Jack plates are a common performance-enhancing accessory, typically found aboard high-performance boats, along with some bay boats and bass boats. Do jack plates make sense for boats when top speed is not the primary mission?

Yes, if my ride aboard a Coastal Craft 33 Expressfish (41 feet in length overall, 21,000 pounds of displacement) is an indication. The performance was notably improved on this cabin ­fishing boat powered by twin 350 hp Mercury Verado outboards and equipped with a pair of ­Dometic’s new Mega Jackplates.

Built of aluminum, the Coastal Craft hits 45 knots with the twin 350 Verados. While cruising, we noted a 100 rpm decrease in engine speed—without the loss of boatspeed—when raising the engines 3 inches using the Dometic Mega Jackplates. That will add up to real savings over the course of a season and the life of ownership.

Why not simply mount the engines higher to begin with? Mounting the engines higher will improve speed, but it will also hinder the ability to get on plane and hold plane at lower speeds. With jack plates, a boat owner can have their cake and eat it.

It’s intuitive, I think, that raising the engine height reduces drag because there is less gear case being pulled through the water. Setback takes more ­explaining.

Think of the water flowing along your boat’s bottom as an ideal stream for the propeller to work in. As this stream ­passes the transom, it rises at an angle. Setback allows the raised engine to remain in this clean stream, getting the most thrust with the least drag, and thus upping speed and efficiency.

The shallow-draft benefit delivered by jack plates is easier to explain than setback. Raising the engine vertically ­reduces draft without causing the boat to squat and without the reduced maneuverability that tilting up an engine can cause. According to Jeff Rhodes, owner of Coastal Craft, the many owners of his boats in the ­Bahamas value these attributes. I invite the reader to consider their own shallow-water scenarios, particularly areas with a lot of current.

Read Next: Installing an Outboard Motor Jack Plate on a Boat

Dometic Mega Jackplates are rated for up to 600 hp. They are available in 6-, 8- and 10-inch setbacks with both wide and standard mounts. In short, they can be fitted to most boats. They offer up to 6 inches of travel. Note that they are an addition to an already well-­established line of jack plates from Dometic.

In operation aboard the Coastal Craft, Dometic’s Mega Jackplates operated simply and responsively. They are durably built of high-quality aluminum and stainless steel. Having toured Dometic’s manufacturing facility, I can assert that the Mega Jackplates are as rugged as they look.

The starting price at time of publication is $3,998, depending upon application. 

How Jack Plates Work

A jack plate raises the engine height, reducing drag and draft,  and sets the engine back from the transom. Because the “clean” water flowing along a hull bottom rises at an angle as it leaves the transom, additional height—and additional setback—can keep the props turning in the best water. 

Disclaimer: The subtleties of setback and engine height need to be discussed as specifics, including prop, boat, engine, rpm, gear ratio, speed and more. Seek the help of a knowledgeable dealer, engine-maker or boatbuilder, or go to Dometic directly by visiting dometic.com. 

The post The Benefits of Dometic Mega Jackplates appeared first on Boating Mag.

I’m always curious about the psychology influencing the purchase of a boat. And because my good friend Chuck Larson perceives the world through a kaleidoscopic lens, I was especially intrigued when he whipped out his phone at the Lake View Inn bar after telling me and barkeep Wally he was going to look at a boat the next morning. Chuck was quite excited.

“My wife found this cool Glastron on Marketplace,” Chuck said, holding up his cellphone.

“Ah!” Wally said. “A GT-160. That’s a classic.”

“With a 115 Johnson,” Chuck said. “I think this might be that James Bond boat.”

“Not quite,” Wally said. “It was a GT-150 that jumped the dike in Live and Let Die.”

I gave Wally my incredulous “How do you know this stuff?” look before I flicked through the boat photos on Chuck’s phone. This was a blue-and-white 1975 model with that classic wraparound windshield. The asking price was $5,300.

“Chuck, this is an old boat. You better have Dan the Outboard Man go with you to at least thump the transom,” I said. But in the back of my mind, I was thinking I’d really like to have this boat myself. When I was a teenager, a friend had use of a gold metal-flake Glastron with a pair of tall Mercury 100 hp outboards, and the time we spent on Green Lake in that boat is a core memory. All afternoon, other speedboats would challenge us, their skippers giving us the “Wanna race?” signal, right hand pumping a phantom throttle. Nobody ever beat that boat.

