Trailer Boats articles from January 2004

Trailer Boats archives from January 2004

No shortcuts.(On Plane)
January 1, 2004... My staff and I were taken to task recently by a competing magazine's editor over the amount of work our publication expends in gathering test data. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To be specific, my colleague seemed annoyed that our magazine...

Maxum clarification.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... The Maxum 2200 S[R.sub.3] showcased in the December issue is an exciting part of Maxum's new lineup of boats. However, a few things included in the article need clarification. First, Maxum, Bayliner and Trophy each are distinct brands and are...

Party platform.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I own a 17-foot Larson Citation that I purchased new 20 years ago. My family and I have grown up with this boat, and it continues to be a lot of fun. Now I want to install a swim platform. Have you ever taken on this project? Steve...

Discovery disclaimer.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I appreciate your 2004 Tow Ratings section (December). This is a great example of the kind of objective, facts-only report that I find most useful. (Consumer Reports, eat your heart out.) However, one vehicle always stands out, because the data...

Runabout rentals.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I enjoyed the article by Ron Ballanti in the October issue about houseboating on Lake Shasta. We have made several such trips on Lake Powell, the Suwannee River and the St. Johns River. We are looking for a new spot, and Shasta may be it. ...

Power winners.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Bennington, Cobalt, Correct Craft, Crownline, Grady-White, Ranger and Sea Ray emerged as the big winners in J.D. Power and Associates' 3rd annual study of initial customer satisfaction among boat buyers. Evinrude, PCM and Yamaha also came...

Mercs made in China?(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Though not a done deal at press time, Mercury Marine said it is considering building small outboards in China to increase its profit margins, and, at the same time, free up room for the expansion of SmartCraft technology, as well as production...

Malibu Wakesetter LSV.(Hot New Boats)
January 1, 2004... Malibu completely redesigned its Wakesetter LSV for 2004, giving it a sharper, edgier look and stretching the luxurious wakeboard boat to 23 feet this year. A new postless windshield with stainless cap further defines the new look. ...

Quintrex 168 Coast Runner.(Hot New Boats)
January 1, 2004... This hot little number caught our eye when it made its debut in early October 2003. One of the editors described it as "short and to the point," while another commented that it combines the attributes of a multi-species boat with those of an...

Electronics: Furuno NavNet system.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Just a few issues ago, Tech Editor Jim Barron wrote of the "Helm of the Future," envisioning a multi-purpose, flat-panel navigational display. Well, perhaps he was inspired by Furuno's futuristic NavNet system, which can incorporate radar,...

Anchor choice is a fluke.(Reader Survey Results)
January 1, 2004... An overwhelming majority of readers carry fluke-style anchors. That's the finding of a recent survey on Trailer Boats' website, which asked, "What kind of anchor do you carry?" More than 75 percent answered fluke-style. Plow-style anchors...

Quips and quotes.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... "Ain't nothin' like throwing a hula popper, Draggin' it across a spot a big 'un oughta be. And ain't nothin' like having him for supper, With some good hush puppies and some sweet iced tea." --Brad Paisley, country singer (from Ain't...

Skipper's challenge.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Which waterborne vessels are not required to display the usual arrangement of red, green and white lights? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] a) seaplanes b) submarines c) air-cushion boats d) amphibious cars

Term of the month: fiberglass whip.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... No, we're not referring to an instrument of torture. Fiberglass whips attach to docks, and are used to reduce wear and tear on both the dock and the side of a boat from waves and boat wakes. Paraphrased from Skipper's Challenge ($19.95), a...

Question of the month.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... What kind of shoes do you wear on the boat most of the time? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] a) deck shoes b) sandals c) athletic shoes d) rubber boots e) none

Something's fishy: Century 2200 CC.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Panama City, Florida-based Century Boat Co. has staked much of its reputation--and product line--on center console fishing boats in recent years. And so, when it announced a new 22-foot center console, we were more than anxious to test it; in...

