BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from March 2004

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from March 2004

Behind the buoy.
March 1, 2004... U.S. Sen. John Breaux (D-LA), whose name has been synonymous with anglers and boaters getting a fair shake on Capitol Hill, announced in December that he would be retiring from Congress after a career in both the House and Senate spanning more...

Breaux's legacy in peril?(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... Legislation extending the $500 million-plus Wallop/Breaux Trust Fund for boating and fishing for another six years is making headway in the U.S. Senate, but as this issue of BoatU.S. Magazine goes to press, it has yet to be launched in the U.S....

Deductions available on boat loans.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... For those boat owners still working on their 2003 tax returns, it is important to remember that the interest paid on qualified boat loans is fully deductible, according to the IRS. This deduction is one of the hard-fought results of a BoatU.S....

Wild year for hurricanes.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... Scientists have plenty to study with the 2003 hurricane season ending up as a record-breaker in which some 14 tropical storms formed and seven became hurricanes. Six of those affected the United States, some severely, such as Hurricane Isabel...

Manatee deaths up, boat toll down.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... Last year proved a tough one for Florida's manatees with the second highest number of deaths on record, 380. The principal cause of death, red tide, claimed 98 manatees in the southwestem part of the state. That's the second highest red tide...

Flare gun alert.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety has issued a notice alerting users of Olin flare guns of a possible defect in some guns. Olin (now Orion Safety Products) 12-gauge flare guns manufactured before 2000 may not open wide enough to...

Outdoor recreation slows down.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... They say youth is wasted on the young and a recent Recreation Roundtable report of trends in outdoor recreation appears to bear out the adage. The survey found a significant decline over the past two years in outdoor recreation...

One Web site for recalls.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... How things change! Thirty years ago, the marine industry said boat recall laws would break its back. Today, the marine industry is not so worried. In fact, it's actually putting its back into promoting a government web site that publicizes...

Deep-sea nurseries.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... With such an expansive ocean, there should be plenty of room for all marine mothers-to-be to have their own nesting ground. Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have discovered unique nurseries in which groups of fish...

California's budget woes.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... Everyone knows that California has a whopping deficit and that the "Terminator" was summoned to save the ship of state. So, it should come as no surprise that everyone would feel some pain when Governor Schwarzenegger fired off his first budget...

South Carolina's sky-high tax.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... South Carolina's property tax on boats is a good example of one of the more onerous among state taxes on boats. Boat owning residents there pay a 10.5% annual personal property tax on the assessed value of their vessels, which is much higher...

FCC to link SAR data.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission in December began collecting an expanded set of safety data from those applying for a Ship Station license in order to fulfill search and rescue requirements of the Rescue 21/Global Maritime Distress and...

Liability insurance coming?(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... While 45 of the 50 states require automobile owners to carry liability insurance, getting hit on the water can be far riskier business. A recent proposal by the U.S. Coast Guard would allow the states to require proof of liability insurance in...

Fish farms under fire.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... Once heralded as the seafood industry's answer to depleted fish stocks, open water aquaculture now is under attack as a threat to the home and health of the very marine resources that it seeks to save. The latest slap in the fin comes from...

Bahamas permit allows two entries.(BoatU.S.Reports)
March 1, 2004... There's a little bit of good news for Bahamas-bound boaters this spring. The government of the Bahamas has announced a change in its Cruising Permit Fee structure to allow for two entries within a 90-day period rather than only one entry. The...

Kudos to the Coast Guard.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I would like to applaud your article "Deaf Boater's Plea Heard." Many of us have special needs at some point in our lives, whether they are temporary or more permanent. Your article on Steve Turner's encounter with the U.S. Coast Guard and the...

An unsafe situation?(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... As a safety conscious and responsible boat operator, I was astonished to read the article "Deaf Boat Owner's Plea is Heard." Have we citizens in this country abandoned reason for the sake of being politically correct? Where is the logic in...

New York state of mind.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I was delighted to see Seneca Falls, NY, featured on the cover of the January BoatU.S. Magazine. Having motored past this location a number of times in my unmasted sailboat, I can say this is one of the more scenic, relaxing and memorable...

Boater's taxes hijacked.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Thanks for publishing your article about recouping gas taxes in the states where the funds are taken from taxpayers and used in every way but those for which they are intended. If more people knew the ways their taxes were used, they would be...

