emergency first-aid kit, not a cure,...

Base closings open up marina space.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... While boaters are growing increasingly concerned about local marinas being sold for waterfront residential developments, the closures of a number of military installations around the country may actually open up needed waterway access. The...

See 007 Bond boats at boat shows.(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Looking for something unique at the boat shows this season? How about a boat with rocket launchers and a hang glider escape vehicle? If so, the folks at four National Marine Manufacturers Association produced boat shows have a treat for you....

Texas wind storm brewing?(BoatU.S. reports)
January 1, 2006... Several hundred power-generating windmills could join the thousands of oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to provide electricity ashore but some anglers and environmentalists are wary of the plan. In October, Texas leased...

Appreciation.(member forum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... On behalf of the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, I wish to express my sincerest appreciation for your words of support and gratitude published in the November 2005 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine. Your endorsement of the efforts...

More on model years.(member forum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Thank you for writing the "Yamaha Drops Model Years" story on Yamaha Outboards on page 9 of your November 2005 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine. The article carried a major error by inaccurately stating that all Yamaha engines will carry a label...

Private enterprise vs. the public good.(member forum)
January 1, 2006... It is frightening that a U.S. Senator does not understand the impact of privatizing critical public services. Capitalism and free enterprise are great for virtually everything that does not impact the public health and safety. The profit motive...

A little extra insurance.(member forum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... While I enjoyed "What's The Answer to Better Boat Design" in the November 2005 edition, I believe that in one case, your experts all gave misleading answers to the question. When asked about having double hose clamps on fittings below the...

Reboarding solutions.(member forum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I read with regret the July 2005 issue account of a fatality due to an angler falling overboard in the Chesapeake Bay and his partner not being able to get him into the boat due to lack of a boarding ladder. All small boat anglers should be...

Ok, but is it a three-hour tour?(member forum)
January 1, 2006... I read your recent article about Bob Denver's passing and it brought back many years of memories about the antics that occurred on Gilligan's Island and the character played by Bob Denver. You may or may not know that there is an actual...

Castro's long history of blame.(member forum)
January 1, 2006... Having experienced the power of hurricanes in Cuba during my youth and in Florida in my adult life, I was interested in reading Michael Vatalaro's hurricane seeding article. We found the article accurate and educational. The author...

Start big and work your way down.(member forum)
January 1, 2006... I am well aware that as boaters, we must pursue any avenue to keep our waters and sea beds free from toxic materials. Officials tend to blame recreational boaters for these problems instead of looking at the largest polluters that deposit the...

Chart software for macs.(member forum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Regarding your story in November about NOAA raster charts on the Internet--in case you did not know, there is a Macintosh compatible marine navigation software that supports RNCs (Maptech, Softcharts, NOAA) and ENCs (NOAA). You can get MacENC...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
January 1, 2006... Dear Readers: Last month marked the fifth year since I began writing Ask Cap'n Drew. I thought that in the spirit of the anniversary, I would run some of my favorite top 10 lists. Here's one that came to me while I was strolling...

The secret Santa.
January 1, 2006... Between Capitol Hill, the White House and the headquarters of the FBI and CIA, the nation's capital is a city that thrives on secrets. Secret-keeping and secret-outing is a high-level cat and mouse game played by thousands. But there's one...

Satellite security blanket.
January 1, 2006... Most boat owners would never believe their boat could be stolen from out of their driveway. But then again, the detective working the case never thought he would recover the boat, and catch the thieves, just two hours after the owner reported...

BIG returns on fuel tax.
January 1, 2006... With the exception of two East Coast states, the federal fuel tax boaters pay is hard at work providing new facilities for transient cruisers on all three U.S coasts, the Great Lakes, the major inland rivers, Alaska and Hawaii, according to a...

Rescue 21 where are you?
January 1, 2006... The U.S. Coast Guard's much anticipated state-of-the-art communications system, Rescue 21, that is supposed to take the "search" out of search and rescue, is years behind schedule and may not be fully operational in all 50 states until 2011....

A shot in the dark.(BOWFISHING)
January 1, 2006... It looked like an alien spacecraft coming out of the night, hovering just a few feet above the surface of Wisconsin's Lake Mendota. A row of brightly lit squares glided first left, then right. A UFO, perhaps? Another band of lights emerged...

BoatU.S. negotiates special rebates for boat buyers.(at your service)
January 1, 2006... Boat show time is here and this season your BoatU.S. membership can help you save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars off the price of a new boat. The winter boat show season is the busiest buying season of the year when about half of...

Come see us this winter.(at your service)
January 1, 2006... BoatU.S. members can get discounted tickets to all of the NMMA sponsored boat shows by going to BoatUS.com/tickets. We'd also like to see you at the following shows that headquarters staff will be attending, and don't forget to pick up your...

Stores change names to West Marine.(at your service)
January 1, 2006... Three years after BoatU.S. sold its 62 stores and online catalog operation to West Marine, the Watsonville, CA, retailer has decided to put the West Marine name on most of the BoatU.S. store locations. By narrowing their focus to a single store...

Member dues.(at your service)
January 1, 2006... Effective January 1, BoatU.S. dues will increase--only the second time dues have gone up in the past 20 years. The regular annual membership rate will increase from $19 to $25. For those of you who signed up through one of our $14 special...