I spend a lot of time evaluating new boats, but I really find the lines of a classic boat appealing. Same for the profile of a vintage motorcycle. We own a 1964 Shasta camper and a brilliant chrome 1947 Sunbeam toaster. In winter, I bomb around on a 1967 Arctic Cat snowmobile. Part of the appeal, I think, is that this is stuff that can be repaired, and I can usually do it myself. The initial investment is also low. Chuck could have a lot of boating fun for $5,300 in that Glastron—today, that’s about the price of one Mercury Racing Lab Finished propeller.

Read Next: One Classic Glastron Rescue Leads to Another

Science has identified a psychological phenomenon called the reminiscence bump. There is a key period between the ages of 10 to 30 when we stash away strong emotional connections to books, films, cars, boats, sports stars and especially music. That explains why I could never get into grunge or hip-hop, but the crackling energy of a Jimmy Page riff still excites some deep recess of my brain.

A few years ago, on a total whim, we purchased a pretty little mahogany plywood runabout, a 1951 Dunphy with an Evinrude Lark outboard. This boat has rather low freeboard and a rakish sheer for the era, a big white steering wheel, and—this is so cool—a big chrome spotlight on the foredeck. From a purely functional standpoint, a new boat would be superior in every way. But no new boat pulls at me like the Dunphy. I just love to look at it.

Someone snapped up that Glastron before Chuck got to see it. Now I’m on the lookout for a GT-150 because what’s cooler than Bond, James Bond? Not much.

The post A Craving for Classic Boats appeared first on Boating Mag.

The last time I visited Detroit, I got an up-close look at the iconic GM Renaissance Center, the tall collection of glass skyscrapers that dominates the downtown skyline. The towers gave off a beautiful shimmer as the sun’s rays reflected off the glass structure while they passed over Windsor, Canada, behind us. Among other things, the Renaissance Center houses some businesses, including General Motors, a Marriott hotel and a couple of fancy restaurants. But I wasn’t there to visit any of those, or take in a Tigers game at nearby Comerica Park, or dive into the city’s rich music history, from Motown to Eminem. I was there to fish.

I connected with a local fishing guide named Joe Bauer, and at sunrise we set out from nearby St. Clair Shores aboard his 2022 Nitro ZV21 multispecies fishing boat. We had fished our way down along Lake St. Clair, catching smallmouth bass, sheepshead and walleye along the way. Suddenly, there we were, drifting along in the Detroit River as it swept us past the unmistakable view of downtown Detroit. And we were hooked up to smallmouth bass.

It’s the perception among many that bass fishing is a rural pursuit. Yet here I was, experiencing smallmouth madness right in the heart of the Motor City. Bauer, who has been guiding in the area for seven years, knew where to go to work our soft-plastic baits and generate hookup after hookup, all within reach of the beating heart of one of America’s most well-known cities.

Detroit is not the only major city in America where you can catch largemouth and smallmouth bass. Here, along with Detroit, are five places where you can hook up within city limits.

Jump to:

• Detroit
• Pittsburgh
• Orlando
• Chicago
• Sacramento

Detroit

The Detroit River is unique in that it’s really a 28-mile-long strait that connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie. It also dissects the United States and Canada, with Detroit residing on its western bank and Windsor, Ontario, occupying the eastern side, so you have to be careful not to enter international waters as you transit.

Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie are known for producing ­trophy-size smallmouth bass, so it only makes sense that these fish live in the Detroit River too. The fishing is a little different because the bass in Lake St. Clair tend to gravitate toward grass beds; in Lake Erie, they hang around rocky structure. The Detroit River runs swift, so the bass hold deeper.

While smallmouths can be caught almost year-round in the river, Bauer finds the best time to fish for them there is the late summer because the fish seek out the deeper, more oxygenated water in the river. You want to use weighted rigs to get your bait or lures down deeper if you’re in a drift pattern.

But there are 31 islands in the Detroit River, starting with Belle Isle on the American side, and running downriver to Grosse Ille and then Celeron Island as the river flows into Lake Erie. There’s plenty of structure.

