Boating Magazine - How-to

Trailer Boating in Alaska

bdaugherty — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:06:37 GMT

We're just north of Seattle, have a week off, and want to cruise southeastern Alaska. Normally that would mean a long slog offshore to get there and back, with little time left over to actually be in Alaskan waters. Not an efficient use of our limited time. So we said to hell with bouncing around in the Pacific and decided to hit the smooth straight highways north.

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Trailer Boating in Alaska

Five "Deck Seamanship" Responsibilities

bdaugherty — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:20 GMT

Some of the biggest mishaps around marinas involve a captain who maneuvers into a slip and then conducts a Chinese fire drill trying to make fast the lines. The results? Boats smash into pilings, bang the bow pulpit or the props against a bulkhead, or even lose a passenger overboard. Once I watched a dock helper break his arm between the gunwale and concrete. In each case the captain would have been better off with some help from a “deck ape.”

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Five "Deck Seamanship" Responsibilities

Top Flatfish Techniques

bdaugherty — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:11 GMT

The conventional wisdom of California halibut fishing is to drift live baits over open expanses of sand.

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Top Flatfish Techniques

Cruise Florida In Style

bdaugherty — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:10:39 GMT

Florida offers some of the most diverse cruising grounds found in North America. There are freshwater lakes, brackish marshlands, and myriad island archipelagoes—the Florida Keys being most famous. Florida also boasts intriguing alongshore cruising and serves as the premier jumping-off spot to explore the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

One of the best ways to enjoy this boating wonderland is to charter a “bareboat”: a cruise-capable vessel that you captain yourself. Here are five great sources for bare boating in Florida.

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Cruise Florida In Style

Trailering Tips From the Crash-a-Rama

bdaugherty — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:33:12 GMT

Crrrrrrr-runch!

It’s a sound guaranteed to produce chills for any boater. And tonight, I’m hearing it a lot. First there’s the guy in the black car who whips his trailer-borne boat into the corner and wipes out half the transom of a fellow nautical road warrior’s boat. Then there’s the driver in the silver car who completely loses his boat in a curve, sending it skidding across the track. And then there’s the Andretti in the white van who seemingly just targets all these loose vessels and does his best to crash into…every…last…one.

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Trailering Tips From the Crash-a-Rama

Slow-Trolling Live Bait

bdaugherty — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:31:40 GMT

Slow-trolling live bait is a great way to cover water and increase your offshore success. Pacific Coast anglers slow-troll sardines and mackerel to hook up with tuna and dorado, while Atlantic and Gulf coast anglers troll live menhaden, goggle-eyes and blue runners for king mackerel, mahi and sailfish. Try these techniques on any coast.

1. Hearty live baits, capable of swimming while being dragged at 1 to 2 knots without spinning or tangling, are required.

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Slow-Trolling Live Bait

Targeting Bottom Fish

bdaugherty — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:39:05 GMT

Whether it’s black sea bass and tautog in the Atlantic or vermilion rockfish and lingcod in the Pacific, May is high season for sporty and delectable bottom species. Inhabiting easily accessible grounds and seemingly eager to commit suicide upon a baited hook, these reef, wreck and rock dwellers make for fun family fishing. Here are four tips for targeting them.

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Targeting Bottom Fish

How To Boat Safely at Any Speed

bdaugherty — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:00:46 GMT

While idling through a no-wake zone, the tropical blue waters of Biscayne Bay look entirely unintimidating. Sure, there are dozens of other boats moving through the channels in every direction and large container ships being piloted into port just around the corner, but it all looks … manageable. Then Marc Granet hammers the throttles and everything changes.

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How To Boat Safely at Any Speed

Installing A Bimini Top

bdaugherty — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:00:55 GMT

Tools and Supplies

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Installing A Bimini Top

Electric Shock Drowning Prevention

bdaugherty — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:40:31 GMT

Mike is a marine systems engineer and technical writer for Nordhavn Yachts, an ABYC Master Technician and a longtime boating journalist.

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Electric Shock Drowning Prevention

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

bdaugherty — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:50:56 GMT

Never fight a fire aboard unless you can do so with your back to an exit and have a way out or off the boat. Also, fire extinguishers are meant for containing fires that have just started, not for one that’s blazing. If there’s any doubt, get yourself and your crew off the boat. These tips outline the proper use of fire extinguishers.

Know the Rating
Fires are classed as A (combustible materials), B (combustible liquids) and C (electrical). The Coast Guard requires onboard extinguishers to handle B- and C-type fires. Type "ABC" extinguishers are available.

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How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

Is Your Boat an Electrical Fire Hazard?

bdaugherty — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:23:55 GMT

Electrical fires on boats can and do happen. The good news is that most are preventable. Here’s how you can be your own best fire marshal in the effort to prevent onboard electrical fires.

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Is Your Boat an Electrical Fire Hazard?

Rescuing a Man Overboard

bdaugherty — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:57:59 GMT

The difficulty in retrieving a man overboard (MOB) never hit me until I faced the real-life rescue of a swimmer in distress. We weren’t at sea, but rather in the harbor within 50 yards of the dock. Most rescues take place under more challenging conditions. Yet having the right gear and using teamwork can help with retrieval, be it one of your crew who went over, a victim of a capsized boat or a swimmer in distress. It’s also important to avoid panic, because rescues require clear thinking.

