Blog
Vibrations
on October 5, 2024
Vibrations may be good when listening to music, but vibrations often indicate an issue with a component on the boat. This blog is not a comprehensive guide, but hopefully, will help you identify the source of any unwanted vibration. Does the engine vibrate when it is running with transmission in neutral? If you answered yes, then it could be worn engine mounts. Worn engine mounts. Inspect each engine mount in turn. Is one shaking more […]
Boat Buying
on September 28, 2024
Are you boat buying? There’s a lot of boats on sale right now. Make sure you know what you want. Know your boat-buying criteria: your must haves: type, age, amenities, and budget. Here are some rules of the boat buying road. Lesson 1: Make a realistic offer. After locating a suitable boat, don’t cheap out. If it seems super-clean and perfect. Make a good offer. Don’t assume a low-ball offer will be countered. All too […]
RADAR
on September 22, 2024
We know all you really want to know about your radar is how to look at that LCD screen and distill what’s a channel marker, what’s another boat, and what’s land. If you are investing in a radar system, (one that overlays), your radar returns on your chartplotter screen, its’ probably a good move. (See photo below.) It eliminates an awful lot of the guesswork, as long as the overlay doesn’t add to the confusion. […]
Floating Your Boat
on September 14, 2024
What Keeps your boat floating? As the storage season approaches for many parts of the East Coast, it’s a good time to review some of the common causes for boats to stop floating. Avoiding sinking Store your stern drive in the down position when out of the water to avoid the bends and creases that stress rubber. Inspect the bellows two or three times a year and replace it annually. Scuppers in the Fall & […]
Boaters Talk
on September 7, 2024
Boaters talk can seem coded or exclusionary, but not knowing it might jeopardize a passenger’s safety. PFD If the captain instructs everyone to “put on a PFD”, so the boat can leave the dock, he’s concerned about safety. PFD stands for personal flotation device and it’s simpler to just tell everyone to wear a life jacket. MOB If the captain or a crew member yells “MOB!” The cry is meant to kick everyone aboard into […]
Labor Day
on August 31, 2024
Labor Day continues to be the most misunderstood of our national holidays, and never seems to get the respect it deserves. Labor Day was always just a long weekend marking the unofficial end of summer. A day we celebrated with family and friends in our backyards, drinking and complaining about how fast the summer had flown by. But a closer look at the origins of Labor Day, and the people who have fought for the […]
Service Contracts
on August 24, 2024
Are service contracts really needed? Do service contracts make sense for you? To help clear some of the confusion, here are some of the facts. Extended Warranties “Extended “warranties” you have to buy aren’t really warranties; they’re service contracts. A true warranty offers broad coverage and has the weight of state and federal warranty laws behind it. Service contracts, on the other hand, are really insurance policies generally underwritten by third parties, not manufacturers, and […]
Hurricane Season
on August 17, 2024
Well, it seems like hurricane season is now in full swing! Being prepared in hurricane season is very, very important. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center has put together a comprehensive preparedness checklist with important link & information here: https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep One thing we’d like to remind you is to keep an eye on the storm surge. Extremely high waters can cause more damage than wind alone. In order to protect the lines on your boat, one site […]
Acrylic Windows
on August 10, 2024
Ever wonder why acrylic windows are used in favor of glass? The Acrylic Advantage Rigid, clear plastic gets is used instead of glass for boat windows because it delivers similar strength at half the weight, it’s much easier to fabricate, and it doesn’t shatter into a million shards. Plastic windshields and port lights are nearly always acrylic (PMMA), known by the brand names Plexiglas or Lucite. Plastic hatches are often made from poly-carbonate (such as […]
Hurricane
on August 3, 2024
Hurricane preparedness is something we all need to be aware of. If you boat anywhere down the East Coast or the along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, it’s not a matter of if you get a hurricane, it’s a matter of when. You’ll have to be ready to deal with some direct or indirect affects associated with a hurricane. Now that the hard reality is out there, there are some things to keep […]