“The bass go to the river and get behind boulders out of current, and the natural flow brings crawfish, gobies and minnows to them so they don’t have to go hunt,” Bauer says.

The fishing season starts in late April and runs all the way through Thanksgiving. If you’re hearty enough to fish in a snowmobile suit, you can catch smallies in the snow and then head to Ford Field to watch the Lions game.

Pittsburgh

There’s a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers used to play their home games at a place called Three Rivers Stadium. In the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers converge to form the Ohio River, pumping a lot of fresh water through the Steel City. While the city is more known for its six-time Super Bowl champions, famous bass professional Kevin Van Dam did win the Bassmaster Classic when Pittsburgh hosted it back in 2005.

While once severely polluted by industrial waste, the water quality of the rivers as they flow through Pittsburgh has improved dramatically over the past 30 years or so, leading to an excellent fishery for mostly smallmouth bass, with a few largemouths thrown into the mix. Many say the ­Allegheny River is the cleanest of the three and offers the best fishing. There are several public boat ramps within the city limits that put you right in the heart of urban bassing opportunities, including the Sharpsburg ramp directly across the river from the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. 

There is a ton of man-made structure throughout the city’s waterways that hold fish on the Monongahela and the Allegheny, and where they converge at Point State Park. You can then follow the Ohio River downstream for great fishing opportunities around Neville Island and the Emsworth Lock and Dam. Fish here and maybe you don’t have to wear black and gold to hoist a trophy.

Orlando

Shingle Creek, the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, runs through downtown Orlando. It flows down toward Lake Okeechobee, the largemouth bass capital of the world, but largemouths seemingly swim in even the smallest puddle in the state of Florida. Orlando harbors 60,000 acres of fresh water within its city limits, so there are plenty of bucketmouths available to be caught. (You can even catch trophy-size fish in nearby Disney World, if you hire an official Disney charter to take you.)

Besides the easy access to bass-laden fresh water, the major appeal of fishing in Orlando, and all throughout Florida, is the potential for catching the biggest bass of your life.

“On any given cast, you can hook up with a 14-pounder,” says Zak Fadden, a fishing guide based in the Orlando area.

The state has its own kind of bass, known as the Florida strain, which grows about a pound per year. The reason? Because the water rarely falls below 58 degrees, the bass are always feeding. 

Orlando is a sprawling city, so you won’t get the sweeping views of skyscrapers in the background as you hook into bass, but there are plenty of public boat ramps within the city limits. There are also plenty of lakes in the surrounding areas, such as the Butler Chain of Lakes, the Clermont Chain of Lakes, John’s Lake, Lake Apopka and Lake Tohopekaliga, known by the locals as “Toho.”

Fadden, who’s been a full-time guide in Orlando for six years, grew up fishing in Detroit and has competed in tournaments all around the country. But he says Florida is the best. “You can fish here 12 months a year,” he says.

Chicago

Like Detroit, Chicago is known more for a lot of things other than fish—think blues music, deep-dish pizza, Da Bears, Da Bulls, Da Cubs and even Da Sox. In terms of fishing, it’s known more for salmon out on Lake Michigan or its famous smelt run. Still, the Windy City also offers the chance to catch smallmouth bass right in the heart of downtown. In fact, an angler caught the Illinois state record smallmouth bass, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces, in Chicago’s Monroe Harbor in 2019.

Southern Lake Michigan is a smallmouth hotspot, and the bass hold up well in the waters around urban Chicago, lurking around man-made structures and rocky riprap that keep the city protected from the lake’s erosion-causing waves.

“From Navy Pier all the way 40 miles south, the shoreline is all structure,” says Ralph Steiger, a fishing guide based on the Indiana-­Illinois border who has guided on the southern tip of Lake Michigan for 19 years. “That whole area is full of fish.”

The smallmouth bass are getting bigger and more abundant, thanks to a strict catch-and-release ethic among local anglers, as well as the rise of the invasive goby baitfish population, which are like candy to smallmouth bass. But it’s not just the lake that holds good fishing.

“You’d be shocked at the water quality in the Chicago River,” Steiger says. “It’s getting better and better.”