Rube Goldberg Eco-Boat.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I read the article "Eco-Boat Meets the Test" and found it quite entertaining. Rube Goldberg would be proud indeed of the "fuel cell powered" vessel described in the story. It is actually solar / wind powered with a lot of unnecessary...

Lake Mead meanderings.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Your article on Lake Mead is very well written and is truthful about the 80-foot "bathtub" ring caused by the continuing lowering of the water level caused by five years of record-setting draught. This has resulted in numerous large rocks being...

Marina contract morass.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I recently had an experience involving a local marina in Seattle that wanted me to sign a moorage agreement to stay at their facility overnight. It included the indemnities you discussed in your January "Boat Smart" article, but one additional...

New boat blues.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I enjoyed the article "Industry Insider Turns Consumer." It's about time someone addressed this issue. Being an avid boater for many years, I fell victim to the finger pointing between dealer and manufacturer when my brand new engine 'blew...

Keeping customers.(MemberForum)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I am writing in response to your article "Industry Insider Turns Consumer" in the January 2004 issue. I specifically want to address the issue of retention. I purchased a used 1997 28-foot center console directly from the manufacturer. I...

Deviant readings.
March 1, 2004... There's nothing like being on the water to make you hungry. If, for example, your wife or girlfriend happens to be an international supermodel who could stand to gain a few pounds, just take her out on your boat. After a single afternoon in the...

Reader reaction.
March 1, 2004... In our January issue, the former chief lobbyist for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Mick Blackistone, offered his assessment of how boating consumers are treated by boat dealers and manufacturers. It drew quite a response; here...

Net gains for sustainable seafood.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... What do such culinary luminaries as Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Emeril Lagasse, Rick Bayless, Alice Waters, Robert Kinkead and Todd English have in common? Turns out, they and over 90 other top American chefs contributed the 150 finfish and...

Raising the bar on safety.(NTSB Chairwoman Ellen Engleman Conners)
March 1, 2004... It's hard to believe that the ultimate goal of a high-powered attorney and transportation expert newly installed as the head of a. federal safety agency would be... zero, zilch, a big O. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But for Ellen Engleman...

Costa Rica.(Destination)
March 1, 2004... Fishing off Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, the experienced anglers of "Ladies Let's Go Fishing's," first-ever Central American trip were beginning to get a bit impatient. The lull aboard Moondancer, one of Parrot Bay Resort's 29-foot sportfishing...

Belt pack inflatables take the plunge.(FoundationFindings)
March 1, 2004... In Part I of this series, we introduced you to some of the smallest, most high-tech life jackets on the market: belt pack inflatables. We took these products home, repacked and rearmed them, and treated them like our own. Now, in Part II, we've...

Fuel taxes float transient docks.
March 1, 2004... Like many rural Oregon towns, the economy of Rainier, on the Columbia River, has struggled in recent years. A once prosperous logging and commercial fishing center, Rainier has long looked to its river for economic strength and now, thanks to a...

Block Island.(Our Favorite Places)
March 1, 2004... We've all heard about "independent" New Englanders. But the folks on a seven-by-three-mile speck of land 12 miles off the Rhode Island coast take it to the next level. When the U.S. declared war on Germany in January 1942, the 671 residents of...

Sunshine state in the dark on consumer help.(Consumer Protection Bureau)
March 1, 2004... Florida's got it all: the sunshine, the orange groves, the big mouse with the funny voice, and boats, lots and lots of boats. In fact, the marine industry ranks high on the state's list of top businesses. Florida, with Michigan and California,...

Consumer alert.
March 1, 2004... Federal laws require marine manufacturers to issue defect recall notices when boats or related equipment contain "defects which create a substantial risk of personal injury" or when they do not comply with boat manufacturing regulations. The...

Baby whaler sightings.(HotTips and News You Can Use)
March 1, 2004... Known for their stability, safety and sea-keeping abilities, Boston Whalers have had a loyal following ever since they first cut one in half in 1961 to demonstrate their "unsinkability." Now the company has come up with a couple of new baby...

Weather for Sailors.(HotTips and News You Can Use)
March 1, 2004... Serious cruisers and racers who have ever wanted to better interpret the weather can take advantage of a new "Weather for Sailors" course by North University, weather expert Bill Biewenga and Commanders Weather. The courses, which began in...