Tow to tow: BoatU.S. purchases Vessel Assist.
January 1, 2004... In late September, Alexandria, Virginia-based Boat America Corp.--parent company of BoatU.S. and TowBoatU.S.--acquired Newport Beach, California-based Vessel Assist Association of America. The move joined two of the country's largest towing...

Getting personal: Sea-Doo RXP.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... Shortly after Kawasaki introduced the 145 hp Ultra 150 in 1998, the U.S. Coast Guard asked personal watercraft (PWC) manufacturers to support a voluntary speed cap of 65 mph. Since then, Yamaha and Honda have unveiled 165 hp models, and Sea-Doo...

SKI locker: Session Si and Xi V-drives.(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... In 2003, Regal surprised everyone by offering an inboard V-drive aimed squarely at performance-oriented wakeboarders. The Session, at 22 feet, 2 inches in length (without platform) by 8 feet wide, had an optional DVD player and monitor plus...

Did you know?(Dock Talk)
January 1, 2004... * The Dania, Florida-based International Game Fish Association places the total number of fish species in the world today at approximately 27,000. * On November 5, 1915, Lt. Cmdr. H.C. Muslin made the first successful catapult launch of a...

Outboard light.(Boat Improvement)
January 1, 2004... There was a time when skiffs and dinghies could cruise around after dark without having to display much in the way of navigation lights. You simply carried a flashlight on board and blinked it on and off to indicate your position to boats...

Frequent Flyers.(Boating Basics)
January 1, 2004... If you've ever arrived at the launch ramp with fewer items in your boat than when you left home, you know how I felt upon discovering that a sizeable seat cover had gone flying somewhere between the driveway and the water. If you ride a...

Time to burn.(Propulsion Report)
January 1, 2004... Back in the early 1970s, Trailer Boats was the only boating magazine gathering fuel-consumption data on marine engines. And in those days, we timed how long it took to burn a quart-bottle of fuel. We would then use a mathematical equation to...

Attack cruiser: Crownline gets aggressive with a new 25-foot cruiser that combines unique styling and innovative features.(Test)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... Ask a boater what type of craft typifies the Crownline brand, and he is likely to answer runabout. Indeed, while Crownline also offers deck boats and cruisers, it has been increasing sales of four stylish runabouts--the 202, 225, 266 and...

Marine power 2004: engine builders blast the market with a storm of "firsts" in marine power.
January 1, 2004... In last year's marine power round-up ("Eye of the Storm"), we predicted that boaters were on the verge of seeing numerous new models that would set ever-higher standards in technology, horsepower, economy and reliability. For 2004, those...

Sound of silence: for high adventure and great fishing, tow your boat to Nootka Sound, on the shores of Vancouver Island.(TBM Destination)
January 1, 2004... If you're a trailer boater who loves adventure, be forewarned. Getting to British Columbia's Nootka Sound isn't easy. And it isn't for everyone. Before you're done, you'll have towed your rig from wherever you call home to the ferry dock in...

Little big boat: Polar's 21 center console packs a lot of fishing room into a hull that's easy to trailer.(Test)
January 1, 2004... Center consoles generate a lot of excitement with boaters in warm climates such as Florida, where open, breezy cockpits are not only tolerated, they are welcomed. And while you can find center consoles in lengths up to 35 feet, models in the...

Step aboard: here's how to install a swimstep on the transom.(TBM How-To)
January 1, 2004... Have you even tried to climb back aboard a boat without a swimstep, platform or boarding ladder? I have, and it's not easy. On boats with high gunwales, it can be nearly impossible. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That's why most new boats have...

Jet travel: a new type of propulsion system is advancing the prospect of jet power for heavier deep-V boats.(Test)
January 1, 2004... Rarely does a totally new and different marine propulsion system hit the market. Most new systems are refinements on existing designs. However, one small company seems to be on the threshold of a true breakthrough--so much so that we wrote...

Volvo's XC90 combines a 2 1/2-ton rating with car-like refinements. But, how well does it pull?(Wagon Tale)
January 1, 2004... For many years, Volvo has been one of the few automobile manufacturers offering a real "tow car" in the truck-laden U.S. market. The new Volvo XC90 extends that distinction. Introduced in 2003, the XC90 was acclaimed by Motor Trend magazine as...

