Proper Engine Room // 9 Tests & Reviews // Rules of the Road
It’s not hard to see that this is one very good looking boat, but brawny too? Well if you take a 23’5” (7.1 m) boat weighing in at 4900 lbs (2222 kg) and drop in a whopping 400-hp V8 inboard then yeah, we think you’ll have the muscle to fill the boat and still yank even your largest friend out of the water. MasterCraft calls her the X-35, we call her a boatload of fun.
Will your wife let you buy a Wellcraft 30 Scarab Sport? Maybe if you show her that
The Regal Yachts 42 Sport Coupe is an open and airy yacht with two staterooms and two heads that fit nicely into a 42' 4” (12.9 m) hull. It took three tries for us to finally get the test numbers on this boat, and in that three times we had a good opportunity to feel how this boat handles in varying sea conditions, wind conditions, and even docking in crosscurrents. As it turns out, throwing adverse conditions at a boat can tell you a lot about how she'll handle on nice days too. For the whole picture take a look at our full test video as we explore the handling and performance of the all new Regal 42 Sport Coupe.
When it comes to doing it for less, Yamaha got the memo. Their
“Before you buy, try!” But let’s face facts... it’s not always practical to get
For the last several years we have been chronicling on these pages accidents and rescues at sea. The fact is that while we report them only once in a while, they happen every week. Usually the difference between a sad ending and a happy ending is preparedness or dumb luck, often a combination of both. Here’s what you need to put in your "ditch bag" to take the "dumb" Sponsor
Shurhold Fuel Filter
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This is the largest fuel filter in the Shurhold line. |
Ever need to use fuel from a tank you had sitting in a garage or on a boat for a
long time? As we all know, dirt and water are nearly unavoidable when you have stored
fuel. These contaminants clog filters, injectors and needle valves. Water can cause
corrosion, rust and bacteria growth and the next thing you know your engine will
have a bad case of H1 N1. We tested this filter and can report back that it
works as advertised.
Check it out for yourself and watch a short Shurhold video here...
Tax Fiasco
Connecticut Gov. Wants 50% Increase in Boat Sales Tax
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The 281' yacht Cakewalk was launched last year at the Derecktor Shipyard in Bridgeport, CT, the largest yacht built in the U.S. in 75 years. She cost $82 million to build and employed hundreds of people. |
Connecticut's new governor, Dan Malloy, wasn't in office more than six weeks when
he proposed to raise the state's sales tax on a few luxury items, including boats
over $100,000, by 50%. The proposed new luxury sales tax would go to 9% from 6%.
Perhaps Gov. Malloy wasn't paying attention when the 1991 federal 10% luxury sales
tax on new boats over $100k nearly wiped out the boating industry in the U.S., costing
the loss of several hundred thousand jobs. These were jobs which never came back
even after repeal! Get this: right next door to Connecticut is Rhode Island which
has NO sales tax on boats! Duh... Find out more about this proposed disaster -- it could be happening
in your state, too, as governors scramble to pay deficits ...
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2010 was another tough year for the boating industry which is evolving to cope with the new paradigm. Non-current boats have pretty much been flushed out of the system. |
2010 was the year that pricing switched gears over the months, at different times for different brands and dealers, as non-current inventory was sold off. As the year progressed deep discounts, rebates and other cash incentive devices slowly dried up. Taking its place were far fewer new units, if any, priced where they needed to be for both builders and dealers to stay in business. After nearly three years of a "buyer's market" the new normal began in the boating marketplace. A look at estimated sales numbers by boat type...
Pirate News
4 Americans Killed
By Somali Pirates
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Jean and Scott Adam and another couple were killed by pirates off the coast of Somalia Tuesday. |
Four Americans aboard a 58' motorsailor were hijacked last Friday by 19 Somali pirates in two skiffs in the Indian Ocean and killed at 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The other couple, aboard Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle were also killed. An American gunboat was following the hijacked vessel at the time. Read more...
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When we transferred our popular CD boating course over to DVD, we had no idea it would sell so well ...or in so many places. |
Based on the feedback we’ve been getting about BoatTEST.com's Smart Boating Course,
it’s clearly not only for beginners, but also for veteran boaters as well.
Perhaps that is why the NMMA started promoting the course after just one look.
Order your copy here...
Watch
the trailer...
Where in the World?
Picture of the Week
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Find out where this picture was taken and when... |
See a larger picture, when and who took it -- and where!
Send us your favorite boating images.
When sending a photo, let us know what boat you were on, where and when the photo
was taken.
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| A vessel unable to maneuver is unable to keep out of the way of another vessel. |
This week Capt. Steve covers basic rules of the road in these ten new lessons and guidelines on: different categories of boats and who must keep out of the way, restrictions on working vessels, fishing vessels and all other vessels which may not be able to maneuver because the nature of their work, sea planes, and why one should never anchor in the middle of a channel. These are
basic procedures which all recreational boaters should be aware of. The videos presented
this week are part of BoatTEST.com’s Boating Course which is USCG-approved. Watch
these video boating lessons every week on BoatTEST.com.
To view this week’s lessons --
Order all lessons on DVD--
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First Place
“A lotta people would have overlooked this parking spot!” - M. Collins
Second Place
“Good thing those rocks stopped us, we almost hit that metal beam.” - W. Williams
Honorable (almost) Mentions
“Hey honey, the generator quit running. How am I going to make dinner?” - C. Combs
“Didn't I tell you to put the fenders lower?”
- M. Paul
What's Going
On Here?
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