The better mousetrap.(HotTips and News You Can Use)
March 1, 2004... At the Annapolis Boat Show a new deck cleat with an industrial design award pedigree had many show-goers asking questions of its creator, Mark Adams, of Karlyn Cleat. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It seems this artist and industrial designer...

From the ground up.(HotTips and News You Can Use)
March 1, 2004... We all know it's common practice in the marine industry for boats to be powered by engines originally designed for cars and trucks. But Volvo's engineers wiped the slate clean and started with a blank sheet of paper in developing a new...

Women's schooner delivery a breeze.
March 1, 2004... Kay Miller, 82, has been a sailor for decades but admits that she took the massive wheel of the Mystic Whaler with some trepidation. As Miller approached the helm looming before her, a quick glance at the boom and rigging was a reminder of the...

Navigating a big win.(TangledLine)
March 1, 2004... Thousands of armchair navigators fought their way through 53 challenging questions but Mark Liffers of Norwell, MA, won a seven-night cruise for two aboard a Star Clipper tall ship by taking first place in the online Weems & Plath 75th...

An ironclad excuse.(TangledLine)
March 1, 2004... When BoatU.S. member Howell Upchurch shopped for parts at the Atlanta BoatU.S. Marine Center for his boatbuilding project, the staff was often befuddled by his requests for certain items. For instance, he asked for 3,000 steel rivets on one...

Ask the cruising experts.(TangledLine)
March 1, 2004... If you've ever dreamed of quitting your job and going cruising, and want to know what it's really like--the biggest challenges and rewards--ask the Bernons, exclusively on www.BoatUS.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twice a month, postings...

National safe boating week: May 22-28.(TangledLine)
March 1, 2004... With the recent news that boating fatalities stopped declining in 2002 and went up to 750, getting the message out to boaters to wear a life jacket becomes even more compelling this coming season. Some 80% of all boating fatalities are caused...

Powering up expert instruction.(TangledLine)
March 1, 2004... Olympic sailor Steve Colgate and spouse Doris, co-owners of Offshore Sailing Schools, are taking a whole new tack this spring by launching a powerboat school. Calling it Steve and Doris Colgate's Power Cruise School, the comprehensive...

Member Mailban.(Membership)
March 1, 2004... Dear BoatU.S: I would like to add my two cents in praise of the BoatU.S. insurance program for Sea Scout vessels. Sea Scout Ship Yorkshire has insured two sailing vessels through BoatU.S. so far, and we have been exceptionally pleased. Not...

My.BoatUS.com is for you.(Membership)
March 1, 2004... My.BoatUS.com Have you always wanted your own boating Web page but didn't have the time or talent to set one up? Now BoatU.S. members can personalize their own free boating Web page with the new My.BoatUS.com. My.BoatUS.com provides...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
March 1, 2004... Dear Cap'n Drew: My husband and I own a 26-foot cruiser and often go out with our three kids (ages 8-15). The problem is that we constantly have arguments because of the lack of privacy. We can't afford a bigger boat right now, but the boat we...

How to.
March 1, 2004... Don Casey is the best-selling author of Do-it-Yourself books, including This Old Boat. His books provide valuable and money-saving solutions to hull and deck repair, boat electronics, sail repair, and much more. For more How To tips, or to send...

Techno talk.
March 1, 2004... With new federal diesel engine emissions rules coming down the pike in 2006, manufacturers are already making changes and the diesel engine in your next boat may already meet the 2006 specifications. The new rules cover marine diesels producing...

2nd time around.
March 1, 2004... Two out of three boats sold in the U.S. are bought used. Many of these have an enduring appeal, having withstood the test of time. In each issue, we'll feature a review of one powerboat and one sailboat by noted naval architect and surveyor...

Behind the boat.
March 1, 2004... After 30 years of owning boats and working in the marine industry you would think that I could pass up a boat show and not go into withdrawal. Not so. As I write this in late January, I've just gotten back from the Seattle area shows...

Where our flags fly.
March 1, 2004... Send us a photo of your boat, preferably flying the BoatU.S. flag, and we'll publish it here. Please include the name, make, size and home port, as well as your member number. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]