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Rescuing a Man Overboard

Installing Retractable Cleats

bdaugherty — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:55:25 GMT

The low-profile design of retractable cleats eliminates tripping hazards and snag points and preserves a boat’s sleek lines. Yet these cleats are quickly accessible. Pop-up cleats are spring-loaded — push a button to elevate the business end. Pull-up versions require that you manually lift the cleat, with detents to keep it in position. A downward push tucks both cleat types virtually flush with the deck.

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Installing Retractable Cleats

Five Freshwater Boating Destinations in Florida

bdaugherty — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:59:50 GMT

In 2007 I wrote a story called the Fishing Trifecta, where we took a boat from the east coast of Florida through the Okeechobee Waterway to the west coast. What surprised me was how much I loved the vast, desolate shorelines of the lake.

The trip served as a reminder that, while most think of Florida as a salt water destination, there are a wealth of fantastic boating opportunities in fresh water.

Here, then, are five great freshwater boating spots to try.

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Five Freshwater Boating Destinations in Florida

Taking Proper Care of an Acrylic Windshield

bdaugherty — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:42:15 GMT

The chemistry of acrylic windshields was first discovered in 1843. In 1933, German chemist Otto Rohm refined the chemistry into polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), patented it and registered the brand name Plexiglas in 1933. In 1936, the product under the name Lucite by DuPont was used in airplane windshields and gun turrets. The question of patent ownership was likely settled on the European battlefield.

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The History of Acrylic Windshields

On Board With: Capt. William Deal, U.S. Coast Guard

bdaugherty — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:14:43 GMT

On Jan. 24, 2012, crews of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak in Alaska responded to distress calls from the fishing vessels Kimberly and Heritage. Over the course of 14 hours, the rescuers battled hurricane-force winds and 25-foot seas to save 11 fishermen. Capt. William Deal (retired) discussed the overnight rescue on behalf of the heroes, who also appear on the Weather Channel’s Coast Guard Alaska show.

With a storm in the forecast, did the base prepare differently for the night?

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On Board With: Capt. William Deal, U.S. Coast Guard

Boat Transport Tips

bdaugherty — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:00:30 GMT

You’ve daydreamed about cruising the indigo waters of the Bahamas, or perhaps battling blue marlin on St. Thomas’ North Drop or coasting among killer whales while watching glaciers calve at Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Wherever your nautical reveries reside, charters are likely available, but you bought a boat for the freedom to voyage. Unfortunately, time, or a boat’s capabilities, limit distance and routes.

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Tips for Shipping Your Boat

Five First Run Checks

bdaugherty — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:24:30 GMT

The used 38-foot express was pristine, and after a pre-purchase sea trial and inspection I gave my buddy a thumbs up.

He was pissed.

“What about the teak in the salon? It’s streaky!”

He was referring to the variation in color of the wood’s grain. When installed as cockpit sole or covering boards, teak is oxidized by the sun, which blends these natural variations into an even gold. Inside a cabin, it often looks the way it does straight from the tree: striped.

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Five First Run Checks

Choosing the Right Sacrificial Anode

bdaugherty — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:32:15 GMT

Complex and mysterious, corrosion is as dear to boaters’ hearts as their credit card balances are. In past marine corrosion articles, I’ve delivered straight science.

This time, I’m taking a colloquial approach. Here goes.

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Choosing the Right Anode

How to Install a Marine Dual-Battery System

bdaugherty — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:30:56 GMT

If you have a boat with just one battery, it’s wise to add another, giving you twice as much battery capacity in case, for instance, you inadvertently drain a battery with the stereo while the engine is off. You can use the second battery to start the engine and then switch to the low battery to give it a charge while you’re running.

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How to Install a Marine Dual-Battery System

Quick Reference Guide For Shipping Your Boat

bdaugherty — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:59:01 GMT

Box It: Virtually limitless shipping destinations are opened through container shipping. “Flat rack” maximums are 40 feet by 8 feet with no height restriction. “High Cubes” fit boats 39 feet by 7 1/2 feet wide by 9 feet high within. Trailered boats that clear 15 feet high might try a roll-on roll-off ship, also known as “Ro-Ro’s.”

Tow It: While it's not impossible to ship wider, taller boats the practical size limits for transporting a boat overland are 13’6” high (keel to mast, plus trailer height) and 15 feet wide.

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Quick Reference Guide For Shipping Your Boat

Blue-Water Cruising in a Small Boat

bdaugherty — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:06:25 GMT

And if you’d rather trailer to Mexico than cruise there on your own bottom, click here.

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Blue-Water Cruising in a Small Boat

Building Boats: Gelcoat

bdaugherty — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:58:33 GMT

The first of an infrequent series of articles designed to help you better understand boat design and construction.

Fight for the Finish
Let’s start at the top with a glimpse at what goes into a first-rate finish. While we could have chosen from a select number of boatbuilders as an example, we’re going to detail the techniques employed by Cobalt Boats to achieve long-lasting good looks.

Mold Maintenance

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Building Boats: Gelcoat

How to Raft Up With Other Boats

bdaugherty — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:09:47 GMT

Rafting up with other boats is fun. You can relax with other adults while the kids swim themselves to exhaustion. It saves gas and you can even pool food and beverage resources to save money. Here’s how to raft up the right way.

1. The Heaviest Boat Sets the Anchor
This is not necessarily the longest boat. If you have a 24-foot cuddy cruiser, your boat likely outweighs a 27 go-fast. The heaviest boat will have the biggest, heaviest anchor, Or should. When tying up to other boats, use dock lines rated for the biggest boat in the gathering.

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