He says the river has a decent largemouth bass population, and you can catch smallmouth bass in the mouth of the river where it empties into Lake Michigan. Steiger adds, “We’re finding fish in places you’d never think to cast to.”

Read Next: Tips for Fishing Bays and Harbors

Sacramento

The California Delta, where the Sacramento and the San ­Joaquin ­rivers converge in a labyrinth of islands and backwaters, is considered one of the premier areas in the country to catch largemouth bass. The heart of the best Delta fishing is about an hour’s drive from downtown Sacramento, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t fish to be had in the heart of the city.

The American River flows from the Sierra Nevada ­mountains into downtown Sacramento, where it converges with the ­Sacramento River just past the Jiboom Street Bridge and Tiscornia Park. One of the best places to catch urban bass is in Washington Lake, which juts off from the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel in the ­western section of Sacramento.

Several of the biggest largemouth bass ever caught have come from California, ever since the state introduced Florida-strain largemouths to some of its waters in the 1950s. As with Florida, many of California’s lakes and rivers have excellent forage for bass as well as an extended growing season due to the moderate climate. While you might not catch a world record in the Delta area, you may very well hook up with a 15-pounder, even within Sacramento city limits.

The post Five Cities With Great Bass Fishing appeared first on Boating Mag.

New bow-mount electric trolling motors for boating anglers continue to push the envelope of technology, efficiency, stealth, corrosion resistance and integration with onboard electronics.

In July 2023, I highlighted the new Move brushless bow-mount trolling motors from Power-Pole. And now Garmin and Minn Kota have also introduced new bow-mount ­trolling motors. 

Release the Kraken

The Garmin Force Kraken is a brushless saltwater trolling motor with an easy-to-deploy manual pivot mount. It operates at either 24 volts (80 pounds of thrust) or 36 volts (100 pounds of thrust). All components are corrosion-­resistant, including a sturdy composite shaft. Easy-to-replace sacrificial anodes in the nose cone and under the prop fight corrosion.

The Force Kraken is up to 37 percent more efficient than competitive brushed motors. It runs ultra-quiet and won’t fuzz up fish-finder screens with static. It has the ability to spin the prop backward to hasten response time. Multiband GPS improves anchor lock. At the low end, the Force Kraken decelerates the motor within a meter of the desired location using reverse prop spin. At the high end, the Kraken applies more aggressive motor speed for improved performance in challenging seas.

A standard floating wireless remote has gesture-sensitive point-and-go technology, like using a Wii. A foot pedal (wireless or hard-wired) can also be added. Other options include connecting wirelessly to a Garmin chart plotter or quatix smartwatch.

Integration with Garmin LiveScope live-sonar transducers is made easy by running the transducer cable within the trolling-motor shaft. The Force Kraken is available in 63-, 75- and 90-inch shaft lengths in the white paint scheme, but only in 63- and 75-inch shafts in the black version. Retail pricing starts at $3,699; garmin.com.

Vision Quest

Minn Kota also debuted new motors with Quest brushless technology in the Riptide Terrova and new Riptide Instinct lines. Each motor offers dual voltage, including 24 volts (90 pounds of thrust) and 36 volts (115 pounds of thrust). Shaft-length choices will include 87 inches and a new 100-inch option. All boast beefed-up composite shafts and pivot points, with the Riptide Terrova offering a manual deploy-and-stow ­feature, and ­automatic deploy-and-stow for the Instinct.

In addition to offering greater efficiency, the motors will incorporate real-time battery monitoring with a “time until ­empty” indicator, and they will prompt anglers to switch to Eco mode when reserves drop to 20 percent. Built-in i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link GPS enables functionality such as Spot-Lock and a new Drift mode that works like a virtual drift sock. Control options include a new GPS wireless remote to drive the motor from anywhere in the boat. In addition, the new motors will be compatible with the One-Boat Network for easily networking with and controlling via a Humminbird multifunction display. Quest pricing will start at $3,799.99 for a Riptide Terrova and go up to $6,099.99 for a 100-inch-shaft Riptide Instinct motor; minnkota.johnsonoutdoors.com.