Pick your favorite.(2003 "Over The Transom" Photo Contest Finalists)
January 1, 2004... This year's "Over the Transom" photos are as wacky and weird as ever. Yet, which one stands out? We can't decide, so once again, we're leaving it up to you, the readers, to pick a winner. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Euro diesels.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... I heard that in Europe there are diesels used in runabouts that increase fuel economy by 50 percent. Is this true? Are there manufacturers that make diesel outboards, or would they be too heavy? I noticed in your publication that Mercury has an...

Belt buster.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... I have a 1998 21-foot Wellcraft with a Cobra 350 sterndrive. The boat runs great, but regularly eats the belt that drives the power steering pump. I have replaced the belt three times. The boat has less than 100 hours of running time, and the...

Sting operation.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... I was reading about the Stingray hydrofoil stabilizer in the ad on page 72 of the August issue. I am thinking about getting one of those and installing it. Do you or any of your readers have any experience with these? Do they help the boat...

Runaway hour meter.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... I inadvertently left the key switch in the "on" position while running the gas out of the carburetor of my 3.0L MerCruiser last fall. My hour meter has gone off of the scale. Is there any way to fix this? Is there any way to prevent it from...

Synthetic intelligence.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... I have always changed my lower unit oil at the beginning of the boating season. The rig only has 185 hours on it and is garage-kept, so changing the drive oil once a season seems OK to me. Last year, I changed brands of synthetic oil. The old...

OMC service manuals.(Tech Letters)
January 1, 2004... Thanks to Bill Magin for this bit of information: Ken Cook Company has service manuals available for 1979 and older OMC engines (Johnson, Evinrude, Gale and Buccaneer). They can be ordered on-line at ken cook.com. Editor's Note: We invite...

Short bunks.(Tow Car)
January 1, 2004... I have a situation similar to Mr. Horne's ("Overhanging Hull," October Tow Car). An aft portion of the hull overhangs the trailer bunks by 5 inches. I don't think moving the bow stop forward will work (your advice to Horne) because my trailer...

Front-end hitch.(Tow Car)
January 1, 2004... Although I have never seen one, I have heard that you can mount a trailer hitch on the front end of your tow vehicle to make it easier to position a boat in a driveway or other tight places. John Becker Cincinnati, Ohio Most of...

Overwide permits.(Tow Car)
January 1, 2004... My boat is overwide, but still towable. Where do I get information on overwide regulations and permits to tow my boat crosscountry? Don Souter Hilton Head, South Carolina While most of these regulations apply to commercial...

Tow packages for Ranger and Tacoma.(Tow Car)
January 1, 2004... This year, I want to buy a trailer and a tow vehicle for my Regal 2100 LSR. I am looking at new and used Ford Rangers and Toyota Tacomas. Some of the new trucks have trailer hitches, but no heavy-duty cooling equipment listed on the window...

Suburban gears.(Tow Car)
January 1, 2004... We take a lot of gear with us on our boating and camping trips, so I really want the extra size of a Suburban, even if I can tow the boat with something smaller. I am looking at two used, yet nearly identical Suburbans to tow my 6500-pound...

Stainless Sierra fuel filter bracket keeps corrosion at bay.(TBM Tested)
January 1, 2004... Other editors in the office say I have a stainless steel fetish. I think they're right. I love stainless, and with good reason. Salt water takes a heavy toll on anything else--and that's why you will find my boat festooned with stainless...

Cayman sunglasses are proven winners.(TBM Tested)
January 1, 2004... In Jim Hendricks' On Plane column entitled "Fish Story," in the October issue, he wrote of two big mako sharks we caught on the way to winning a tournament. It was a story not only of teamwork, but also of preparation and first-class gear. ...

Rancho performance shocks put the driver in control.(TBM Tested)
January 1, 2004... Rancho's RS9000X shocks have 17-times greater fluid capacity than their predecessors, giving drivers better performance under virtualy any load and temperature situation--and they're available for most domestic and import pickups and SUVs. ...