Overboard Boater

First in, last out. Gotta love the center console.

Unless you live in Florida or other points South, now is the time of defrosting, and to think about launching your boat. Here in the Northeast, I always like to take a drive past the marinas and yacht clubs and see which types of boats splash first. Odds are that first boat of spring is going to be a center console. They’re the robins of the boating world. Why? Fishing.

Some of the best fishing is on the margins of good spring and fall weather and anglers are likely to put up with just about anything if the bite is on. You’ll see sailboats lingering on their moorings well into November for the fall racing, but it seems like they follow the leader in spring. After that you get some cruisers and then the runabout/dayboat crowd that plugs in from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Think I’ve got it wrong? Prove me wrong. Send in a time-stamped photo of you and your boat on launch day to editor[AT]overboardboater[dotcom]. I’ll post it here with your permission and maybe, if I like yours best, I’ll send a hat or something.*

*(No promises because then it becomes a contest and I have to put up a 50-page disclaimer and 30-1,000 contest rules, with State eligibility exemptions and whatnot. So no guarantees or anything of the sort.)

Photo courtesy of www.chaparralboats.com

One of the worst feelings in boating is the one you get when you realize, after running around all day, that you don’t have enough fuel to get home. It happens.

The general rule of thumb when you leave the slip or launch at the ramp is to abide by the rule of thirds: use one third of your tank to get out, one third to get home, and keep one third in reserve. Why that extra third? Changing sea conditions could mean you’ll need to burn more fuel to cover the same distance going one way versus the other.

Watching the fuel gauge is important, but how many fuel gauges out there are accurate enough to fully trust?

A far more reliable gauge would be an in-dash digital fuel flow monitor. Many new boats today come standard with electronic fuel management systems such as Mercury’s SmartCraft gauges. If not, it’s worth the upgrade. Some brands have both miles per gallon (mpg) and gallons per hour (gph) settings; others have just one or the other.

Toggle through the modes on the gauge. Using SmartCraft as an example, you can get an instant digital readout of a lot of vital material–fuel to waypoint, fuel level, low fuel level warning, fuel used, fuel flow, and fuel range. You can also look at instant and average mpg.

SmartCraft can display instant and average mpg.

If you are so inclined, you can calculate your boat’s estimated range on your own with the same formulas that magazines use for performance data charts. For gasoline inboards and outboards, record the speed and gph burn at 1000 rpm, then proceed through the rpm band at 500 increments until you reach wide-open throttle.

Builders and magazines typically estimate range based on 90 percent of the fuel capacity, with the following quick formulas:

Miles Per Gallon = MPH/GPH.

Range = .9(Fuel Capacity) x MPG

So if you record 3 mpg at 3500 rpm, and you have a 100 gallon tank, your range–if you cruised the whole time at that speed–would be around 270 miles.

There are a lot of other variables involved–tide, current, wind, sea state, added weight from fuel, gear, and people–but if you tried to keep the throttle close to 3500 rpm and follow the rule of thirds, you know you could head out around 90 miles before turning back.

Or, if you have them, you could let  the algorithms in your fuel management gauges do the work. Or you could hope there’s an easily reached fuel dock between you and home. Or you could bring aboard a sturdy tow rope and a membership card to Sea Tow.

Suzuki continued its trend of revamping its smaller horsepower outboard line-up, with the recent introduction of its DF40 and DF50 models.

Here’s a quick summary in Suzuki’s words, not mine:

Initial tests have shown that these two new generation outboards use 23% less fuel than the current 40 and 50 models, especially in the cruising range where the engine is used for the majority of the time.

Both of these new outboards are based on Suzuki’s proven inline three-cylinder dual overhead cam (DOHC) 12-value engine with 941 cm3 (57.4 cu.in.) of displacement.

For example, Suzuki engineers report that the new DF40 and DF50 are 6% faster in their top speed and 25% quicker in acceleration than the current Suzuki models.

File this under things we want. Brunton introduced this new Restore Portable Power Device, made for camping but it looks like it could be cool for on the water, too. It’s water resistant with a rubberized shell and its compact solar panels have a claimed 90-percent power capture, giving you green recharge capability for your phone, iPod, digital camera, and other electronics.

The unit will charge from the solar panels, computer USB, or 12v adapter, giving it a lot of versatility. Looks like it could be a recharge solution on small boats where 12v may be in short supply but access to the sun is limitless.

Price: $90, www.brunton.com

A flashlight that plugs into your 12V outlet and recharges in 90 seconds? Sounds too good to be true, but it exists. 5.11 Tactical sent me a tester unit of its UC3.400 “Light For Life” flashlight a while back, and after a season of use I’d call it a solid addition to your onboard tool collection.

The flashlight recharges through an ultracapacitor electrostatic storage system rather than chemical batteries, which allows for the fast recharge.The UC3.400 features three LED lights that last for 50,000 hours of use. Fully charged, the light operates for 60 minutes at 90 lumens, and 15 minutes at peak 270 lumen output. There’s also a 270-lumen strobe mode.

While I wouldn’t use it to locate channel markers on a midnight cruise, it’s good for looking around the engine compartment, going belowdecks, or fumbling around at the launch ramp on a pre-dawn mission. It features a rugged housing, to law enforcement specs, and because it lasts forever and you don’t need to worry about dead batteries, you can stow it onboard long term.

