General Boating Articles

Dejà vu! "Gas prices are going through the roof" I read as I sorted through some papers the other day. It went on to say that boaters thought the world would end and that the price of fuel was going to stop power boaters from using their boats. Sound familiar? These papers I uncovered were from family history dated 1979!

Not much has changed has it?

"Contrary to opinions held by most sailors" the article said, "power boaters are still boating and buying large cruisers. Power boaters, like all groups enjoying recreation during their increased leisure hours, are not willing to give it up and stay in their cave all weekend....because of the price of fuel". Why?

Fuel costs are directly related to how much your boat is used and how fast you drive it—the same as any vehicle. 

Brenda and I have come up with 27 ways to save money on fuel this boating season, so that you can maximize your boating pleasure while minimizing your fuel costs.

It is amazing what you can come up with when you set your mind to it.

Opportunities present themselves when you least expect them and, over the years, we’ve learned to take the opportunities when they come.

Last summer, our hometown of Meaford, Ontario, Canada was designing a new website, including five promotional videos highlighting the history, business, agribusiness, tourism and quality of life.

The company hired to produce five videos, Visual Communications and Marketing (VCM) from Mississauga, www.vcminteractive.com , asked us if we would like to volunteer and be featured in the “Unique Quality of Life” video as a newly retired couple living in Meaford. We saw this as an opportunity to experience something new, help promote the town and of course, it was another opportunity to go boating. How could we say no?

It is great to hear success stories from boaters who have benefitted from our books. Irwin followed our advice and sent the following letter to us.

"My wife and I just returned from the New York Boat Show. We went there fully armed with your Buy With Confidence Book and Reports.

Before going to the show we decided not to go for anything larger than 25 feet -- again with the help of your book -- therefore we eliminated the 27 foot we were looking at. We also looked at another new 25 footer before the show and eliminated that too...the new design really ruins the cockpit as far as we're concerned, and the entry into the mid/aft cabin is now so tight only a child can get in there as far as we're concerned.

Anyway, it took us 1.5 days to go through all the other 25' Express Cruisers at the show. We short-listed down to four 25'ers.

After getting initial price markers, we decided it was worth the extra money (approx. $10K) to go with the top quality boats.

Then we got down to brass tacks between the last two. We really liked both boats, and each had some nice, unique features/benefits the other did not have. We didn't have time to go through every point in your Inspect It Yourself Report in check-off list fashion, but we did keep as many items in mind as possible when looking at the boats.

We were down to the wire deciding between the two. Then we remembered one of your key points about going through the windshield pass through, onto the foredeck, and walking over to the bow cleats and anchor. And that's when we discovered a fatal flaw in our choice #1. Just forward of the pass through is a really nice foam cushion. Great for sunbathing but not a great non-skid surface to walk upon. On each side of the cushion was a sloping, triangular shaped piece of Plexiglas surrounded by smooth fibreglass. Again, a great feature for adding light to the cabin but again, no safe place to walk. Overall, the foredeck slanted down towards the bow rather steeply. Just sitting stationary at the boat show, we felt totally unsafe walking around the bow. We could only imagine what it would be like trying to get up there on a rough, windy, wet day! The salesman -- in this case the owner of the dealership -- tried to convince us that this was not important. He said we could get by docking by using the midships and aft cleats, and then tie onto the bow cleat from the dock. Ha! (And what about anchoring???) He also pointed out the 2" wide non skid "walkway" underneath the bow rails. (A toddler just might be able to walk along this, carefully placing one foot directly ahead of the other foot...) If we had purchased this boat, an otherwise fantastic boat, we would have found out very quickly that we had made a major mistake!

We went back to look at choice #2 and its foredeck was completely non-skid, much less steep, with easy and safe access to the entire bow area. So we bought it and we are very pleased with our decision.
But if it had not been for your expert guidance, we likely would have opted for choice #1 and this would have been a major error for us! So many thanks for the assistance. The money we paid for your book and reports was a very wise investment!

So now we want to go ahead and order your wife's book, I think it's titled "First Mate 101." Please send me ordering instructions."

 Irwin D. Nathanson, New York

Great Opportunity

Boat shows are often a great opportunity to get special deals, rebates, and incentives on new boats, accessories, trailers, dinghies, gifts, clothing, knick-knacks, electronics and more—all kinds of "stuff" for your boat. But (and there is usually a "but"), Boat Shows can be confusing, overwhelming, and intimidating, unless you know how a Boat Show is put together and go prepared.

Buying Used

When buying used, you can end up with more boat for the same dollars or an older boat for fewer dollars. If you are handy and have extra time, or prefer a larger boat than you can afford new, then a used boat with a few projects is for you. However, there is a lot to learn before jumping into a used boat.

Enjoy what you’ve got! Spice up your boat a little and take this opportunity to relax on the water to escape the everyday stresses. Everything is better on a boat.

Enhance your boat to make it more comfortable and enjoyable. Enhancing Your Boat is a free e-Lesson available on our website with many inexpensive ways to add features for enjoyment and safety, simplify procedures to eliminate frustrations, gain knowledge, improve skills and more.

We boaters love to eat and drink and entertain. It seems that this activity takes up most of the day and that ISN'T a good thing. At a recent dockside party, I was asked "How do you exercise on a boat? There isn't room for any exercise equipment."

Well, that's true. Nobody wants to boat with their treadmill, stepper, or any other equipment. After all, we exercised all winter to be ready for summer so we wouldn't have to. But, what about all that food? More food and less exercise is a no-win/add pounds formula—and none of us want that!

I have a solution that works for me and could work for you too.

I need reading glasses just like millions of others with aging eyes. Several pair are scattered throughout the house. My only problem is having to wear sunglasses, especially on the boat where the bright sun is reflected off the water and white decks making it even harder on the eyes.

Wearing sunglasses is fine until I have to see the chart or the gauges or the GPS. Then, I have to take them off, find my readers and put them on while balancing and hanging on in a moving boat. I don’t have enough hands! Sound familiar?

Many women I have spoken to have the same difficulty and frustration and, like me, they’ve been putting up with it.

Then, one day, I saw Gail, a boater friend, at a party. She and Ed came by boat and Gail was excited to tell me about her solution to this problem.

It doesn’t seem to matter what size a boat is, it never has enough storage space for all our “stuff”.

Finding a place for all the cleaners we need is difficult and finding a convenient place for them is almost impossible.

There’s vinyl cleaner, stainless steel cleaner, spider dirt cleaner, vinyl window cleaner, glass cleaner, fiberglass cleaner, all purpose cleaner and on and on it goes. “Why can’t they come up with one cleaner that cleans everything?” is a question I’ve been asking for years.

Well, I think I might have found an answer.