Trailer Boats articles from October 2002

Trailer Boats archives from October 2002

Let them learn. (On Plane).
October 1, 2002... We all learn in different ways. Listening to instructors. Studying books. Watching videos. Or sometimes we simply learn by osmosis -- absorbing and mimicking what others do. Ultimately, however, we all learn best by doing. You can read,...

Flag placement. (Letters to the Editors).
October 1, 2002... I want to install a new U.S. flag on my boat, but I don't have a clue as to where it should go. There was a mounting area just behind the bow light on the deck, but we enter over the bow and through the V-berth quite often. The aft...

PWC particulars. (Letters to the Editors).
October 1, 2002... The four-stroke personal watercraft shoot-out ("Four-By-Four," August) by Zenon Bilas was very interesting. Because most of the places I ride have limited fuel availability and most of my trips are two or more days, I need to know how much fuel...

Watt the heck? (Letter to the Editors).
October 1, 2002... Gordon West missed the boat in his "Chop the Plug" reply to Hal Marquis in the August Electronics Q&A column. Mr. Marquis' primary problem is not the undersized 12-volt connections of his inverter. It is that he is grossly overloading it. No...

Hurricane cap. (Letter to the Editors).
October 1, 2002... I read your "Decked Out" story in the August issue. In your description of the hull and cap design of the Hurricane SunDeck 187, you mention that it is made from heavy-duty GX48 expanded vinyl. Actually, the vinyl is used for upholstery, not...

Ford to unleash new diesels. (Dock Talk).
October 1, 2002... Ford Motor Co. is set to debut a 6.0L Power Stroke diesel in its 2003 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups and Excursion SUVs. The new turbocharged V-8 pumps out 325hp and 550 foot-pounds of torque, making it the most powerful in its class. We...

Genmar's new firstmate program packages boating services. (Dock Talk).
October 1, 2002... Minneapolis-based Genmar Holdings, Inc. is offering a new service in 2003 called FirstMate to buyers of its 17 boat brands, which include Aquasport, Four Winns, Glastron, Hydra-Sports, Larson, Ranger, Triumph and Wellcraft. The program...

Sea Ray and Bayliner dominate boat sales. (Dock Talk).
October 1, 2002... Sea Ray and Bayliner continued to dominate U.S. fiberglass powerboat sales in 2002. In the first quarter (traditionally the most important months for boat sales), Sea Ray and Bayliner were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, according to Statistical...

Term of the month: head reach. (Dock Talk).
October 1, 2002... No, it's not the distance to the nearest bathroom. Head reach is the distance a vessel will travel from the time the engine is put full astern until the boat is dead in the water.

Skipper's challenger. (Dock Talk).
October 1, 2002... The distance to a thunderstorm can be determined by counting the seconds between a lightning flash and thunderclap. Each second equals approximately which of the following? (a) 1000 feet, (b) 100 meters, (c) 1 kilometer, (d) 1 mile. For the...

Inverter logic. (Boat Improvement).
October 1, 2002... Though I have been writing about the virtues of inverters for years, I never got around to installing one on my own boat until this season. Now I wish I'd done it sooner. With an inverter on board, the owner of even the smallest runabout can...

Cleat-less docking. (Back to Basics).
October 1, 2002... In a perfect world, boat docks would be supported by thickly padded pilings, sprout sturdy stainless-steel mooring cleats every six feet and boast cool, splinter-free surfaces. In the real world this is rarely the case. Boaters are often faced...

Electronics Q&A.
October 1, 2002... 'DUCER DILEMMA I am planning to install a sophisticated electronics fishing package on my new Bayliner. Water temp and depth readouts are desired, but will they require multiple transducers? Gene Davis Oceanside, California ...

Power peek. (Propulsion).
October 1, 2002... Last month, we previewed some the newest outboards from Yamaha and Mercury. This month we provide equal time to Bombardier, Honda, Nissan/Tohatsu and Suzuki. Here is a quick glimpse of what to expect in 2003. BOMBARDIER Sturtevant,...

Making room. (Ski Locker).
October 1, 2002... At a glance, the Wakesetter 23 XTi ($42,500 w/o trailer) may look like a traditional inboard ski boat. Yet, it is one of the most unique models from Merced, California-based Malibu Boats (209/ 383-7469; malibuboats.com). This 22 1/2-footer has...

Launch ramp.
October 1, 2002... CENTURY 2560 COASTAL DECK Joining Century's stable this year is a series of deck boats led by a 241/2x81/2-foot flagship dubbed the 2560 Coastal Deck. As you might have guessed, the series -- which includes 2360 and 2160 models -- is...

New York ranger: We test the newest version of Sea Ray's 260 Sundancer on a five-day romp in New York. (Exclusive).
October 1, 2002... You may remember our Sea Ray 260 Sundancer project boat. We used it for a variety of projects throughout 1999 and 2000, including the installation of a fiberglass radar arch and cruise around the islands of Southern California. In the end, we...