Read Next: Using Anchor-Lock on Trolling Motors to Catch More Fish

Raymarine-Rhodan Integration

Raymarine’s Axiom multifunction displays can now integrate with Rhodan Marine’s bow-mount saltwater trolling motor. Anglers can control their trolling motor from an Axiom just as they would from the Rhodan key fob. They can increase and decrease thrust, adjust the motor’s direction, and maintain a heading and adjust it in 1-degree increments. Boating anglers can also maintain position over a spot. Raymarine’s integration with Rhodan automatically detects if the trolling motor is stowed or deployed, enabling Axiom to steer the trolling motor when it is active and control a Raymarine Evolution autopilot when the motor is stowed. Integration requires upgrading to Raymarine’s LightHouse 4.5 operating system. To learn more, visit raymarine.com or rhodanmarine.com.

The post New Bow-Mount Brushless Trolling Motors appeared first on Boating Mag.

A pontoon boat presents a special challenge in docking: It puts multiple keels in the water, and thus resists pivoting. The wide, flat sides catch the wind, compounding your handling headache. The experts at Mercury, Yamaha and Suzuki agree that the best way to maximize control is to maximize propeller blade area.

“The more blade area offered by the prop, the more contact you’ll have with the water,” says David Meeler, new product introduction manager for Yamaha. “Look for a prop with blades shaped like elephant ears.”

Maximizing blade area gains you thrust authority, which translates into faster, more forceful response to throttle input. The trade-off—with props, there’s always a trade-off—will be increased drag at speed. Don’t let this concern you, unless you are propping a high-performance pontoon and speed is the goal.

Yamaha offers its Talon Pontoon prop for T50 to F115 model outboards. It has large blades and minimal rake expressly to maximize thrust and control. The Yamaha T50 and T60 outboard models come equipped with a Dual Thrust prop that improves thrust in reverse by venting the exhaust forward of the prop hub. For Yamaha motors above 115 hp, Meeler usually suggests the Saltwater Series II prop with up to a 15.75-inch diameter and big blades that perform well when pushing a pontoon boat.

“You need to tell the ­dealer how you’ll usually use the boat, whether that’s with 15 people aboard or just your spouse and a dog,” says Gary Diehl, senior category manager for props at Mercury. “The dealer can help you pick a prop with the best pitch to match the load, but the prop model should be one with max blade area.”

Mercury offers its FourStroke 90 and 115 models with a 4.75-inch-diameter Command Thrust gear case with a low gear ratio to slow prop speed and allow space for large 16-inch-diameter props. Diehl’s go-to prop for pontoon applications is the three-blade Enertia model, which is offered down to an 11-inch pitch and has large blades designed for max-thrust applications.

Read Next: Choose the Best Motor for Your Pontoon Boat

David Greenwood, general manager of the Suzuki Marine Technical Center, points out that any Suzuki outboard from 150 hp and up can run a 16-inch-diameter prop intended for its biggest V-6 model motors. Thrust is also the reason the dual-prop ­Suzuki DF300B has become a popular option on larger pontoon boats and tritoons.

“Pontoon owners with control issues should also check the outboard mounting height,” Greenwood says. “I frequently see pontoons that would benefit from lowering the motor by one or two mount holes to get the prop deeper in the water, especially if you are frequently out with a big group of passengers, who usually sit forward in the pontoon. This passenger weight lowers the bow and can raise the engine by an inch or more, and you lose thrust.”

One more tip: Don’t forget to trim your outboard down before approaching the dock.

The post Selecting the Right Propeller for Your Pontoon Boat appeared first on Boating Mag.

According to federal regulations (33 CFR 183.505), marine carburetors and fuel-injection systems must have a flame arrester installed to prevent a backfire from igniting fuel vapor in the engine compartment. If the air-induction system is itself a flame arrester, or if a backfire would be directed outside the boat, then the flame arrester is not required. Some fuel-injection systems and ram air-induction systems meet this last part. Others don’t. If you are worried about the engine getting enough filtered air, there are flame arresters on the market that also act as filters. Produced in consultation with the experts at Hardin Marine, read on to find out what to look for when buying a marine flame arrester for your gasoline inboard, sterndrive or jet boat.

