Trailer Boats articles from December 2000

Trailer Boats archives from December 2000

BRIGHT FUTURE.
December 1, 2000... The future of outboard power is bright. I know because of a unique opportunity to see, hear, feel, throttle up and drive the outboard of tomorrow -- a prototype four-stroke V-6. Fact is, I am one of the first boating journalists to have ever...

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS.
December 1, 2000... JET TORPEDO I thought the AristoCraft Torpedo 14 ("Time Traveler," August 2000) was a great looking runabout. I was wondering if any consideration was given to offering a jetdrive unit for the boat. With the outboard removed, the classic...

SWEEPSTAKES CORRECTION.
December 1, 2000... In the October 2000 "Back at the Ramp," we mentioned that the "Over the Transom" voting sweepstakes would be in this issue. It will actually run in the January and February 2001 issues. The photo contest grand prize winner will receive a boat....

YAMAHA UNVEILS 225 HP FOUR-STROKE OUTBOARD.
December 1, 2000... Although we have yet to see a production model, Yamaha states that it has developed the world's first 225 hp four-stroke outboard. Yamaha released photos and information on its new V-6 on the company's website, including the image seen here....

MORE WOMEN GET SEASICK?
December 1, 2000... Women are more susceptible to seasickness than men, a survey by major pharmaceutical firm seems to indicate. Acccording to Summit, New Jersey-based Novartis Consumer Health, Inc. -- makers of the Transderm Scop transdermal patch -- 55...

NEW SIX-SHOOTER FROM GM.
December 1, 2000... A powerful new inline 6-cylinder engine will be available in General Motors-made sport-utility vehicles for the 2002 model year, according to the GM press office. The new 4200 (4.2L) Vortec I-6 will pump out 270 hp and 275 foot-pounds of...

TERM OF THE MONTH.
December 1, 2000... "FIDDLE" No, it's not musical instrument or how you spend your idle time on the boat. A "fiddle" is the raised edge on a horizontal surface (such as a galley countertop) that helps prevent items from sliding or rolling off as the boat...

NAME GAME.
December 1, 2000... Self-adhesive vinyl lettering is one of the best things that technology has done for boaters. For those of us who don't have access to capable sign painters to apply our boat names, vinyl lettering provides professional-looking results. ...

BUSTING RUST.
December 1, 2000... You don't have to use your boat in salt water on a regular basis to suffer the heartbreak of rust and corrosion; even freshwater boaters have to deal with oxidation woes. Yet like many boating tasks, when dealing with rust, an ounce of...

ELECTRONICS Q&A.
December 1, 2000... SOAPY WEATHER CHANNELS I trailer my Boston Whaler all over the country and on my marine VHF I occasionally get a lot more than the local weather station -- I get television soap operas! They come in loud and clear. What's going on? ...

GLASS VS. COMPOSITES.
December 1, 2000... There is still no perfect boatbuilding material, but fiberglass comes pretty close. It's the most common material used to build boats today. However, the name is technically incorrect since it can be made up of a variety of synthetic fibers...

MEGA MERCS.
December 1, 2000... Let's bow our heads for a moment of silence MerCruiser's venerable General Motors-based 7.4L (454 cid) big-block V-8 -- which was anything but silent -- is gone. But don't mourn too long. Assuming its place in the MerCruiser line-up is a new...

SKIBOAT TLC.
December 1, 2000... An inboard ski or wakeboard boat is a tool designed to enhance your skiing or boarding performance. That's why taking care of your investment -- not only mechanically, but cosmetically, as well -- makes great sense. A sharp-looking boat always...

Launch Ramp.
December 1, 2000... FOUR WINNS 200 HORIZON People can change. And so can boats which is exactly the case with the 2001 version of the perennially popular 200 Horizon. Completely redesigned, this 20 1/2X8 1/2-foot bowrider now sports Four Winns' Stable-Vee 3...

Glass Cutter.
December 1, 2000... Though not apparent from the outside, Glastron's GX 185 bowrider cuts a new wake in fiberglass boatbuilding technology. Here's our exclusive first test It's a rate occasion when you get to be one of the first to pilot and test a boat...

VISITING THE VEC PLANT.
December 1, 2000... Last year at a marine industry trade show, Genmar Holdings, Inc. -- Glastron's parent company -- displayed a boat hull manufactured using a new process. The hull was exceedingly smooth -- both inside and out -- and had a consistency in...

Sound of Beauty.
December 1, 2000... More than 10 years after one of the world's worst environmental disasters, we revisit Alaska's Prince William Sound by boat to assess the recovery process Prior to March 24, 1989, only a handful of recreational boaters had ever heard of...

