Trailer Boats articles from July 2002

Trailer Boats archives from July 2002

Small-boat mentality. (On Plane).
July 1, 2002... In a previous life, I was an advertising account executive -- a job in which establishing good rapport with clients is critical. Many ad execs do this by taking clients golfing. I took them fishing. I usually took them somewhere along the...

More B.C. Adventure. (Letters to the Editors).
July 1, 2002... Thanks for the great article on Shuswap Lake ("High Adventure," May 2002). If you ever get a chance, there are several lakes the size of Shuswap and bigger in the northern half of British Columbia that are almost completely deserted. That means...

Teach your children well. (Letters to the Editors).
July 1, 2002... Thanks for a great magazine and a good article on getting kids started in waterskiing (Ski Locker, May 2002). I taught summer camp for years and learned that there is a thin line between teaching them to ski and scaring them to death. It...

Woodies fan. (Letters to the Editors).
July 1, 2002... I've always wondered why fiberglass boats weren't made to resemble the snazzy woodies of the '40s. The Alsberg sportjet you featured in "Woosh Wagons" (May 2002) certainly shows that at least one 'glass builder can replicate the beauty and...

Battle for fishing rights. (Letters to the Editors).
July 1, 2002... Extreme environmental groups are about to take away your rights. Within the past year, schemes have been hatched that would shut down more than 60 percent of Southern California's coastal waters to recreational fishing. It won't end there....

Budget Bayliner stirs industry backbiting. (Dock Talk).
July 1, 2002... Days after Seattle-based Bayliner Boats announced plans for a 17-foot sterndrive-powered runabout that will sell for under $1OK (including trailer), rival boatbuilding conglomerate Genmar Holdings began shooting verbal torpedoes at the low-cost...

PWC ban in National Parks is temporary, says industry. (Dock Talk).
July 1, 2002... Although the personal watercraft (PWC) industry lost its court fight to block a prohibition of PWCs in 21 national recreation areas and seashores last spring, 16 of the parks are moving ahead with rulemaking procedures to allow these craft...

Most new craft are trailerable, according to Info-Link. (Dock Talk).
July 1, 2002... A respected market research firm has confirmed what we knew all along -- that most new boats are trailer boats. According to Miami-based Info-Link Technologies, Inc., of the 410,000 new boats sold last year, 310,000 (or 75 percent) were 26 feet...

Term of the month: bitter end. (Dock Talk).
July 1, 2002... No, it's not how you feel when your spouse leaves because you spend too much time on the boat. Bitter end refers to the last or inboard part of a line or chain.

Skipper's challenge. (Dock Talk).
July 1, 2002... In propeller lingo, the theoretical distance a vessel moves forward with each revolution of the prop is known as: (a) diameter, (b) pitch, (c) thrust, or (d) cup. For the answer, turn to page 109. Paraphrased from Skipper's Challenge...

Plug and play. (Boat Improvement).
July 1, 2002... There was a time when all you had to bring aboard were a picnic basket and a pair of oars for a day of boating. Today, we load up with so much stuff -- gear, food, drinks and toys -- that we need a truck to carry it all to the boat. ...

Flush with success. (Back to Basics).
July 1, 2002... I've learned the hard way that any exposure at all to salt water calls for the same post-trip tasks that a summer of dunkings would require. A sterndrive-powered boat I once owned suffered greatly after an Easter weekend in the Gulf of...

Electronics Q&A.
July 1, 2002... BATTERY TIME I have a small 121.5 MHz EPIRB that is around 5 years old. What's a good way to test the batteries? Dick Langley Norfolk, Virginia You can test it precisely on the hour with a small FM radio held up to the EPIRB...

Sea monsters. (Propulsion).
July 1, 2002... Most of the time in this column, I try to cover powerplants that are at least within the realm of possibility for most readers. Occasionally, however, I like to get readers thinking outside the normal engine box. This month we will cover two...

Myth busting. (Ski Locker).
July 1, 2002... Let's take a few minutes to debunk some common myths related to watersports. Myth No. 1: Towers are just for wake-boarding. Actually, almost everyone benefits from a tower's higher towing position. Fans of towers include beginning and...

Launch ramp.
July 1, 2002... HYDRA-SPORTS 202 DUAL CONSOLE Call it a deal maker or marriage-saver. Call Hydra-Sports' new 202 Dual Console anything you like -- just don't call it a compromise, because this 20x8 1/2-foot "marinized bowrider" leaves nothing on the table...

Cliff hanger: you've probably seen it on the Web, but the story behind this startling image has a happy ending. (Inside Story).
July 1, 2002... The picture has been floating around the Web for months. Millions have seen it -- a chilling image of a truck dangling off a rocky precipice, tethered only by its hitch to a stalwart Bayliner above. For the trapped driver, seconds pass like...

Thrill ride: Baja's new 20 Outlaw is designed to run fast and sell even quicker. (Boat Test).
July 1, 2002... Most sleek, go-fast boats are expensive to build. That can be a problem for a high-performance boat company that wants to expand its market. As a consequence, many of these builders have given up on low-end sales, preferring to focus on the...