Techno talk.
January 1, 2006... Water, water everywhere, but unless you are sailing on an exceptionally clean freshwater lake or have a reverse osmosis watermaker on board, you can't drink it. The value of an unlimited supply of fresh, good tasting water is well understood by...

Second chances seaport supplies: building wooden boats is one thing; building young lives is another and the Alexandria Seaport Foundation does both remarkably well, while carrying the maritime traditions of past centuries into the 21st.
January 1, 2006... Four traditional wooden boats of Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay lineage were tethered to a floating building on the Alexandria, VA, waterfront recently, across the Potomac from Washington, DC. Inside, on the main deck of the Seaport Center,...

Overland transport: as a recreational boater you're expected to know how to operate your boat. But like a fish out of water, arranging for your boat to travel overland by a commercial carrier is unfamiliar territory for most of us. Here's a primer on "boat transport 101.".
January 1, 2006... So where do you start? Finding a good hauler is key and in this business, reputation is everything. BoatU.S. Consumer Affairs has a list of haulers who provide boat hauling services. Or, ask fellow boaters whom they had good experience...

Who builds what boats?(boat smart)
January 1, 2006... Diversification is the name of the game. Whether companies sell cars, soft drinks or sporting gear, the strategy is simple: appeal to a wide audience by selling a variety of different products. Large conglomerates like Brunswick Corp.,...

Mississippi meanderings.
January 1, 2006... You can plan a Mississippi River trip using a variety of strategies. One is to combine a favorite interest with your boating. Music lovers, for instance, can find festivals galore along the river. Fans of community festivals, like Steamboat...

CO: what you can't see can hurt you.(good foundations)
January 1, 2006... Late in the season a Michigan couple headed out to their boat to ready it for the winter ahead. With the boat's gas generator and electric heater keeping them warm, they labored away at maintenance projects down below. What they didn't realize...

Foundation increases grant giving to $100,000 a year.(on deck)
January 1, 2006... The BoatU.S. Foundation recently announced it will award $100,000 in grants in 2006. Each year since 1988, the Foundation has given away cash awards up to $4,000 to help small nonprofit groups launch boater education projects. However, this...

The Giant Pumpkin rocks--and floats!(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... Wondering what to do with that leftover Halloween pumpkin? You can only do so much with pies and soup; so why not carve it into a boat? Each October at the Goffstown, NH, Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta, participants transform 500- to...

Women's convention set for west coast.(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... On Feb. 4, several hundred women sailors aiming to hone their skills and learn some new ones will once again converge on Corona del Mar for the 17th annual Southern California Yachting Association's Women's Sailing Convention. With...

The major leagues of pumpouts.(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... These days, three million is not a big number in state government. But that's only if you're talking about money; how about something else that's "green," as in environmental programs? Three million is the number of gallons of boat sewage...

Researchers FLIP over ship.(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... The gentle sound of waves lapping at the hull may be relaxing to some but to a researcher studying how sound travels in the ocean, the noise is a deafening, experiment-ruining problem. Even with all their systems shut down, ships make a lot of...

Teamwork pays off.(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... BoatU.S. member and BoatU.S. Public Affairs office manager Claire Wyngaard raced last season as foredeck crew on Genesis, a Hunter 37.5 Legend, in the Herrington Harbour Sailing Association Race Club in Friendship, MD. The team not only won all...

Big Brothers, Sisters take to the lake.(tangled line)
January 1, 2006... Lake George, NY, Mayor Bob Blais (at left) and Harris Bay Yacht Club manager Dan Behan (at right) join with young sailors from Big Brothers/Big Sisters who participated in Lake Awareness Day on July 30. The kids were able to take to the lake...

The current scoop on galvanic corrosion.(sea worthy)
January 1, 2006... Pitting on the outdrive's lower unit was first noticed by the boat's owner in the spring of 2002. The following year, "some degree of corrosion was evident" on the same outdrive, so the owner slapped on a fresh coat of paint and hoped for the...

Hottips and news you can use.
January 1, 2006... Advances In Chartplotting Two new improvements in chartplotting technology make it easier to identify landmarks and use weather forecasting in trip planning. Navionics recently took a coveted National Marine Manufacturers Association...

2nd timearound.
January 1, 2006... Fortier 26 www.fortierboats.com At first glance, the clean, classic lines of the Fortier 26 might be mistaken for one of the Down East-style boats that have proliferated over the last few years and are generally referred to as "Picnic...

Save time and fuel with the latest vehicle navigation technology.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... Your boat may have a GPS system with a huge high-resolution, brilliant color screen, loaded will all the maps of your favorite destinations and fishing spots. But what about your car? With today's fuel costs, accurate, turn-by-turn guidance to...

Behind the boat.
January 1, 2006... As this issue of the magazine finds its way into your mailbox, the holiday season should be reaching its zenith. The packages and presents under your holiday tree will have been opened and some of you will be thinking of New Year's resolutions....

Where our flags fly.
January 1, 2006... Send us a photo of your boat, preferably flying the BoatU.S. flag, and we'll publish it here, or online at BoatUS.com. Please include the name, make, size and home port, as well as your member number. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PAIR A...