Two years ago we looked at the new Hatteras 60 when
it was first introduced at the Palm Beach boat show. Since that time the 60 Convertible
has become the most popular model at Hatteras and her beautiful Carolina styling
has caught the eye of a whole new generation of big game anglers. That’s right,
the baby boomers are not the ones buying the boat; they have moved on to boats more
appropriate for the geriatric set. Rather, virtually all of the buyers of the 60
are men under 55 – and the new generation of tournament angler has swagger. They
evidently like the sassy, classy Carolina look of the Hatteras 60. To find out about this new sportfishing boat phenomenon and what
sets the Hatteras 60 apart from the competition--troll the mouse.
The most popular Viking Sport Cruiser these days is the 70-footer, which seems to be an ideal size for both people trading up and those
trading down. Owners like the fact that it has 4 staterooms with 3 en suite heads,
plus a 2-berth captain’s cabin in the stern. The folks at Viking tell us that many
of their customers buy them for their retirement, and we couldn’t think of a better
package. Nothing keeps one in better health than an active life cruising in ocean
air. One 70’ Viking Sport Cruiser buyer took delivery in the U.K. and is currently
in his second year of cruising the Med. To find out more about this boat and if it is the right one for
your retirement --
Until last Sunday and the death of five of their fellow
buccaneers, for young Somalis, piracy offered a life of boating fun, camaraderie,
adventure and easy money. Last year Somali boaters took in over $80 million in ransom
money. Their activities have been a bonanza for the local economy which heretofore
had been living on U.S. AID shipments of subsidized grain and an occasional local
goat. These young boaters have been buying grand houses, luxury cars, and attracting
beautiful wives. In the last two weeks they have gotten a taste of the yachting lifestyle
when they hijacked three yachts, one a sailboat with a crew of four and a 3-year
old child aboard, another that was a luxury cruising catamaran in the Seychelles,
and a third yacht with three men aboard sailing to Madagascar. There are reportedly
over 100 of these little, high freeboard pirate ships currently in use. To find
out what is really going on -- hang your mouse.
To our way of thinking, one of the best values in the Tiara
line of cruising boats is the 3500 Sovran. It has virtually everything the 3900
has, except it is slightly smaller – four feet shorter and, one foot less beam
and weighs 5400 lbs. less. It sleeps 4 people instead of 5 in the 3900. The 3500
doesn’t go quite as fast, but it is close. Both boats have Volvo Penta IPS propulsion
with joystick control. The 3500 is powered by twin 300-hp diesels and the 3900 is
powered by 370-hp diesels. Give up guessing which picture above is the 3500? It
is the boat on the left and it sells for 28% less than the 3900. Check out our comparison of the two boats, find out how much they
cost, and see why we think the 3500 is a better value.
The Meridian 580 was
designed for serious cruising and
extended stays by its owners and guests. But there is more to this boat than room,
it also has the design details that make the cruising life pleasant and easy; things
like a large galley with all amenities, a washer/dryer, two en suite staterooms,
plus a third stateroom. The yacht has four places for breakfast, lunch or dinner
– the settee in the pilothouse, the dinette opposite the galley, on the table on
the aft deck, or up on the flying bridge. Guests will like the different venues.
And Meridian hasn’t forgotten the quality details, such as the arched doorways below
which you sometimes don’t find on boats three times the cost. Two weeks ago Capt.
Steve talked about the performance of the Meridian 580 and this week he looks at
livability. Join him for a video look inside --
Finally a builder has introduced something new and very different. Nordhavn, which
pioneered the concept of single-engine long range power cruisers over 20 years ago,
has now taken the next step by building a trans-oceanic luxury motoryacht with twin
engines. Not only that, but she is rigged for serious fishing. Finally a sportsman
can go in pursuit of the elusive 2,000-lb. black marlin, fish everywhere Zane Gray
went, as well as places he could never reach --or, go scuba diving in mid-pacific
atolls, or explore the Northeast Passage, or visit the Spice Islands. With 4,300
gallons of fuel and a cruising fuel burn of 12 to 15 gph at cruising speed, most
of the world is within reach. To find out more about this exciting yacht--
Removing nasty stains, scum marks at the waterline, grease, dirt, scuff marks and
other grime on a boat's varied surfaces is an age-old chore. Lots of cleaning agents
will do the job if you have the crew pictured above, but most of us are not so lucky.