Precious metal: Aluminum fishing boats are among the most economical of all craft, and now is great time to get an even better deal. (Buyer's Guide).
July 1, 2002... As late summer and fall approach, so do some of the best fishing opportunities. Yet, there are as many specialty boat models as there are fish species, and choosing the best all-around boat to suit your needs can be a difficult task. However,...

Good chemistry: here are 30 must-have products for keeping your boat in tip-top shape.
July 1, 2002... Your boat is a complex piece of machinery and it requires a wide range of products to keep it running and looking good. Poke through any skipper's gear locker or garage and you're likely to find a witch's brew of liquids, sprays and mysterious...

Trend setter: with the new 220 Sundeck, Sea Ray revamps the model that changed the face of deck boat styling. (Trail Run).
July 1, 2002... Sea Ray has developed an unmistakable style -- a trademark design that is readily recognizable, even in runabouts and cruisers built 20 years ago. However, the Sea Ray "look" is not easily adaptable to all styles of boats. A case in point: deck...

Below the falls: waters downstream from thundering Niagara Falls offer great boating and fishing opportunities. (TBM Destination).
July 1, 2002... Sometimes you can't see the water for the falls. That's what happened to me the first four times I visited New York's thundering Niagara Falls. Rumbling the earth as far as a mile away, this is the famous, awe-inspiring place where Lake...

Fresh approach: selling for $16,500 with engine and trailer, Triumph's 190 Bay offers advanced technology at a reasonable price. (Trial Run).
July 1, 2002... The process of mass producing a fiberglass boat had remained basically unchanged since the late 1940s. Recently, however, boatbuilding technology has begun to advance, and fresh approaches to hull construction are beginning to emerge, as...

Towing tweaks: a few key upgrades help make our Ford F-250 SuperDuty project truck a better tow vehicle. (TBM Project Truck).
July 1, 2002... Let's say you want to improve your tow vehicle. What would you do? Drop in a powerful big-block V-8? Give it a new transmission? Headers? Better tires? To help provide some guidance, we started with a great tow vehicle and made it just a...

Muscle trailer: here's how to turn an ordinary trailer into a muscle machine. (TBM How-To).
July 1, 2002... Do you have too much boat on too little trailer? Ever wish for more carrying capacity to handle your when it's loaded for bear? Or wonder what could be done to beef up trailer so it's sturdier and more capable? Are you pondering an upgrade from...

Attention getter: no matter what color you order, the supercharged Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed will never be a shrinking violet. (TBM Tow Test).
July 1, 2002... There's something about spotting a cop in your rearview mirror that makes you sweat. I haven't had a speeding ticket since I was too young to buy a beer, but nonetheless, when a Chipper (slang for California Highway Patrol) began tailing me...

Tech letters.
July 1, 2002... PORT LIST I remember buying the very first issue of Trailer Boats in 1971. I have always appreciated your down-to-earth, informative format. Although I've owned a number of boats over the years, my buddy has a problem I've never come...

Tow car.
July 1, 2002... DURANGO REAREND I just purchased a 1999 Dodge Durango 4WD with a 5.9L engine and 3.92:1 axle. I want to replace the rear shocks and need some advice. I read your recent midsize Tow Vehicle of the Year article, which stated that the Durango...

EZ Loader celebrates 50 Years of Quality Boat Trailers. (Advertisement).
July 1, 2002... Special 50th Anniversary Logo to Appear on all 2003 Models When EZ Loader Boat Trailers began offering boat trailers to the marine world back in 1953, who would have imagined the company would become the inventor of the roller trailer and...

Half of trailer boats readers have disc brakes on their trailers. (Survey Results).
July 1, 2002... Does your boat trailer have disc brakes? That was the question posted on our website -- trailerboats.com -- from April 20 to May 15. Fifty percent of those who responded to the survey said yes, and that surprised us. It is now clear...

Steve Quinlan joins the crew. (Back at the Ramp).
July 1, 2002... This month, you'll see on our masthead a new, yet familiar name -- Steve Quinlan. As some of you may recall, Quinlan had served as editor of our sister publication, Bass & Walleye Boats. He left two years ago to become executive editor of...

MarineEast hose adapter kits fit everything. (Gotta have it).
July 1, 2002... Just as important as having a good selection of tools aboard is a complete set of hose adapters. MarineEast, long-time component builder for reputable manufacturers such as Chris-Craft, Boston Whaler and Sea Ray, recently introduced five...

West Marine's JumpStart won't leave you powerless. (Gotta have it).
July 1, 2002... If anything can ruin a trip, it's having to be towed in. You can't always control boating conditions, but there's no excuse for dead batteries thanks to two powerful, compact, lightweight emergency batteries from West Marine, each with 1200...

Quick change Trailer-Jack takes the chore out of changing flats. (Gotta have it).
July 1, 2002... Don't let a flat trailer tire leave you stranded. Springfield Marine's Quick-Change Trailer-Jack makes changing a tire a snap, using the vehicle's movement to raise the trailer. Place the jack under the trailer's axle and then drive forward or...