Price: $170, Contact: www.511tactical.com

As an afterthought, 5.11 threw in a pair of Taclite Pro Shorts:

Made of a lightweight cotton/poly blend, the Taclite shorts are treated with Teflon for stain and water resistance. They’re made for cops on the beat, but I’ve been wearing them as fishing shorts. They wash off easily, they don’t absorb fish blood, they’re breathable, and they’re super rugged. Plus, the “magazine” back pocket holds my fly box for quick access and the external knife pocket works for a fishing blade or a pair of pliers. I’d recommend them to any angler for inshore and offshore duty.

Price: $45

Got some attendance numbers from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) for the 2010 Miami Boat Show:

91,415 attendees this year. Down from 96,736 in 2009. The numbers, according to the NMMA, are consistent with attendance declines for boat shows so far in 2010. That said, some exhibitors reported significant sales increases over 2009, with some accessory companies reporting 20-30 percent more sales.

Consistent with the unofficial word on the docks. The foot traffic seemed pretty sparse at times but more people seemed serious about buying a boat. Whether the concrete numbers bear out the hopefulness remains to be seen going forward, but at least this year you could hear hints of optimism, a sentiment in short supply in Miami in 2009.

My dad’s center console is as easy to maintain as any boat in existence. It still has an old carburated 125-hp two stroke outboard, and virtually no gadgets on board to break or go on the fritz. Every spring we pull it from the boat shed, re-attach the battery cables, fire up the engine, and go.

So it was a cause of concern when, after a morning of fishing on the first trip of the season, the engine wouldn’t turn over. Like a driver in an empty parking lot hoping it would miraculously catch, we kept goosing the throttle and turning the key. Then someone said to me, in a smart-ass way, “You’re the boating writer, you figure it out.”

I instructed we take off the cowling. I had my dad turn the key once more. “I see the problem,” I declared. “It’s the Bendix drive.” The drive wasn’t fully engaging, and I’d seen it before in the field, so I of course KNEW it had to be that. A major repair; we’d have to wait for a replacement part. Our fishing weekend was over.

We guided the boat on the trailer and towed it to the nearest marine mechanic, about 30 miles away. I brought up the Bendix drive, knowingly. He took one look at it, then looked at me slightly askew.

He opened a hatch in the back of the boat and looked at the batteries. “You didn’t tighten the wing nuts enough,” he said. “The battery’s arcing.” In our hurry to get on the water, we affixed the cables to the posts and tightened the nuts by hand. He reached into his pocket for some pliers, gave each nut a twist and had my Dad turn the key. It started right up.

He looked at me with a there you go Mr. Boating writer smile and said with a wink, “No charge.”

The point here is, when something goes wrong on your boat, always start with the obvious. It could save you hours of aggravation and, m0re importantly, embarrassment.

The press release inundation is in full swing for the upcoming Miami Boat Show. But one that struck me out of the many was this: Soy-based foam for mattresses and boat cushions.

The Hickory Springs Marine Group, which makes SeaComfort marine mattresses, will be displaying their new “green” product . Green is a such a marketing buzzword these days that it’s hard to know what out there actually is. Either way, the first thing I’m going to do is lay down on it and see how it sleeps.

That’s right, orange construction fence. We kept our boat in a mooring field on Long Island Sound that was dominated by ornery New York City seagulls. They probably cut their teeth working landfills and weren’t intimidated by any traditional gull repellents. On the launch ride out, I could see the white splatter all over the hard top and the crushed shells and crab parts on the bow. The dockmaster at this establishment, a great guy also named Pete, came up with a great system for keeping the sonsofbitches at bay.

You can buy a 50′ roll of orange construction fence at the hardware store for about $20. I hooked one end to the bow cleat, rolled it over the hard top, getting elevation off the top with a fender snugged underneath, and tethered the other end off the stern. I cut the extra from the roll and stowed it in a locker for backup.

When it was time to boat, I just unhooked the installed piece, rolled it up, and stowed it away. The whole process took less than five minutes and the seagulls never got purchase on the hardtop or deck again.

The Boating Magazine offshoot Fishboat Mag is no more, but this video remnant remains from our web efforts. So, too, do the frustrations of trying to hold steady a handheld on a boat. Here are a few things we learned while shooting stuff ourselves for the web.

1. Never zoom. Using the zoom function on a moving platform only amplifies the shakiness. On playback, you’ll get nausea faster than if you’re adrift in a beam sea while eating pork rinds.

2. Keep it low. Shooting from the bridge or up high is better for getting an overall view of the boat or to look down on another boat you’re shooting. But odds are you don’t have a gyro stabilizer for your handheld, which is what professionals use to keep cameras steady for those beautiful overheads. The lower you’re positioned on the boat, the more stable and steady the lens. Also, consider the back of the boat is the most stable area, least susceptible to pounding.

3. Get a Gorillapod. Use this twisty gripper to mount your vid cam anywhere on the boat. Just keep in mind point two above.

4. Get a waterproof vid camera. It’s going to get wet, trust me. I use the Sanyo Xacti, but there are other quality brands. Or get a waterproof casing like this one for the Flip.