High Plateau.
December 1, 2000... Suzuki's new 90 and ll5 hp outboards elevate four-stroke technology to a new level Everything that Suzuki builds -- outboards, automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and generators -- centers on one critical element: the internal...

Bundle UP.
December 1, 2000... Here's how to prep your sterndrive, outboard or PWC for a long winter's sleep The lucky among us live in Southern climes, where boating and watersports are year-round activities. For those of you who live north of the Mason-Dixon line,...

Wake of Controversy.
December 1, 2000... Solo's new remote skiboat raises a red flag among marine safety and law enforcement agencies 'While I wouldn't call it dangerous," says Washington State's King County S6heriff's Officer Don Schmitz, "I would call it an accident waiting to...

Pickups and SUVs continue to grow bigger and more powerful, and this year's tow vehicles are among the best ever.
December 1, 2000... For the past few years, trailerable boats have been getting bigger and heavier. For 2001, truck manufacturers are finally beginning to catch up, offering tow vehicles that meet heavy-duty towing demands. Ford began the race for towing...

As trailerboats get wider, sideview mirror laws are getting tougher.
December 1, 2000... When 8 1/2-foot-wide towed loads became legal on interstate roads more than a decade ago, new boats in the 25-foot range and larger began to show up with these wider hulls. Since an extra foot of beam makes a great difference in a boat's...

Beast Masters.
December 1, 2000... With a choice of two powerful engines, the new 2500 ND pickups from Chevy and GMC can tow monster loads General Motors' new heavy-duty trucks have finally arrived, packing bigger, more powerful engines and enough chassis strength to easily...

Tech Letters.
December 1, 2000... REPLACE THE BOOT The boot that protects the outdrive as it projects through the transom of my 1986 Invader has a cut in it. The V-shaped cut, about 3/4-inch long, is on a fold and allows a substantial amount of water to enter the sump...

TOW CAR.
December 1, 2000... WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION I have a 1999 Ford F-150 5.4L V-8 with a factory tow package and limited-slip differential. The factory hitch has a labeled trailer-towing capacity of 5000 pounds and 500 pounds tongue weight. With a weight-distributing...

ENJOY SCUBA DIVING WITHOUT HEAVY GEAR.
December 1, 2000... This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas. The new SWEM system from Aquavit, Inc. is a compact scuba system for shallow-water use. The SWEM (Shallow Water Exploration Module) is meant for dives to 30 feet. It comes with a...

SAVE YOUR SKIN WITH ALL TERRAIN SUNSCREENS.
December 1, 2000... New from All Terrain are two new lines of sunscreen -- TerraSport and AquaSport. The company states that both formulas contain Z-cote zinc oxide, which offers the broadest-spectrum of protection against UVA and UVB rays. Both formulas go on...

EXTEND YOUR BOATING SEASON WITH ACU-HEAT.
December 1, 2000... It may be cold outside, but it's warm in the boat if you have an AcuHeat 3-H heater from Heater Craft. The Acu-Heat 3-H draws heat from the boat's engine to provide wonderful warmth on cool days. And with the 4-duct venting option, you can put...

AVOID DEAD BATTERY SURPRISES WITH BATSTAT.
December 1, 2000... Wish you could keep a better eye on your battery's condition? Well, Batcon, Inc. has granted your wish with the introduction of the Batstat 300 and 305 series of battery monitors. Batstat automatically load tests starting batteries each...

ELIMINATE WOOD ROT WITH THE "GIT"-ROT SYSTEM.
December 1, 2000... If the wood in your boat has soaked up water and is getting that mushy, spongy feel, there's help available. "Git"-Rot from BoatLIFE may be the answer "Git"-Rot is a two-part liquid epoxy that is designed to fully penetrate and saturate...

MAKE YOUR CRAFT COMPLETE WITH A DECK PLATE KEY FROM DAVIS.
December 1, 2000... Here's a nifty little doodad to slip into someone's holiday stocking -- the universal deck plate key from Davis Instruments. Made of specially hardened, 17 - 7 chromium nickel 301 stainless steel, this pocket-sized key fits nearly all deck...

NO SLIPPING WITH POWERTRAX DRIVE AXLE SYSTEMS.
December 1, 2000... The Powertrax no-slip traction system for your tow vehicle's drive axle is a breakthrough in differential technology, according to the Costa Mesa, California, manufacturer. The Powertrax system has the strength of an axle "locker," with the...

KEEP YOUR BOTTOM CLEAN WITH PETIT TRINIDAD SR.
December 1, 2000... If you store your boat in the water, you know how difficult it is to keep the slime and algae off the hull. Keeping those nasties away can be a struggle even if you don't store your boat in the water. According to Kop-Coat Marine, its Pettit...