Check the Markings

Flame arresters used to require US Coast Guard approval, but since 1991, units with approval from the Society of American Engineers (SAE J-1928), Underwriters Laboratories (UL 1111) or Coast Guard, and marked as such, are considered safe for use aboard your boat.

Circumference

A larger flame arrester can allow greater airflow, and thus better engine performance and economy. Check to see if there is clearance around the current arrester’s circumference. Premium suppliers such as Hardin Marine offer OEM-style flame arresters in large sizes.

Height

As stated, a larger arrester can provide better filtration and airflow, and thus enhanced performance and ­economy. Check for clearance with the engine hatch above the arrester to see if a taller model will fit.

Vents

Some flame arresters are fitted with vents from the fuel pump or valve cover. If vent lines connect to your boat engine’s flame arrester, measure the inside diameter of the vent line. You might need to order an adapter kit to mate the vent hose to the arrester. This might require trimming to fit.

Read Next: Fixed Marine Fire Extinguishing Systems for Boats

Carb Diameter

If you are running a carbureted engine, measure the diameter of the carburetor’s air inlet flange to order the correct-size flame arrester. Got twin carbs? Measure to get the center-to-center dimension and then check that two arresters of a given diameter will fit. Dual flame arresters are available from sources such as Hardin Marine, CP Performance, K&N and other brands.

Aesthetics

Marine flame arresters sit right atop the engine and are often chromed or gleaming metal. Suppliers can often anodize, powder-coat, color-­match or add logos to flame arresters to coordinate with the make and colorway of the ­engine(s) or boat.

Flame Arrester Maintenance

Many boaters don’t realize that accessory belts shed rubber and contribute largely to dirty flame arresters. Remove flame arresters annually, and clean or replace them. A dirty flame arrester reduces engine airflow and diminishes performance and economy. Brake cleaner followed by compressed air is a preferred method. Some boaters use degreaser followed by a freshwater rinse. Blow air or flush with water from the clean side out.

The post How to Choose a Marine Flame Arrester appeared first on Boating Mag.

Recently, a Southern California commercial passenger fishing boat pilot crashed into the shore rocks upon arriving at one of the Channel Islands. He fell asleep at the wheel. The nautical noctambulist blamed a lot of overtime shifts—overworked with a lack of sleep.

If this can happen to a professional mariner supported by a professional crew, it can happen to one of us. Whether you’re the cruiser trying to make the end destination before the crowd grabs all the good moorings, the angler going from a half-night’s sleep and a day’s work right to running hard to reach a distant bite, or simply any boater who heads out in the middle of burning the candle at both ends, the risk of maritime misadventure rises in step with our lack of sleep. A rested captain is a more patient captain, a more relaxed captain and a safer captain.

One way to combat fatigue and the failing judgment it brings is to boat with another person capable of taking the helm. Hand over the helm and take a nap. I’ve found life jackets make great pillows when I’m shot. Teach family, friends and regular crew how to run the boat.

Read Next: Lessons for Boating in the Fog

Another thing: Don’t put a narrow window on your fishing or cruising. The desire to get somewhere by X time can be strong, especially if X marks the tuna schools or that choice slip a short walk from the marina pool, showers and ship’s store. Consider taking a day off work at each end of a trip so you can head out rested.

Finally, take a break if you feel fatigue coming on. Wash your face. Stand up if you feel tired and don’t sit back down. Drop anchor. Visit a new marina. Any and all of that beats making the news like the poor guy in California.

Wanted: Your Stories
Share your boating mistakes and mishaps so that your fellow boaters might learn from your experience. Send us your first-person accounts, including what went wrong, what you’d do differently, your name and your city, to editor@boatingmag.com and use “ILAB” in the subject line. If your story is selected for publication, we’ll send you a $100 West Marine Gift Card!”

The post I Learned About Boating From This: Combating Fatigue appeared first on Boating Mag.

Deaths from distracted driving of automobiles totaled 3,521 for 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation.

The agency defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts attention, including talking or texting on the phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in the vehicle, or fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes attention away from the task of driving safely.

