All spring long we have been receiving notes from our readers about Regal’s new 2100
RX being something particularly hot, but sometimes these wake dudes are so OD’d
on Red Bull we're not sure what to believe. So last week we dispatched Capt. Steve
down to Orlando to put a cool hand on the wheel. The cranky captain put the boat
through her paces, and we had a video crew on hand to capture it all so that you
could see exactly what we found, fair and balanced. We’ll have it ready in a couple
of weeks, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, here’s Capt. Steve’s full report, hot off his laptop
--
In the U.S., other than meeting a few federally mandated
minimal USCG requirements, boats are not required by law to meet any rigorous building
standards or even to be inspected. “Let the buyer beware” was the watchword until
the NMMA started its boat inspection and certification program. Before buying a
new or used boat, check to make sure the boat has been Certified by the NMMA. If
it is, then you can have peace of mind when buying and operating your boat, confident
that it meets the gold standard for recreational boat construction in the U.S. as
set down by the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). To find out more and to check the list of boat brands that have been
certified by the NMMA --
“To buy this year when I know prices are great, or wait until next year when the best deals may be gone,” that is the question? The uncertain economy has stopped
many boaters in their buying tracks. Still others are making tracks afraid that
the window of buyer opportunity will not last long. Indeed, new boat sales have
been nicely up the last couple of months. We’ve been saying for six months that
2009 will be the best year in history for the consumer buying a new boat. But there
is no denying that the current credit crisis is forcing rapid and fundamental changes
in the boating industry. We think it will affect the way you buy a new boat, sell
your used boat in the future, and maybe happen as soon as next year. Join us for a look at some of the possibilities --
Triton News
Triton Gives Free Upgrades
In Accessories to Veterans
Triton has arranged for upgrades of accessories, mostly trailers and outboard engines
for any veteran or active duty military personnel who buys a new Triton aluminum
or fiberglass package boats from now until July 10, 2009. Most of the free upgrades
range from $600 to $2500, but some go higher and one – a wakeboard tower -- is worth
nearly $5,000 if you choose the SF220 package seen above. In addition there is a
$1500 rebate on this boat for any buyer, including the vets.
To find out the retail value of Triton’s promotion for each package boat that it
sells -- recruit your mouse
The all new Bass Cat Puma FTD is “bad” according to the builder who says that they
“simply took the front half of the Puma and married it to the back half of the Cougar
FTD.” The company says this boat is “quicker and more stable, and provides a solid
ride.” We don’t know since we haven’t tested it but she looks interesting to us.
To find out
more --
The big sister to the 130 Super Sport, the new 150 also comes with stylish lines
and legendary unsinkability. The best part is, you accessorize the 150 Super Sport
the way you want it. Whether you wake up or wakeboard, go fishing or cruise, the150
Super Sport makes a good, affordable utility boat. Find out more --
Cobalt considers itself the ultimate in sportboat design and execution and along
with one or two other brands we would agree. This model has a unique bow layout
for a bowrider – no seat at the pointy end so you can stand there and anchor and
easily get to the bow. We like it.
To find out more and see prices --
The 260SCR is all new from the keel up and features and optional “Sun Island” seating
aft or the cockpit you see above. Below, there is a mid cabin double bunk and a
fiberglass headliner that is easy to keep clean, and doesn’t snag or get mildew. Headroom
is 6’0”. Displacement is 7,200 lbs. For more info --
Skeeter says that it has designed the new SL1900 to deliver the highest range of watersports
excitement without sacrificing fishability. With a 8’2’ beam and
weighing 1,975 lbs. the boat will be easy to trailer. It is rated for 6 passengers
and carries 30 gallons of fuel. Find out more --
Forward and aft casting decks compliment a surprisingly spacious cockpit. The boat
has 281 quarts of lockable, closed storage, rod lockers, and fish boxes as well
as 2 baitwells and many other standards. She weighs 2200 lbs., has a 3-year component
guarantee and a limited lifetime hull warranty. Read more --
Just like this is the best time to buy a new or used boat in 50 years, this is also
the best time to repower, thanks to Yanmar. Helping to stimulate owners' boating
passion, Yanmar Marine USA Corp recently introduced the “Yanmar Instant Rebate”
on repowers, saving boaters up to $1,700 per engine. "We're happy to announce our
own stimulus package in the form of an instant rebate for retail repower engine
sales between June 8 and August 31, 2009," said special projects manager Greg Eck.
"The plan is to give a pleasure boat customer who is thinking about repowering a
reason to act now." For details on the program --
“OceanX easily achieves the highest corrosion protection level over any available
system,” says the Volvo Penta project manager of OceanX, John Marsh. That is a nice
way of saying that OceanX is better than MerCruiser’s SeaCore system which was
introduced over two years ago. We’re told by a Volvo Penta spokesman that in accelerated
saltwater life-cycle “scratch tests” without sacrificial anodes, that OceanX’s corrosion
resistance is four times greater than the MerCruiser coating solution. That is because
the titanium-ceramic coating has permeated the aluminum molecules, according to
the Volvo spokesman, which greatly slows both the speed and depth of “corrosion
creep.” The OceanX system includes fresh water cooling as well as the addition of
two important water-intrusion sensors, one in the lower gear case and the other
in the universal joint bellows. The suggested retail price of the new product is
$2,990.
To learn more about OceanX --
This spring there was trouble in River City, as in St. Cloud, Minnesota, home of
three of the largest boat builders in America – Glastron, Larson, and Crestliner.