The trick is to get the boat clean with a minimum of elbow grease and time. When
the cleaning gets tough, you need to get a serious marine cleaner, one that will
get the job done without killing all of the wildlife within 100 yards of your boat.
We’ve got the answer--and the rest of the story about the 14 gals --
While the American media focused on the hijacking of a U.S.-flagged ship and the
plight of one American captain during the last week, a feeding frenzy by dozens
of other Somali pirates took place. At least 15 other people, including a 3-year
old boy, were taken captive in three yachts. There were also four other commercial
vessels hijacked by pirates within the same 48-hour period as the U.S.-flagged ship,
plus a Taiwanese fishing trawler and an Italian tug boat taken last weekend. The
American media is over reporting on the plight of the U.S.-flagged ship and crew
and under reporting on all of the other piracy going on. Find out what's happened to the boaters --
Perhaps the actions of the U.S. and French navies last week and all of the media
publicity generated in the U.S. and Europe will embolden Western governments to
put an end to Somali piracy the old fashioned way – interdict pirate ships before
they attack, and invade the nest of pirates where they live. In 1803 and ’04 Lt.
Stephen Decatur of the U.S. navy attacked the Barbary pirates in Tripoli and put
an end to piracy and ransoms in the Med that the great European powers had been
putting up with for years. At the time the U.S. navy was small and weak, but it
was full of resolve and courage. And, President Jefferson was a leader. British
Admiral Lord Nelson is said to have called this "the most bold and daring act of
the Age". To find out more about Capt. Decatur and to register your own solution
to the piracy nonsense -- hang your mouse.
Regular readers of this cyber journal by this time should know Capt. Rod’s Rules
of the Road by heart. Rule #1: “Largest boat always has right-of-way.”
That rule
is admirably demonstrated in this video taken on board a vessel piloted by a graduate
of Capt. Rodney Dangerfield’s School of Seamanship. Rule #2: “If a collision inadvertently
occurs, immediately shout that it is the other guy’s fault and call him bad names.”
Sadly, Capt. Rod passed away a few years ago, so he is not able to see the fruits
of his fine instruction, but we offer you this video in his memory. How to get some respect in a crossing situation --
Today we are offering an informative and entertaining video about the history of
maritime safety. It is the first of four videos that we are going to publish over
the next month that put in context the USCG’s safety rules, regulations and the
current safety programs promoted by that government service. These videos
were personally
made by Rear Admiral James A. Watson, the USCG’s Director of Prevention Policy for
Maritime Safety. They are historically accurate and quite interesting and we urge
all of our viewers to be sure to see every one. Rear Admiral Watson
is a graduate of the USCG academy and has a degree in naval architecture from the
Univ. of Michigan. He obviously is a life-long boater and cares passionately about
boats and boating. It all started in colonial times --
This week Capt. Steve goes over thirteen new lessons and
guidelines on how to safely refuel your boat. You’ll learn why it’s important to
take your time when refueling, reasons for shutting off all electric equipment,
how to avoid a static spark, and why you should avoid overfilling your boat. Captain
Steve will go over why it’s a good idea to log your fuel consumption usage, and
why it’s important to do a sniff test in the engine compartment.These are basic procedures which all recreational boaters should be aware
of. The videos presented this week are part
of Capt. Steve’s USCG-approved boating course called “Smart Boating.” Watch Capt. Steve's
video boating lessons every week on BoatTEST.com.
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That rule
is admirably demonstrated in this video taken on board a vessel piloted by a graduate
of Capt. Rodney Dangerfield’s School of Seamanship. Rule #2: “If a collision inadvertently
occurs, immediately shout that it is the other guy’s fault and call him bad names.”
Sadly, Capt. Rod passed away a few years ago, so he is not able to see the fruits
of his fine instruction, but we offer you this video in his memory. 
