Sunscreen is a necessary evil. The ravages of the sun over time make you worse off not wearing it, but still, slathering on a layer of grease or spraying on an alcohol-based mist leaves something to be desired. SmartShield looks to address these negatives with its new aloe vera based lotion.
I took a sample bottle with me on a recent trip to the Bahamas. I found it did absorb into my skin quickly, as advertised, so I didn’t have to wash off my hands before handling fishing line and gear. While I wasn’t in the most intense sun conditions I’ve experienced, it did keep my hands and face protected with one application applied each morning. Although when I perspired, its residue still stung when it dripped into my eyes, just like with regular sunscreen.
All the flats skiffs at the Andros South bonefishing lodge in the Bahamas hang Mercury tiller-steered two-strokes off the transom. The reason? “Maintenance,” said lodge owner Andrew Bennett. In remote situations, many four-strokes are too complicated and/or expensive to repair in the field. The basic simplicity of a carburated two-stroke can keep you in the game.
At lower horsepower–the two flats skiffs I spent a day on had 55-hp outboards–the fuel consumption difference is usually not extreme enough to overcome the purchase price and maintenance costs over the length of ownership. The lodge flies in a mechanic from Nassau once a year for overhaul and the staff does the rest on its own.
Four strokes have a lot of positive attributes, but there times when a simple carburated two-stroke wins.
I’ve got a thing for dry bags. Finding one in backpack form has been a challenge. The typical PVC material just doesn’t feel as pliable as it should, especially when stuffing it with things. The Aquapac Waterproof Backpack is made of TPU coated nylon fabric. TPU stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane, which gives the pack its waterproofing.
I used the Aquapac on a weeklong boating and fishing junket, stuffing it with my cell phone, digital camera, video camera, wallet, and various garments for layering. Everything stayed dry. There’s a clear interior pocket that seals with hook and latch strips, where I kept my phone and wallet, and a yellow waterproof interior pocket where I threw the clothes.
The bag took a lot of saltwater spray and the outer shell lost none of its pliable feel. It also felt like a real backpack, comfortable to wear when I adjusted the straps. We’ll see how it holds up over a season of hard use, but so far I’m a fan.
From the newswires comes word of a rotomolded plastic apparatus that could change the face of boating. This cylindrical device has an enclosed bottom designed to contain viscous liquids. With this gear, called a “bucket” in layman’s terms, a boater can keep water in a contained area for use in cleaning or dousing situations. For the desperate, it also doubles as a portable marine sanitation device. Check your local marine supply store for further inquiry.
Muskie anglers have been using catch cradles for years to handle big fish, mostly because of their teeth and nasty demeanor. But science shows handling and releasing a fish in the water, with something like a catch cradle, greatly reduces fish mortality.
John Page and fellow striped bass anglers like Shawn Kimbro are promoting the use of these nets for large trophy striped bass. Take a look at the video to see how it’s done.
Anglers are usually the ones boating on the margins of bad weather, and most of them don’t wear the most basic of protection. Don’t want it to get in the way, is the common refrain against wearing life jackets. Just get an inflatable, man, and be done with it.
Lenny Rudow has always advocated inflatable PFDs for his offshore trips. He prefers the fanny back style that goes around your waist. After spending two days wearing a horse-collar style inflatable while fishing for spring striped bass on the Chesapeake with Capt. Tom Hughes (pictured) for (shameless self promotion alert) my book project.
I didn’t notice it during hours of fly casting and after the last trip I hopped onto the dock and started walking to the car forgetting I had it on. I’m investing in an automatic inflatable jacket like this SOSspenders or Mustang and keeping it with my fishing gear. It doesn’t make sense not to wear one.
IMTRA announced back in February its new line of dimmable marine LED lights. Other companies are pushing them as well (see Yachtlights.com). LEDS are gaining increasing traction with boat builders and owners alike for their benefits, despite the higher initial cost.
I recently called IMTRA for an explanation of the benefits of LED lights on boats. Here’s the jist of my conversation with Kinder Woodcock of IMTRA: LED lights are more expensive than traditional halogen or incandescent bulbs, but over the long term they can pay you back.
The numbers are hard to quantify on small boat applications, unlike in your home or on a large yacht where they are easily measured. But the efficiency gain is still an advantage.
“They’re good for boaters whose main objective is to save power,” said Woodcock. LED lights are around 60-80 percent more efficient than traditional bulbs and will put far less strain on your power supply. If you refit your boat with all LED fixtures you may be able to get away with a smaller battery bank, genset, or inverter. Just swapping out the bulbs could make a difference. A typical halogen bulb that sells for $3 might last for 500 hours on your boat. But a $20 quality “current regulated” LED bulb could last for 50,000 hours. That’s 100 times the product life for seven times the cost.
This comes from IMTRA, but third party sources and builders I’ve talked to have advocated for LEDS, so going LED could be a good long term investment. At the very least, LEDS will cut down on power usage on the water or overnighting on the hook. That’s worth something.
Ethanol, in the form of E10 gasoline, is considered by many (me included) to be the scourge of boating. The fuel company Valvtect claims to have a solution in the form of its Ethanol Gasoline Treatment. The company did some tests, and claims its product helps with the three main issues: storage stability, corrosion, and phase separation.
Personally, I’d like to see ethanol removed from our gas supply so we wouldn’t need a fuel additive, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen at the moment. So Valvtect Treatment it is.
This is something I’d love to test over a season to verify. Until then, this is the information I have. The following text is straight from the press release so these are their words, not mine:
In an independent laboratory test, using the same ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) protocol used by gasoline refiners and engine manufacturers, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment almost doubled the stability (storage life) of the E10 ethanol-blended gasoline. ”This is exceptional performance, especially since one of the industry’s most widely used ethanol treatment additives only improved the stability of the E10 by 20% in the same test,” said ValvTect president Jerry Nessenson.
ValvTect reports that ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment completely prevented corrosion in a National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) corrosion test, while the competitive product tested did not prevent corrosion. ”Components in an engine’s fuel lines, carburetors and injectors are made of a steel alloy that can corrode when using ethanol or even non-ethanol gasoline,” said Nessenson. ”There are wide-spread reports of corrosion that can be avoided with the use of an effective ethanol gasoline treatment, such as ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment.”
In the ASTM moisture control test, ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment retained more water and ethanol in the fuel than the untreated E10 or the competitive product. ”This is an important feature that can help prevent phase separation,” said Nessenson.
“These test results prove the effectiveness of ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment to help prevent the most common ethanol related problems,” said Nessenson. ”Boat owners should not be afraid to use E10 ethanol gasoline if they use an effective ethanol gasoline treatment, such as ValvTect, and apply good fuel system maintenance.”