Kick it up: GM Powertrain unveils its newest engines--models that you may see soon from Indmar, MerCruiser, PCM and Volvo Penta.
October 1, 2002... Emeril Lagasse, the TV chef who seems to be able to turn the most basic foods into pure delights, is famous for whipping up a dish, then stepping back and saying, "Let's kick it up a notch!" With that, he mixes in an extra measure of peppers...

Great gear: Hear are ten of our favorite boat accessories--gear than can make your time on the water even more enjoyable.
October 1, 2002... Each month, we receive scores of press releases on the latest boat accessories. Some are winners -- and some aren't. This is a story on the winners -- ten new products ranging in price from less than $40 to more than $2000. Each must be...

Complete outrage: We test Boston Whaler's new 240 Outrage twice--first with twin outboards and again with a single.
October 1, 2002... Boston Whaler's new Outrage 240 represents the pinnacle of the very design that the company first popularized in the 1960s. This center console fishing boat brings together many of the best ideas of the genre and in doing so will further endear...

Hard body: we install a cool-looking hardtop on our new Pursuit 2460 Denali project boat.
October 1, 2002... Among the most basic human needs is shelter. On a boat, there are two basic ways of fulfilling this need -- hard shelters such as cabins, and soft shelters such as Bimini tops with canvas and isinglass enclosures. You can also combine hard...

Black Magic: Mercury pulls a four-stroke V-6 outboard out of Yamaha's hat.
October 1, 2002... The debut of Mercury's first big four-stroke outboard should be occasion for a major press event. So we were surprised to stumble upon a prototype Mercury four-stroke V-6 at a recent dealer meeting for U.S. Marine (parent company of Bayliner,...

Expeditionary force: A new suspension system tops the list of improvements to the 2003 Ford Expedition. (TBW Tow Test).
October 1, 2002... The original Ford Expedition debuted in 1997, launching a new era in the annals of automotive history. It was not the first full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV), but it fired up buyers, becoming the most popular in this category. Ford's...

Dockhand 101: Helping other boaters dock is an art unto itself.
October 1, 2002... Many skippers will readily admit to feeling uneasy about docking boats, especially under adverse conditions involving a strong wind or current. They will also tell you that a sure cure for such anxiety is the sight of an able dockhand waiting...

Fact and Fichtion: Here are all the latest tips, tricks and servicing techniques for Evinrude and Johnson Ficht outboards.
October 1, 2002... Regardless of the year or horsepower of your Ficht outboard--or whether it's an Evinrude or Johnson, OMC or Bombardier--its servicing is more critical and maintenance techniques are more complex than those of a carbureted engine. Like Yamaha's...

Tech letters.
October 1, 2002... BAD ADVICE I recently purchased a 2002 Wellcraft 230 Excalibur Sport. It has a MerCruiser 350 Mag MPI with a Bravo 1 outdrive, a 21-inch-pitch Mirage prop and a Corsa performance exhaust. The first time we had the boat out, it was slow...

Tow car.
October 1, 2002... TAHOE RATING I currently trailer a Doral 230BR (towed weight about 5500 pounds) using a 1999 Durango 4WD with the 5.9L V-8 engine, and all factory towing equipment -- including a Class IV hitch. My next vehicle needs more interior space...

Our international connection. (Back at the Ramp).
October 1, 2002... Recognition of Trailer Boats' expertise and evaluations by U.S. boaters is certainly close to our hearts. Yet we're proud to say that much of our work also reaches boaters on other continents. Many stories that appear first in these pages are...

Boating industry blasts oil/water report. (Back at the Ramp).
October 1, 2002... The Washington DC-based National Academy of Sciences recently reported that oil from the exhaust of two-stroke watercraft is significantly impacting water quality and marine life. But the Chicago-based National Marine Manufacturer's Association...

Most readers have only one fire extinguisher on board. (Back at the Ramp).
October 1, 2002... How many fire extinguishers do you have on board? That was our question of the month for August. It was posted on our website -- trailerboats.com -- from July 20 to August 15. Sixty percent of those who responded to the survey said they...

Keep steady focus with Nikon's StabilEyes. (TBM Tested).
October 1, 2002... A recent cruise along the Hudson River and Long Island Sound gave us the, opportunity to test Nikon's new StabilEyes binoculars. The glasses feature a complex electronic stabilizing system that consists of gyro sensors and microprocessors,...

Prepare for the worst with West Marine's 500 medical kit. (Gotta Have It).
October 1, 2002... An on-the-water emergency--especially offshore, miles away from a medical treatment facility--could prove catastrophic unless you're equipped with a complete first-aid kit and know how to use it. With that in mind, West Marine worked with...

New floating soft lines match your boat colors. (Gotta Have It).
October 1, 2002... Wanna enhance your boat's appearance at the dock? Softlines, Inc. now offers mooring lines in a variety of vibrant colors to match your boat's accents. These lines are made of soft, UV-stabilized polyproplene rope that resists permanent knots...