Now, I acknowledge there is a great difference between driving on a city street and, say, trolling for tuna 50 miles offshore. The car-boat analogy remains problematic regardless of the applied issue. Still, there are plenty of congested boating scenarios, not to mention random logs and other flotsam and jetsam, that are better seen than unseen. Plus, many boating situations ­require our ­utmost focus and attention: running an inlet, docking, operating at night or in fog, etc.

Still, I am on the water running boats as much as four or five times a week and, anecdotally at least, I can state that I see numerous instances of distracted boating. Here’s looking at you, guy who began livestreaming while awaiting a recent lock opening. You were looking good until you went spinning down-current, narrowly missing other boats because you let the bow fall off.

Read Next: Making Good Choices When Boating

That brings me to my first tip: Pick your selfie opportunities carefully. If you really want to capture an experience to share with family and friends, have someone else shoot the footage for you. Or stick the phone or camera on a mount of some sort, with the camera pre-set and rolling before you are in the thick of things. This is how our crew at Boating rolls.

Another thing is to not let your electronics distract you. At the dock, set the screens to the displays you most need. Know the single touches for zoom, split screen, the dimmer, range and other common on-the-go tweaks before you head out. Running down the channel or navigating a crowded anchorage is not the time to have your head down and your mind embroiled in the 16th submenu of the setup function.

Of course, out on open water on a clear day might be a great time to fiddle with things. I am saying pick your opportunity wisely.

Your crew too can be a distraction, especially if there are kids aboard. It’s not their fault—I want to be clear about this point. Whether it’s a child who needs a Band-Aid, or the business partner who can’t figure out how the head works, you need to throttle back to address the issue. Leaning down into the companionway with one hand on the wheel and groping for the first-aid kit or the breaker for the head while the boat’s making 24 knots is not the best move, even on open water. For example, boaters around my home waters have recently been met with loads of flotsam entering Long Island Sound, a result of the flooding that ravaged upstate New York and northern New England in midsummer of 2023.

It only takes a second to hit a log or some Vermonter’s backyard picnic table.

And texting! The NHTSA cites that texting is the No. 1 cause of distracted accidents. Apparently, the average text takes five seconds in the sending or reading. That’s 200 feet at 25 knots, cap’n.

Let’s be careful out there.

The post The Dangers of Distracted Boating appeared first on Boating Mag.

If you follow boating content on social media, you’ve probably seen posts by the ebullient Capt. Boomies, offering seamanship advice and commentary to recreational boaters with insight and humor. Off camera, she’s a 200-ton master based in Baltimore, Maryland, and works as a delivery captain and a recreational boating instructor. We caught up with her to find out more.

How long have you been a captain?

For over 15 years. I started teaching sailing about 20 years ago and there was a cute guy—now my husband—on a 103-foot yacht who kept getting in the way of my classes. He and his crew needed someone to help them make a delivery, so they asked me. It turns out I knew what I was doing so I stayed on full time. Now? I just yell on the Internet.

Were you one of the earliest boating influencers?

That can’t be. But I know I’m in a unique position in that I get to be a professional captain and also do things on Facebook and Instagram that make boating fun and accessible. I also give talks at boat shows and yacht clubs and have a podcast. I’ve found that I can get more people to understand what I understand about boats through speaking and social media.

Read Next: On Board With: Addy White

Do you still teach?

I help people learn how to operate their boats on a private basis. I specialize in helping people transition to bigger boats.

Do you still boat just for fun?

I recently purchased an old Bayliner and gave her a sparkling paint job and redid the engine. It’s so easy to splash and get wet when I want to get out and boat around the Chesapeake.

The post On Board With: Capt. Boomies appeared first on Boating Mag.

Overview

If you were to put clothes on the 400CC, it would wear a thin-lapelled tuxedo over boardshorts. Few center-consoles bring more style and comfort to the water while maintaining lethal fishability.

Seabring Marine, parent of Monterey, relaunched the storied Blackfin brand six years ago, planning to elevate its reputation from raw fishability to posh-styled cruising and fishing while maintaining a midrange price. We think the company overshot that goal, providing luxury and style in a big center-console while managing to keep the price competitive.

