Overboard Boater

This has to be good news for the boating industry. The Wall Street Journal reported today that Brunswick, the parent company to Sea Ray Boats and Mercury Marine, closed at its highest stock price since the start of the recession.

Here’s the link to the article.

When Brunswick was down to $2.14 last March with not much hope in sight, it paralleled the depths to which the economy had faltered. You don’t need an MBA to figure out that when people lose their disposable income, the leisure industries take the biggest hits.

While no one is saying everything’s back to the good old days, this is a positive sign that maybe we’ve turned the corner. That the NMMA is predicting flat sales numbers for 2010, rather than another double-digit percentage loss in sales, is another good sign.

The Brunswick CEO is quoted as being cautiously optimistic in this article. It’s a billiard news site, but it’s mostly about the boat biz.

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.

Not many boat companies have a history rich enough for a video documentary, but Chris-Craft does. Check out this nine minute video on YouTube.

The NIOSH Estimated Workplace Noises Chart

Take a look at the chart above. It’s from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). As you can see, sustained exposure to 85 dB-A and above ain’t good for you. Now browse through your nearest boating magazine and read through the boat tests–the good ones record dB-A throughout the rpm range. Where does your boat’s noise levels fall?

Nobody thinks about it, but I wrote a Seamanship column on the subject several years ago. It can affect your judgement and level of fatigue during long stretches at the helm.

You can get the numbers on your boat yourself, with the same tool most editors–and boat company technicians–use on boat tests. A digital model from Radio Shack will tell you what you need to know. It costs $50 (www.radioshack.com).

To get the best numbers, set the meter to the “A” weighting and “slow” response setting, which does a better job of averaging the sound level for a steadier read. Stick the microphone close to the helm and have everybody shut up, then record the numbers at 500 rpm increments. You’ll notice that on any open-helm boat, whether you have a stern drive with an insulated engine compartment or a whisper quiet four-stroke outboard, wind noise overtakes engine noise shortly after climbing on plane. And not long after that, the sound level will be above the red line on the NIOSH chart above.

For long distance runs, try headphones or earplugs made for shooting sports, motorcycling, or industrial machinery.  Try something like these inexpensive QuietEar Reusable Plugs.

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.

At the Miami Boat Show last week, Scout Boats announced its new 345 XSF, but being a light tackle enthusiast, the 2010 210 XSF (pictured) is right in my wheelhouse.

One complaint my non-fishing friends and relatives always have is the lack of seating on the small center consoles I like to fish, an issue Scout seems to address by adding armrests to the cushioning atop the cooler seating forward of the console. Here’s a look at the overhead accommo plan:

Note the transom seating as well. Good for a 20-footer. Will it all get in the way of fishing? Only a proper test will sort it out. Coming soon.

Scout also makes a dual console version, called the 210 Dorado, that’s more family oriented than fishing focused. Witness the layout differences:

I plan to test that one, too. Here’s what I said in a test of the Dorado’s big sister, the 245.

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.

Boating is a healthy pastime, right? You’re outdoors, breathing in fresh air, and–if you’re on my boat–eating your weight in processed junk food. I’m usually on a boat for one of two reasons, fishing or otherwise getting recreational. Fiddling around with cooking or food prep is a colossal waste of time. Rip open a bag, pop a top, chomp it down, and be done with it.

Here are the best scientifically proven food products to bring aboard.

PRINGLES: Is there a better boat food? The chips are protected in an ingenious tube so they don’t get smashed beyond edibility when crammed under the console. It keeps the chips from getting soggy and disgusting. If the inventor of the Pringle’s tube found it suitable to be buried in, it’s good enough for my boat.

GOGURTS: No need for bowls, spoons, or napkins to ingest breakfast. Fellow Boatermouth writer Lenny Rudow used to raid his kids’ lunch-food and bring stacks of them on offshore tuna trips to the canyons. [Lenny also invented the famed "boat sandwich," wherein you roll a cold cut in a piece of cheese.] Your hunger is satiated, rather healthily, in seconds.

HARD PRETZELS: The choice of Kevin Falvey, another boating writer, for mako shark trips. Or any trip. You can just throw a box in a locker at the beginning of the season and if they go stale, how can you tell?

BEEF JERKY: Would be the A-One top choice but for the inconsistency between brands and batches. Some come out just right, others worse than shoe leather. But if you get a quality bag of jerky, it hits the spot and fills the protein void left by the other snacks. It takes a long time to chew and can distract from the tedium of trolling.

DRIED MANGO SLICES: They have the veneer of being healthy; they’re derived from one of the three most awesome fresh fruits in existence. But when you read the bag on a lot of packaged mango slices, you’ll see they’re processed with incredible amounts of sugar. And, possibly, sulphur dioxide. Eat a bag and you’ll have boundless energy, I guess because it combines the magic of fruit with the sugar of Mountain Dew and the calories of a Big Mac.

People boated on Crete 130,000 years ago.

Scientists found stone tools on Crete dating back 130,000 years. As this article from the New York Times points out, Crete’s been an island for 5 million years. That means they were dropped from the excrement of very large prehistoric dino-birds that ate some pre-humans, or, more logically, some pre-humans got there by boat.

Potter designed SeaCraft, maybe?