But the trouble had nothing to do with the boats, but rather with the fuel being
sold to run their engines. Again the culprit was ethanol in the fuel, a complaint
that we hear about every spring it seems due to what is commonly called E10. Recently
an article was published in the St. Cloud Times interviewing three service techs
working in the marine industry. Listen as they explain the problems and what you can do to avoid
your own costly repairs --
On June 11th, Richard Wolpert completed a 500 mile, 8 day
solo personal watercraft adventure through the Bahamas benefiting Crohn’s disease
research. The trip began and ended in Florida, with two open ocean crossings of
the often treacherous Gulf Stream and a stop on every major island in the Abacos,
Bahamas. The ride raised more than $35,000 to battle Crohn’s Disease. He did not
have a riding companion or a chase boat. To find out more about this remarkable
solo ride-- hop the mouse
You may not know it, but that dish soap is NOT good for your boat cleaning needs,
it removes wax and degrades the waterproofing on your fabrics! We tested a product
purported to be chemically designed to clean our boats better and be safer on the
materials and the environment: Brite Wash from Shurhold products. When we tested
Brite Wash, we found it worked as advertized and removed all the dried-on salt and
muck we are all familiar with. We even gave a shot at using it in the engine compartment
and bilge area where it was very effective at degreasing and cleaning. After washing,
unlike when we used the dish soap, the shine from the wax was still there. Give
it a try for yourself and see why it passed our test. Learn more --
In May, we published more than 40 articles covering boat tests, reviews, new boat
introductions, and boat comparisons covering vessels from 17’ to 100’ in size. Just
for the fun of it we thought we’d check to see which boats were most popular with
our readers. As you can see, the new Doral 235 captured the #1 spot and it is clear
from this and other studies that our readers appreciate the sophisticated styling
and classy international design elements that this boutique builder puts into its
line. One would think that the small boats would capture the top spots, but surprisingly
5 of the 10 boats were 35’ or larger. Find out the other 9 top boats which caught our readers’ fancy --
If you have ever wondered what it takes to fix a damaged prop we have a series of
pictures that shows the process better than words. With the cost of propellers going higher every year, repair is becoming more of desirable option if at all possible.
Two weeks ago we published an article explaining how to determine if your props
could be repaired. This week we will show you exactly how it is done. Seeing is
believing -- fix your mouse
Shark attacks of people swimming from their boats is a fairly rare occurrence, and
even less so these days since boaters (and cruise ships) generally no longer throw
garbage overboard. Now, the real danger is to those land lubbers putting a toe in
the water from beaches. In case you have friends who aren’t lucky enough to own a
boat,
you might warn them about these beaches -- bite your mouse
Ten people have been killed and 66 injured in the U.S. so far in 2009 by lightning
strikes. World-wide over 100 people have been killed so far this year by lightning,
with India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia being the most hard-hit areas of the world.
Over a dozen fishermen in boats have been killed so far this by lightning strikes
in Southeast Asia alone. At least three American boaters have been struck this year,
and all have survived. To find out what recently happened to a father and son incident and
to read a general tutorial on lightning as it relates to boats -- strike the mouse
While we’ve never liked long-liners because they indiscriminately fleece the seas
of billfish, particularly black marlin in the pacific and blue marlin on the U.S.
East Coast, we have always admired Linda Greenlaw, the tough, no-nonsense (and
smart) fishing boat captain who was immortalized by both the book and movie “The
Perfect Storm.” She is just a darn good captain in the opinion of her peers, who
are not a particularly charitable lot. While being the subject of a TV documentary
film last year on a boat off Newfoundland, she was caught by the Canadian marine
Mounties. Here’s what has happened to the lass --
Boat sales have been slow in Japan for the last several years so Yamaha came up
with the idea of boat clubs. The concept is to make boating affordable for the “average
worker.” Membership fees only cost $50 and we are told that a day’s outing costs
less than a round of golf on Japan’s links. We know that golf is expensive in
Japan, but we like the idea. We have investigated several boat clubs around the
U.S. and they seem to be working and are popular. See video about Japanese boat clubs --
Recently Spanish helicopter spotted two pirate vessels ready to jump a merchant freighter
and called in a British cruiser. The Brits manned RIBs and interdicted the buccaneers,
which was about all they were worth (buck-an-ear). After taking the bad boys off,
they blew up the vessel and then let the lads go for “lack of evidence.” If all of this sounds absurd to you, watch the video --
PWC News
Aussie Plans Sea-Doo PWC
Ride
from London to Sydney
People have rowed across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, so why not take a couple
of PWCs from London to Sydney to raise money for charity as well as a few quid to
cover expenses, of which there will be many. The trip was planned to start this
month, but Jeremy Burfoot, an airline pilot for Quantas who lives in New Zealand,
has decided to postpone it until next July due to “the unfavourable economic environment
in 2009.” But the run is “definitely” scheduled for July 20, 2010. Burfoot is no
beginner at PWC riding, having taken a “warm up and shakedown” 9,000 km, 19 day
trip around New Zealand in 2006. First it was Earthrace setting the Round the World
Powerboat Record by a Kiwi, now this. Can’t people just be happy living Down Under
on dry land?
Burfoot will also be commemorating the 223rd anniversary of the “First Fleet” going
to Australia to colonize it with 717 convicts, including 180 women (we bet they
were happy lot). To see the route and find out more about this adventure --
This week Capt. Steve goes over nine new lessons and guidelines on the different
types of anchors and anchoring procedures. Capt. Steve will go over the criteria
in selecting a good spot to anchor, how to correctly set an anchor and the step-by-step
process to ensure the anchor is secured to the bottom. Anchoring your boat in a
secluded spot for the day or just off the shoreline is a lot of fun and more boaters
should experience the freedom of being on the hook rather than tied up dockside.
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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