Seabring’s first step in bringing Blackfin’s design elements together was to make standard the highest tech propulsion, navigation, air-conditioning and house-power systems. It provides a package list of standard features, including dual navigation displays, a windlass, a bow thruster, Mercury engines with joystick steering and VesselView displays. So, each boat slips down the line efficiently, with each assembly crewmember well-versed in the installation of each component, eliminating quality-control surprises at the end of the line.

The helm is arranged in a futuristic glass cockpit, with standard 24-inch Garmin multifunction displays on the black dash and a 9-inch Mercury VesselView display overhead on the underside of the beefy hardtop. There’s joystick control, electric power steering, and ­Mercury’s new smooth, convenient digital throttle and shift with an important recent upgrade: The neutral shift-position indicator is on top of the throttle handle, where you can see it without peeking around. It adds an element of convenience and safety.

Engines

Weighing in at over 10 tons, the 400CC is still sprightly, coming onto plane in an average of 8.9 seconds and hitting 30 mph at around 10.9 seconds. The optimal fuel economy is found in a broad window of 4,000 to 5,000 rpm and speeds of 35 to 52 mph, with a cruising range at those speeds of over 200 miles on 475 gallons of fuel. The hull is a double-step Michael Peters design, and it worked well in challenging seas. With a light load, the 400CC made better than 70 mph. Loaded to fish, the nimble ship still made 68 mph. A 4-foot chop was no challenge for it.

The Blackfin is designed with high bows for big waters, and while the bow rise is in line with competitors on hole shot without tabs, using tabs minimized that effect while maintaining acceleration speed. Blackfin chose the high bows over the low-slung, stiletto look of some competitors to give confidence to ­families running in inclement weather.

Interior and Accessories

The helm deck and spacious cabin below are air-conditioned, and that system, along with an owner-added stabilizing gyro, is powered by a high-capacity lithium battery bank. Running the AC dockside for 24 hours resulted in a 50 percent drawdown, but the four powerful 150-amp, 12-volt engine alternators brought the bank back to full in one hour. The standard lithium system eliminates a space-hogging genset along with its annoying rumble, diesel fuel supply and toxic fumes.

For luxury cruising, the 400CC offers dual helm row-style, three-wide seating, with electric adjustments to the captain’s center seat and seat heaters across both rows. Add the standard convenience of a berth below with a convertible settee, mini galley and roomy head, and the convenience package is fully charged.

Blackfin might not have been targeting Scout’s 400 LXF when it built the 400CC, but there are few 40-foot competitors. Robalo hits 36 feet and Cobia taps 35. The Scout 400 LXF pops the bank for $1,156,215 without many of the standards on the Blackfin, such as lithium house batteries, dual 24-inch Garmins and radar. Well, virtually all the standards on the 400CC are options on the 400 LXF. Scout’s rigging station leaning post is an option. Where it compares is with the high bows, comparable luxury appointments and style. Scout beats the Blackfin in livewells, offering two 66-gallon wells at the transom compared to Blackfin’s 70-gallon tank aft and 30-gallon tank at the bow.

The second-row seating is backed by a dual-purpose rigging station on top and a ­Kenyon grill and sink beneath the lift-up rigging lid. Tackle storage is generous in ­drawers facing aft and cabinets on the leaning-­post sides. Dual slide-out coolers in the rigging station chill refreshments. Rod holders abound, with 14 in the hardtop, six in each gunwale, and six on the transom. There is even a standard removable transom lounge with three more shotgun holders. This posh seat fastens over the transom livewell, with a hatch to ­access bait through the seat.

Blackfin built a beautiful, seriously fishable, luxuriously comfortable center-console that we suspect will find itself tending yachts in ­Caribbean harbors when it’s not doubling as a sailfish-tournament platform.

How We Tested

• Engines: Quad Mercury 400 V-10 Verados
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Rev X  27″ pitch 4-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 2.08:1 Fuel Load: 225 gal. Water on Board: 100 gal. Crew Weight: 300 lb.

High Points

• A dive door with a ladder and a transom door offer dual boarding options.
• Blackfin’s convenient, access to electronics panels, pumps, batteries and other systems eases service.
• Style, comfort and lethal fishability.

Low Points

• An upper station is not available from Blackfin, but the hardtop is designed to accept an aftermarket system.
• Removable transom seat is clever, but we’d like to see more cockpit seating.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

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